Developing Geographic Competencies for Careers in Higher Education, Business, Government, and Nonprofit Organizations Michael Solem, PhD Association of American Geographers: Washington, DC DECOWE Conference September 2009, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

/00 – 04/05 PhD Programs UGPhDMA 66% 33% 8% 12% 14% 11% 0 50 Geography in Higher Education 0 50 UGPhDMATTUGPhDMA /88 – 03/04 US HE Institutes

Assesses the nature of the work performed by geography graduates and the value of their skills and abilities for employment in a variety of professions. In U.S. at time of this study, there was no national data set on types, numbers, and categories of jobs in geography. Few studies have examined (a) how academic geography programs prepare students for careers, (b) the career paths of geography graduates, and (c) how geographic skills are applied in the workforce. Research Goals

Methodology Advisory Committee (15 members) 8 Focus Groups [private co; gov; HE] (50 members) Define parameters of Professional geography Interview protocol O*Net 145 occupations Knowledge/skills (geog/general) Roles/Positions of responsibility Supply of quality workforce Needs/improvement Change/future Surveys

Geomorphology Weather & climate Biogeography Natural hazards Economic geography Political geography Cultural geography Population geography Human-environment interaction Cartography Geographic information systems (GIS) Photogrammetry* Remote sensing* Field methods Spatial statistics Regional geography Interdisciplinary perspective Spatial thinking Global perspective Diversity perspective Public speaking Writing Foreign (non-English) language skills Visual presentations Creative thinking* Problem solving* Research planning & design Qualitative skills Quantitative skills Professional & organizational culture Visioning* Supervising Entrepreneurial skills Teamwork Coaching & advising* Relationship building skills* Intercultural skills Teaching Computer & technology skills* Publishing Information management Grant proposals Time management Adaptability Self-awareness Ethical practice* Project management Fiscal management 20 Geographic skills29 General skills

Alumni Survey (280) Classification of Geographic & General Skill Areas  Rotated PCA Applications of skills in employment sectors  Chi-square statistics Applications of skills  Rank order “always or very often” performs 49 geographic and general skills

Percent respondents staying “always or very often”

Skills currently needed  Rank order Likely to increase in need Over next 3 to 5 years  Rank order Experiencing “some difficulty” or “failing” to meet hiring needs  Rank order Current & future employers’ demand in geographic and general skills Employer Survey (447)

Discussion Clear discrimination of skills related to physical geography, human geography, and geographic information science & technology. Professionals need to be good managers, communicators, writers, and problem solvers. Value of specialized knowledge in geography often varies. Ability to think spatially, having an interdisciplinary perspective, and geospatial technologies were broadly valued.

Discussion Many geographic and general skills are in high demand, yet the curriculum offered by academic departments may not be producing those skills at a level required to satisfy that need. In higher education, a growing need for faculty who are skilled in computer technology, time and information management, publishing, and grant proposal writing is predicted. Many students lack information about careers in non-academic professional sectors. Developing Geographic Competencies for Careers in Higher Education, Business, Government, and Nonprofit Organizations

For more information... Dr. Michael Solem