GeoSpectrum

Geoscience Currents 22: Student Debt by Degree Field compares the student debt load of geoscience bachelor degree recipients and master’s degree recipients with other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degree recipients. Geoscience bachelor’s degree recipients tend to have higher student debt load when compared to other STEM degree fields. The majority (55%) of geoscience bachelor degree recipients have a debt-load in excess of $10,000. Similarly, in comparison to other STEM fields, geoscience master’s degree recipients tend to have higher amounts of debt.
Read more in Geoscience Currents #22: Student Debt by Degree Field.

Geoscience Currents #24 examines the latest salary data in geoscience professions. U.S. Geoscience salaries for all geoscience-related professions continue to exceed the national mean salary for all other science occupations in 2008. Petroleum engineering salaries lead all other geoscience occupations at $119,400, and salaries for geoscientists (except hydrologists and geographers) averaged $89,300. Salaries for environmental scientists and specialists averaged $65,280, just $1,000 over the national average for other science occupations. Read more in Geoscience Currents #24.

Geoscience Currents #23 takes a look at the most recent enrollment and degrees granted data for the geosciences as collected by the American Geological Institute, for the academic year of 2008-2009.US undergraduate geoscience enrollments jumped sharply in 2008-2009, increasing by 8% to 22,191. This increase reflects reports from departments about increasing numbers of new majors, much of which appears driven by increased awareness of energy and environmental issues.This increase is not seen at the graduate level, which tends to lag undergraduate trends by several years and is also contrained by the number of available research and teaching assistantships. This is also somewhat reflected in reports from departments about increased trouble for new bachelor recipients to gain admission to geoscience graduate programs. Read more in Geoscience Currents #23.