THE STATUS OF MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY IN U.S. HIGHER EDUCATION

The expertise of mineralogists and petrologists is critical as society transitions to clean energy sources and advanced technologies, while sustaining a healthy natural environment. To assess the training of these geoscientists, in mid-2020, the Mineralogical Society of America’s (MSA) Council voted to support a study examining the status of mineralogy and petrology teaching in U.S. institutions of higher learning. A comprehensive survey instrument was developed in 2021, piloted with 20 geoscience faculty members from across the U.S., revised, and distributed to an additional 73 institutions of higher education. Survey items included (among others): Demographic information, numbers of mineralogy and petrology courses taught, courses added or deleted over the past five years, resources used to teach the courses, whether courses had a field and/or laboratory component, average enrollment numbers, enrollment trends, levels at which courses were taught, degrees awarded, hiring prospects, key knowledge and skills for mineralogy and petrology, teaching suggestions, and interest in mentorship.

Key findings were: The trend in enrollment in mineralogy and petrology courses over the past five years is decreasing; faculty emphasize content in teaching mineralogy and petrology, yet their teaching suggestions stressed teaching in context and including more about instrumentation; environmental companies are doing much of the hiring of mineralogy/petrology graduates at all levels, however, mining is perceived to have the greatest need for graduates in these fields; there is strong support for a mentorship program for mineralogy/petrology students that includes involvement by potential employers; there is a perceived decrease in demand for graduates trained in mineralogy/petrology concepts and skills; and, while 38 mineralogy/petrology courses were removed from institutions over the past five years, 30 new courses in those fields were added.