Shaping the Future of Graduate Geoscience Education

December 12, 2023

Geoscientists play a central role in addressing global and societal challenges, ranging from sustainable energy, mineral and water resources, severe weather and changing climate, and ocean health and events to geohazard and environmental impacts.

A new report — spearheaded by the Jackson School of Geosciences, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and published by the American Geoscience Institute in September 2023 — provides a road map for change for those interested in shaping the future of graduate geoscience education to better tackle these challenges.

“Across the geoscience disciplines and subdisciplines, there are universal skills that are needed for success regardless of career choice,” said Sharon Mosher, Jackson School dean emeritus.

“The geoscience community has come together to assess these skills and how changes in graduate education and collaboration with external stakeholders can best prepare our students for a broad and expanding spectrum of geoscience careers available now and in the future.”

This report comes after five years of discussion, input and feedback from more than 300 members of the geoscience community in academia, industry, government, NGOs and professional services. It builds on the “Vision and Change in the Geosciences: The Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education” (https://www. americangeosciences.org/change/), published in 2021.

Mosher is the report’s principal investigator and driving force behind the project. The seven-section report outlines why change is necessary for the long-term growth and future of graduate geoscience education and the geoscience profession and identifies strategies for transformative change.

A full text of the report and a free PDF version are available at: https://graduate.americangeosciences.org.

Print copies can be purchased through Amazon.