Introductory geoscience enrollments in the United States

The American Geological Institute (AGI) has released a report on the state of introductory geoscience enrollment in the United States during the 2003-2004 academic year. Typically, introductory courses are viewed as one of the major recruitment tools for the field of geosciences. This survey was intended to establish a baseline metric of enrollments in general geoscience courses and how they translate into recruitment of majors.

Conducted between October 2004 and February 2005, the survey was sent to 676 geoscience departments to determine the numbers of students enrolled in various categories of introductory geoscience courses during the 2003-2004 academic year. The report also provides a breakdown of enrollment numbers by subject area and department characteristics. It also offers a look at the traditional view of introductory geoscience classes as an avenue for the recruitment of majors, of which no significant relationship was demonstrable. This report is available in PDF format on AGI’s Career Information Web site at http://www.earthscienceworld.org/careers/.