Michael Kass forges through intensive courses in geology, mathematics and chemistry. He spends summer vacations searching for ancient bones in hot, dusty quarries. Words like "Mesozoic" and "velociraptor" roll easily off his tongue.

But Mr. Kass, a graduate student in paleontology at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, worries that he will not find a job once he leaves school. After all, few paleontologists have the luxury of hunting dinosaur fossils for a living, like the adventure-seeking duo in the movie "Jurassic Park." Other opportunities, including museum work, teaching and research, are almost as scarce.

"You can be very interested, motivated and qualified and still have a hard time finding work," said Mr. Kass, who hopes to teach at a university.

Thanks in part to the dinosaur mania that has swept the nation in recent years, more college students than ever are studying prehistoric life. Last fall, almost 600 students took an introductory dinosaur class at the University of California in Berkeley. And at the University of Michigan, 300 students take a survey course on dinosaurs each semester. Who Will Pay?