Department of Geography

Admission Requirements

In addition to the requirements of the Graduate College, an applicant for admission to the Master of Arts degree program in geography must:

  1. submit two letters of recommendation and a letter of intent to the Department of Geography and Geology;
  2. submit a one-page resume;
  3. present as a prerequisite a minimum of 15 undergraduate semester hours of geography including physical and human geography and cartography, plus at least three hours in spatial analysis, quantitative methods or statistics;
  4. have a GPA in geography of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; and
  5. GRE scores are required.
  6. Applicants for whom English is not the native language must have a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (213 if computer based; 79-80 if internet-based).
Applicants intending to concentrate in geographic information science and technology are advised to include computer science coursework in their baccalaureate program.

Master of Arts

The Master of Arts in Geography has two options available: thesis and non-thesis.

Option I (Thesis)


Option I requires a minimum of 24 semester hours of approved graduate work in geography or related disciplines, plus six (6) semester hours of thesis for a total of 30 graduate hours.

Required courses include:

  1. GEOG 8000 History and Philosophy of Geography ( 3 hours)
  2. GEOG 8700 Research Methods (3 hours)
    3.
  3. An approved physical geography course ( 3 hours)
  4. An approved human geography course ( 3 hours)
  5. An approved techniques course (3 hours)

Option II (Non-Thesis)


Option II requires 36 hours of approved graduate work in geography or related disciplines. Up to twelve (12) hours of approved graduate work can be taken in other departments. Required courses include:

  1. GEOG 8000 History and Philosophy of Geography ( 3 hours)
  2. GEOG 8700 Research Methods ( 3 hours)
  3. GEOG 8026 Quantitative Analysis in Geography (3 hours)
    (or an approved graduate level statistics course from another department)
  4. An approved physical geography course (3 hours)
  5. An approved human geography course (3 hours)
All geography graduate students are expected to attend General Seminar. The remainder of the program consists of courses scheduled by the student with the advice of the graduate program committee. At least one-half of all course work for both Options I and II must be in "8 _ _ 0"-level courses. Option II students will be required to complete comprehensive written and oral examinations during their final semester. Procedures for these examinations and theses are outlined in the Geography Graduate Student Handbook, which is available from the Department of Geography and Geology.

Areas of Concentrations

Elective courses can be completed in specific areas and a student can receive a recognized concentration in Human Geography, Physical/Environmental Geography, or Geographic Information Science and Technology. Students must complete nine (9) hours in the specific concentration with grades of "B" (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or higher to receive this recognition.

Human Geography (minimum 9 graduate hours)

  • GEOG 8126 Urban Geography
  • GEOG 8130 Seminar in Economic Geography
  • GEOG 8156 Geography, Gender and Work
  • GEOG 8210 Seminar in Cultural Geography
  • GEOG 8500 Special Topics in Geography*
  • GEOG 8600 Independent Research*
  • GEOG 8650 Land Use
  • GEOG 8800 Internship Environmental/Regional Planning
  • GEOG 8906 Urbanization of Developing Areas

Physical/Environmental Geography (minimum 9 graduate hours)

  • GEOG 8016 Conservation of Natural Resources
  • GEOG 8106 Biogeography
  • GEOG 8266 Process Geomorphology
  • GEOG 8326 Climatology
  • GEOG 8336 Soil Genesis, Morphology and Classification
  • GEOG 8346 Water Resources
  • GEOG 8500 Special Topics in Geography*
  • GEOG 8580 Soils
  • GEOG 8600 Independent Research*

Geographic Information Science and Technology: (minimum 9 graduate hours)
  • GEOG 8036 Computer Mapping and Visualization
  • GEOG 8056 Geographic Information Systems I
  • GEOG 8500 Special Topics in Geography*
  • GEOG 8600 Independent Research*
  • GEOG 8636 Environmental Remote Sensing
  • GEOG 8640 Remote Sensing : Advanced Concepts and Application
  • GEOG 8666 Geography Information Systems II
  • GEOG 8670 Cartographic Methods
  • GEOG 8850 GIScience Practicum

    • *courses offered through GEOG 8500 and GEOG 8600 will be submitted for inclusion in a concentration accompanied by a letter from the student's adviser or from the graduate program chair with the course title and specifying the concentration to which it applies.

Certificate in Geographic Information Science

The Geography Department offers a Certificate in Geographic Information Science. For specific requirements, please go to GIS Certificate . For additional information about the certificate program and/or to receive application materials, contact the Department of Geography and Geology at (402)554-2662.

Graduate Minor in Geography

To earn a graduate minor in geography, a student must earn grades of at least a "B" (3.0 on 4.0 scale) in three graduate level geography courses. One of these courses must be GEOG 8000, History and Philosophy of Geography.