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May 2011 two-week field trip to Washington stateIn the U.S., the number of jobs open to geologists will rise 14 percent in the decade ending in 2026, about double the average for all occupations, according to a 2016-2017 report from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Albion College geology graduates continue to be quite successful in obtaining interesting and well-paying jobs, as professional geologists, graduate students in geology, law, medicine, or business, and as K-12 teachers. As an integrative science, geology teaches students how to approach and solve complex open-ended problems that may or may not have a unique answer. Geology develops and requires a melding of analytical, creative, and visual skills that allows our students to be successful in many areas. Many of our students do summer research and internships while at Albion to gain experience.

The current and future professional geology job market is fantastic. There continues to be a major resurgence of industry jobs in petroleum and mineral exploration. Our alumni in the petroleum industry report starting salaries of $100,000 for geologists with a two-year MS degree.

There continues to be a job boom in the environmental field. Many of our recent grads are employed in Michigan and across the US in environmental consulting firms. Science magazine ran an interesting article on pdf"recession-proof" hydrogeology careers in August 2008. Other geology graduates have been employed by research institutes; by state geological surveys and the U.S. Geological Survey; by universities and colleges as geology professors and research scientists, and by secondary schools as earth science teachers.

About two-thirds of our graduates have chosen to continue studying geology or other disciplines at major universities and have obtained masters or doctoral degrees in geology before beginning their careers. Recent graduates have enrolled at Arizona State, Northern Arizona University, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford, Wisconsin, New Mexico Tech, Texas A&M, Maine, and Boston University.

Careers in the Geosciences and Current Job Openings