Employment Trends in Geography, Part 1: Enrollment and Degree Patterns*

Abstract

This paper is the first in a series of three papers dealing with the current and future labor market for geographers. It is based on a report prepared by the Association of American Geographers' (AAG) Employment Forecasting Committee to the National Research Council's (NRC) Rediscovering Geography Committee. This report provides a data-based analysis of the past and future supply of geographers, the current labor market conditions in the field, and the factors likely to influence the future demand for geographers (faculty hiring, geographic education initiatives, trends in private-sector jobs, etc.).Each year some 4,000 individuals receive degrees in geography from America's institutions of higher education. They, or some portion of them, make up the new supply of geographers entering the labor market. In the near future (up to five years), the availability of new geographers is related to the number of geography students now in the educational pipeline. Their current specialties, and the specialties of the programs from which they come, tell us about the types of skills and the kinds of interests to be held by future labor force entrants. In the longer term (five to ten years), the number of new geographers will be influenced by geographic education initiatives at the precollegiate level. More and better geographic instruction in elementary and secondary schools will expose more students to geography as a field of study and as a potential career path. The purposes of this paper are to (1) review degree and enrollment trends in geography, (2) assess the "trickle-up" effects of geographic education initiatives at the precollegiate level, and (3) investigate the characteristics of future supply as evidenced by the types of occupations for which geography deparments are now preparing students.

Geography's Place in Higher Education in the United States

“…The lessons commentators draw from these figures depend on the time period they examine. Gober et al (1995) focus on the period from 1950 to the early 1990s-leading them to paint a picture of significant growth. Estaville et al (2006), by contrast, focus on the period from 1993 to 2001 when the discipline seemed to be losing ground.…”

“…Many schools now pay more attention to the subject than they did two decades ago. In a few instances Geography Alliance members and sympathizers have been successful in promoting specific geography requirements, or at least ensuring that geography was included as part of a recommended curriculum (see generally Gober et al, 1995). The University of Tennessee, the University of Colorado and all the State universities in Minnesota require geography before admission (although there are opportunities for students who do not meet the requirement to take a geography course once they have enrolled).…”

Status of Job Availability for Postgraduates in Geography Education

“…It provides opportunities to develop essential knowledge, skills, and values that enable students to become responsible citizens (Tomal, 2004). Gober, Glasmeier, Goodman, Plane, Stafford, and Wood (1995) examine employment trends in geography focused on the new supply of geographers entering the labor market related to the number of geography students. Their current specialties tell us about the types of skills and the kinds of interests to be held by future labor force entrants.…”

Geography's Human Resources over the Past Half‐Century*

“…C oncern about human resources has long been an important component of the periodic evaluations of the ''status of geography.'' Of particular interest have been trends in the production of geographers (Hart 1966;Gober et al 1995), trends in the affiliation of geographers with the Association of American Geographers (AAG) ( James and Martin 1978;Golledge 2000), the gender and ethnic composition of the discipline (Zelinsky, Monk, and Hanson 1982;Lee 1990;Pulido 2002), and the topical specialization of geographers (Goodchild and Janelle 1988;Janelle 1992). This centennial issue of The Professional Geographer provides an excellent opportunity to take stock once again of how far we have progressed in these areas and to outline the challenges ahead for the discipline.…”

“…In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the number of bachelor's degrees granted ranged between 300 and 700 per year. Beginning in the late 1950s, there was a healthy expansion in newly trained geographers as a result of curricular reform and the development of remote sensing and related technologies (Hart 1966;Gober et al 1995), which peaked in the early 1970s with over 4,300 students receiving the baccalaureate degree. The production of geography degrees then declined until the late 1980s, partly due to the baby-boom generation's shift out of the college-age years.…”