Alexandria, VA - Following the release of data about graduates from over 71 geoscience departments that took the National Geoscience Student Exit Survey, Currents #81 examines preliminary results on where geoscience students found employment following graduation, and at which salary level.
Graduating geoscience students came from institutions nationwide; however, the majority of those who found employment did so in Texas, California and Oklahoma. Those who found employment in Texas and Oklahoma were predominantly hired into the petroleum industry. Geoscience graduates working in California found positions in environmental services, research institutes and government agencies.
Annual salaries for recently employed geoscience graduates ranged from less than $30,000 to more than $120,000 depending on the graduates' highest degree level and the hiring industry. Notably, those with an annual salary of $90,000 or more were employed in the petroleum industry.
The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geosciences education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.