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Career Outlook

Our degree programs prepare students to pursue a broad range of careers, including:

  • Energy - Exploration and production of energy and mineral resources.
  • Environmental geoscience - investigation, monitoring, remediation of a wide range of environmental problems, many of which are related to ground water hydrology
  • Government - investigation and monitoring of water and geologic resources and geologic hazards in the service of state and federal agencies; also includes matters of science and policy
  • Education - from the middle school to college level
  • Environmental Law - law firms and federal agencies (e.g., EPA) involved in enforcing, interpreting, and complying with environmental laws

Salaries

Salaries range according to sector of employment and experience, but the table below gives a general sense of wages for geoscientists:
Employment Sector Annual Mean Wage (2019)
Oil & Gas $126,750
Federal Government $100,590
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools $76,580
State Government $74,010
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services $82,190

Data from US Dept. of Labor
The job market for geoscientists is considered to be very good; for more information, please visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.