Geoscience Faculty Ranks and Degree Origins

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As for January 2008, there were 12,354 geoscience faculty employed in geoscience departments at US colleges and universities, compared to 13,554 in 1999. The numbers of Emeritus and Assistant Professors remained the same over this time, but the number of all other faculty dropped. Currently, 56% of all faculty are tenured, while 19% are untenured, but in tenure-track positions.

Distribution of geoscience faculty by rank.

Current tenure-track faculty members received their highest degrees from only 97 different universities, compared to a total of 268 schools that currently grant Ph.D.s in the United States. Of the 97 schools represented, the top ten schools have provided one quarter of all geoscience faculty in the United States.

Top ten schools that account for a quarter of gescience faculty in the U.S.