New Geoscience Student Exit Survey Reflects Evolving Opportunities for Recent Graduates

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) Workforce Program announces the release of the Status of Recent Geoscience Graduates 2016 report. This report details the results of the 2016 Geoscience Student Exit Survey, documenting trends in geoscience coursework, enrollment, student experiences, as well as a recent shift in hiring patterns for new graduates.

The Geoscience Student Exit Survey received responses from 483 students at 156 geoscience schools or departments, comprising 333 bachelor’s graduates, 78 master’s graduates, and 70 doctoral graduates. The aggregated responses are visualized in several ways, including as a Sankey diagram, which shows the flow of students through the higher education system and underscores the incredible value of experiences like field camp, research, and internships as stepping stones to employment.

As discussed in the previously published Status of the Geoscience Workforce 2016, the recent downturn in the oil and gas industry changed the dynamics in hiring of new graduates. Job prospects for 2016 graduates, especially for bachelor recipients, saw a shift away from direct employment in the energy industry and into the environmental and engineering consulting field. The oil and gas industry maintained robust hiring at the master’s level, but stepped back from its hiring of doctorate recipients, likely as the master’s level was providing sufficient supply. As for doctoral degree recipients, they most commonly find jobs with educational and research institutions - unchanged from previous years.

The complete Status of Recent Geoscience Graduates 2016 is available online as a free download at https://www.americangeosciences.org/workforce/reports. A print version can be purchased from Amazon for $15 at http://amzn.to/2kjcK65.