Pathways: Participation, Recruitment and Retention into the Geosciences

Participation of underrepresented groups into geoscience programs is a national concern for the future and vitality of the geosciences. Using institutional, interview, and survey data, I evaluated recruitment and retention into the Geology major at a small liberal arts college in the upper Midwest. Demographics of students in the major align with national trends in the geosciences, but differ from the college and US population as a whole. I found that recruitment and retention of underrepresented students are equally important considerations for the geoscience pathway. My research suggests that factors in determining whether students choose to pursue a geoscience major are grouped into one of three themes: community, curricular sequencing and design, and geoscience awareness