242 MATHEWS AND LITTLE GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY IN THE U. S. 



EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN GEOGRAPHY 



The figures for geograph}- are so eloquent of the lack of opportunities 

 in every State and in all regions that there is little need of attempting to 

 interpret them in detail. 



Commenting briefly on the distribution of geographic instruction, the 

 most noticeable feature is the great dearth of it in the South. No insti- 

 tution of the South Central region gives as much as two years' work in 

 the subject, and only one of the South Atlantic region gives as much as 

 three years; this is the George Peabody College for Teachers. In the 

 country as a whole, 401 colleges out of 571, or 70 per cent, offer no 

 geograph)^, and if physiography be considered geology, then 466 out of 

 571 colleges, or 81 per cent, offer no geography; or, stated positively, 

 105 institutions give all the college instruction in geography this country 

 offers, and of these only 31 offer more than two years of geography as 

 commonly understood.^ 



Of the work given by the 105 institutions, much consists of half -j- ear 

 courses in meteorology or commercial geography. A rough count® shows 

 the following: 



55 colleges offer courses in comnierci;il geography. 



43 colleges offer courses in meteorology. 



27 colleges offer courses in geography of North America. 



19 colleges offer courses in influence of geography on history. 



17 colleges offer courses in climatology.'' 



16 colleges offer courses in the geography of Europe. 



11 colleges offer courses in the geography of South America. 



6 colleges offer courses in the geography of Latin America. 



5 colleges offer courses in the geography of Asia. 



1 college offers courses in the geography of Africa. 



Advanced instruction is very meager. Only nine institutions offer 

 courses of four years or more (California, Colorado State Teachers' Col- 

 lege, Chicago, George Peabody College for Teachers, Harvard, Nebraska, 

 Pennsylvania, St. Elizabeth's, New Jersey, and Wisconsin) and of these, 

 two are colleges for teachers^ and one a Catholic woman's college with no 

 instructor designated. This leaves only six (California, Chicago, Colum- 

 bia, Harvard, Nebraska, and Wisconsin) to train students desiring ad- 

 vanced work, and among these there is much variance in the opportunities 



5 Hereafter In this paper geography does not include physiography unless specifically 

 so stated. 



8 Courses offered by physics departments have not been looked for and not many of 

 them are included. For a detailed study of meteorology in colleges see C. F. Brooks, 

 Monthly Weather Review, vol. 47, 1017. pp. 160-170. 



^ Many of them combined with meteorology. 



