<p>One of my siblings is very outdoorsy and due to the lack of opportunities in biology/environmental studies/etc., they're looking hard at geology and geographic information systems.</p>
<p>Can anyone with experience comment on which of these majors has better job prospects? I know they overlap a little (ex; a geologist who uses GIS every day or a GIS analyst working for a mining company), but they definitely have different coursework and the job openings seem to specify one or the other.</p>
<p>On one hand, GIS seems so versatile (used in everything from the oil industry to academic research to marketing).</p>
<p>On the other hand, geology is one of the few non-engineering majors often ranked alongside engineering majors in average salary and I'm afraid a degree in GIS merely makes one a "map technician" with no promotional prospects.</p>
<p>Are you including geophysicists when you look at geology’s pay scale? If so, it makes sense that a geology degree would be highly paid since geophysics are highly valuable. Realistically you need a masters degree to work as a geologist, and in some cases a phD is required to advance to the very highest positions. </p>
<p>I’m unfamiliar with the GIS major. However, as you mentioned GIS is extensively used in geology and many other fields. Does his institution allow him to earn specific GIS certification (GIS is not a monolithic entity but rather an umbrella term), while pursuing a geology degree? IMO that option keeps the most doors open.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what is included in the geologist payscale. I’ve just seen it ranked high in various “highest earning bachelor’s degrees” lists. I’m thinking it correlates to supervisory roles in oil companies, but I could be wrong. </p>
<p>My gut feelings tends to agree with you, though. It seems like one would need more than a BA/BS to really ascend as an actual “geologist”.</p>
<p>Their options are basically:
Geology including a couple department classes (no certification) in GIS/remote sensing
-or-
Physical Geography (GIS Emphasis) with a minor in geology</p>
<p>If your sibling can handle it, I’d do the geology route as it’s far easier to get certified in GIS than to learn geology. However I’m a geology major, so obviously I’m biased. </p>
<p>And everyone I’ve spoke to, from department heads, to professional geologists, to professors indicates that most companies basically require a masters for any substantial geology work, assuming the applicant majored in pure geology and not geophysics.</p>
<p>I took GIS in high school, and got S.T.A.R.S. certified. GIS is definitely a good route to go. If I wanted to work for a company right now, I would make from $29,000 to $35,000 a year. That’s with only a certification, no college degree. We had some guest speakers come in who did GIS, and they make 6 figures. However, that’s partially because they worked for places such as NSA and the CIA. I may be biased as well, but I’d recommend GIS. PM me if you want to know more about GIS :)</p>
A MS is very useful, but I wouldn’t say we’re quite at the point yet where they’re absolutely required, not to the extent of the other sciences, at least. I had several very good job offers with just a BS in earth science, though that was admittedly a couple of years ago, and the department was more respected than most. </p>
<p>It’s relatively easy to pick up certification in GIS. It only took me about three weeks, and it has netted me a couple of good summer research positions over the years. I’d personally go the geology route with as much geography/GIS thrown in as one can fit…but I’d say it really just depends on a person’s interests. GIS can be used for other fields like demography, epidemiology, and ecology, whereas geology is pretty focused on the natural world – each tends to draw a different kind of person.</p>