There has been a gradual trend during the last two decades towards the inclusion of more applied geology teaching in geology courses at British universities and polytechnics. This period has also seen the establishment of a number of applied geology degrees at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Clearly there is a new awareness in academic circles that all degree courses should contain a significant element of vocational training and the response of industry to the new applied courses indicates that they are filling a real need. It was therefore apposite that the Mineral Deposits Studies Group, in conjunction with the Earth Science Education Group, should organize a conference at which both industrial and academic geologists could take stock of the current situation in the teaching of mineral deposit geology.

As an aid in this assessment, Taylor had circulated 50 departments with a questionnaire. This was kept simple to encourage replies, which had been received from 28 departments. It is impossible to tell whether or not these were mainly from those who had something positive to report, and therefore there may be a degree of bias in the returns. The substance of the replies is summarized in the abstract and indicates that there is still very little or no teaching of mineral deposit geology in some departments. One of the interesting and valuable trends which emerges from this inquiry is the increasing inclusion of time spent on industrial mineral deposits in undergraduate courses. This was reflected by Dixon and by Steed

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