What can I do with a degree in Geological Sciences?

Numerous opportunities are available to BSU students who graduate with a degree in Geological Sciences. Most of our students pursue one of the following three options upon graduation:

  • Graduate Study: Obtaining a Master's Degree in geology or a related earth science discipline will make you more attractive to potential employers. Your starting salary will often be considerably higher compared to students holding a Bachelor's Degree. It is also very common for students to work for a few years after graduating from BSU before entering graduate school. Employers will sometimes subsidize your Graduate training if you are a valued employee. For those graduates interested in a research career within industry or in a University setting, a Ph.D. is ultimately required. A link to additional information about Graduate School can be found on this web page.

  • Education (teaching at the K-12 level): There is a large shortage of science teachers at all grade levels across the nation. The vast majority of elementary school teachers have little or no background in science and there is a critical need to fill that gap. At the secondary school level, there are also relatively few qualified teachers in key science content areas, compared to other disciplines. Thus, if you are a prospective teacher, majoring in earth science can make you a more competitive applicant for teaching positions. Geological Sciences is an important part of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, however, each district delivers those frameworks in different ways. In recent years, most of our Geological Sciences majors who also minored in Secondary Education have secured teaching positions at the 7-10th grade levels.

  • Employment within Geoscience: Students with a Bachelor's Degree in Geological Sciences have numerous opportunities for employment. This includes environmental consulting, the petroleum and mineral industries, local, state, and federal regulatory agencies, state and federal geological surveys, state and national parks, and various research organizations. The exact nature and number of opportunities is always changing and depends in part on where you want to live. In recent years, Geological Sciences graduates from BSU have been widely hired by both large, national and smaller, local environmental/engineering consulting firms.

The American Geological Institute (AGI) has an excellent series of essays by professionals describing many of the numerous opportunities and career avenues for students with degrees in Geological Sciences. To read these essays, click here. You can also find additional information about Geoscience careers and job statistics at these sites:

Last Modified: June 19, 2012