Introductory geoscience courses in higher education are a major source of public exposure for the geosciences and anecdotally are cited as an important source for recruiting geoscience majors. The number of geoscience majors has been decreasing since a peak in the 1980s, and because of this decrease in the number of majors, some geoscience departments have been under pressure by their institutions to increase the number of students taking introductory geoscience courses. This increase in introductory geoscience courses, however, has not translated into an increasing number of majors for most of these departments.

The American Geological Institute (AGI) first surveyed introductory geoscience course enrollments for the 2003-2004 academic year in order to establish a baseline for introductory geoscience courses. Some of the dynamics sought include: total enrollment numbers, average course enrollments, and the student load at different types of degree-granting institutions. This report for the 2004-2005 academic year represents the second survey, and provides a preliminary elucidation of trends in enrollment statistics for these courses.