Productivity Profiles of PhD-Granting Geography

Departments in the United States: 1980-1994

Richard E. Groop and Randall J. Schaetzl

In our study, 48 U.S. departments that grant geography PhDs are compared along four measures of academic productivity. Using 1980-1994 as the base period, research productivity of faculty was assessed by counting book titles as well as authorships in 77 journals. Teaching productivity was determined by placement of PhDs in graduate programs of geography in North America, and by a weighted index of teaching outcomes. Data were summed for department, but are reported primarily as productivity per person (per FTE count). The results point to a wide variety of departmental profiles, from those departments that appear to emphasize teaching outcomes to those that are more productive in book publishing and journal authorship, with several exhibiting a balance between teaching and research.