General Career Advice

Those with a background in geosciences can apply their skills and knowledge in a number of sectors: government, industry, academia, nonprofits, and research. To get an idea of the myriad of roles you can pursue with your geosciences major, check out the Workforce Infographic produced by the American Geosciences Institute.

Regardless of your desired career path, each geosciences student should plan to pursue opportunities that provide valuable experiences and skills - such as campus involvement, research, field experience, internships, volunteering, and community engagement. Not only are these great experiences to add to your resume, but they can also help you determine what type of work environments, activities, projects, and “X factors” are a good fit for you.

Check out the Geosciences department website to learn more about geoscience-related opportunities while at Wellesley and beyond – such as: internship and research opportunities, fellowship and award opportunities, and information about professional organizations for geosciences majors.

Pursuing a Graduate Degree in Geosciences

If you are considering pursuing a graduate degree in geosciences, there are plenty of great resources out there to help you start asking the right questions. Check out the Graduate School resource page in Handshake for a broad overview about graduate school, including the application timeline, asking for references, and financing your education.

When looking for geosciences graduate programs, you will need to do some in-depth research about those programs to gain a better understanding of their admissions requirements, the focus of their degree, research areas of the faculty, and the curriculum for the degree. While there are both objective and subjective factors that go into deciding what type of graduate degree or graduate program to pursue, some questions to start with include:

• What are the research specialties/areas of the faculty?
• What research projects do the current graduate student work on?
• What are facilities, laboratories, libraries, etc. like?
• What are the outcomes of the graduates — academia, research, industry, government, or other professional areas?
• What is the quality of life for a Master’s or PhD student?

If you are looking for an in-person consultation about graduate school, a good place to start would be by meeting with Frances Adjorlolo ’08, who is the Career Community Advisor for Technology, Engineering, & Physical Sciences. Additionally, you should plan to speak with the faculty in the geosciences department, as your faculty (especially your advisor) will be an essential resource in your graduate school application process.
 

Career Resources and Professional Organizations

Organizations on Campus

• Wellesley Outing Club
• Rock Climbing
• EnAct

Geoscience Career Resources

• AGI Career Resources (American Geosciences Institute)
• REU Sites: Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (National Science Foundation)
• Eos: Earth & Space Science News
• Marine Laboratory & Aquarium Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

Professional Organizations

• American Geosciences Institute
• American Geophysical Union
• The Geological Society of America
• American Association of Petroleum Geologists
• American Institute of Professional Geologists
• Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists
• Society for Sedimentary Geology
• Society of Economic Geologists
• Mineralogical Society of America
• Society of Exploration Geophysicists
• Association for Women Geoscientists
• The Imaging & Geospatial Informational Society

Updated July 27th, 2022
If you have additional resources, please feel free to send them to Frances Adjorlolo at fadjorlo@wellesley.edu.