ALEXANDRIA, VA — The annual edition of the Directory of Geoscience Departments (DGD) —providing fundamental information about college and university geology departments in the United States, Canada, and Mexico — has just been published by the American Geological Institute (AGI). AGI is also offering a new publication, 1999 Report on the Status of Academic Geoscience Departments, which describes and analyzes enrollment trends, employment trends of recent graduates, and faculty demographics at degree-granting geoscience departments in the United States.
 
The Directory of Geoscience Departments, 39th Edition, provides an alphabetical listing of 1,009 geoscience departments, including those in 29 museums and 56 research departments and institutes. Of the 940 U.S. geoscience departments listed, 755 grant degrees, 23 are in museums, and 56 are in research departments or institutes. Canada’s listing of 61 geoscience departments includes 49 that are degree-granting and five within museums; one is a research department/institute. Seven Mexican degree-granting geoscience departments and one research department/institute are listed as well. The DGD also includes listings of U.S. state geological surveys, selected U.S. federal agencies related to the geosciences, field-camp information, and faculty e-mail addresses.
 
The Report on the Status of Academic Geoscience Departments is the result of a comprehensive survey undertaken by the American Geological Institute and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, a member society, in 1999. Geoscience departments in the United States and abroad were surveyed, but only the U.S. component, with a response rate of 31.2 percent, is represented in the newly published Report. Departments offering only baccalaureate degrees (referred to as “undergraduate” programs) and those offering both baccalaureate and graduate degrees (“comprehensive” programs) were analyzed.
 
The Report describes three major cycles in geoscience enrollments that have occurred during the past 50 years: the first, in the 1950s, reflected a robust extraction industry in oil, gas, and minerals. Statistics from the first cycle and two later cycles dramatically illustrate how enrollment trends mirror real-world economic factors such as global commodity prices, national awareness of environmental hazards or resource shortages, and population demographics. What also emerges from these analyses is the fact that enrollment and employment trends are out of phase. Increased numbers of students choose geoscience curriculums when they see employment trends rising. By the time these students graduate, employment opportunities have often dropped back, dissuading incoming students from pursuing the same course of study. Yet by the time they graduate, employment opportunities are likely to be on the upsurge. “Greater communication is needed between the departments and the employers to reduce the imbalance and amplitude between supply and demand” is the conclusion of the Report.

The Directory of Geoscience Departments, 39th Edition (ISBN 0-922152-56-X; ISSN 0364-7811) consists of 568 pages, published in soft cover (6” x 9”). The AGI member price is $28.00; list price is $35.00.  Please add an additional $7.00 for postage and handling costs in the contiguous U.S.

The Report on the Status of Academic Geoscience Departments consists of 20 pages, published in soft cover (8.5” x 11”). The AGI member price is $4.75; list price is $5.95, shipping and handling included. The Report is also available as a PDF file at http://www.agiweb.org/career/rsad1999.pdf.

The Directory of Geoscience Departments, 39th Edition, and the Report are available from AGI. Please add an additional $11.00 for postage and handling costs in the contiguous U.S. Orders to addresses in Maryland and Virginia are subject to the applicable sales tax. All orders must be prepaid. Please make your check or money order drawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. funds payable to the American Geological Institute. AGI also accepts VISA and MasterCard. Orders are sent by UPS Standard Service, whenever possible, and take two to three weeks for delivery. To determine overseas shipping costs or for additional information, contact the AGI Publications Department.
 
 

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