AGI's and AAG's Geoscience Career Master's Preparation Survey asked faculty how prepared their students are in 36 different technical geology competencies. It inquired about how prepared students feel in these competencies, and compared those with how important each of the competencies are to non-academic professionals' current positions in the workforce. The list of competencies were taken from the National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG) Task Analysis Survey. The graphs examine 12 selected geology competencies that had the most interesting trends.
Sixty-seven percent of professionals indicated that interpreting and analyzing geological data, maps, sections and reports are "Very Important" to their current positions, whereas only 33% of faculty and 29% of students indicate extensive preparation for this skill. Additionally, 52% of faculty and 39% of students indicate "Adequate" or "Extensive Preparation" in identifying fossils, assemblages for age or paleoenvironmental interpretations. However, only 17% of non-academic professionals indicate that this skill is "Important" or "Very Important" to their careers.
This is the sixth in a series of seven Currents disseminating results from the AGI and AAG Geoscience Career Master's Preparation Survey. For more information about this research, its outcomes and resources available to departments, please visit: https://www.americangeosciences.org/workforce/workforce-readiness.