Social Sciences Fact Sheet (PDF)

Geography

The Department of Geography's master of arts program educates qualified students for work toward the PhD degree, and for professional careers in government service, industry and regional or urban planning. The department's goals are to provide students quality academic instruction in geography; to foster and advance teaching, research and publication in the field of geography; and to provide the expertise of geographers to the community at large so that decision-makers in both the public and private sectors may enhance the quality of their decisions.

The program allows students to specialize in one of five tracks, each of which offer a mix of theory, practice, tools and techniques:

• General Geography
• Cartography and Geographical Information Systems
• Environmental and Resource Management
• Applied Urban Geography
• Race and Ethnicity

There is a thesis option for each of the five tracks. Each track requires a total of 40 credits, as well as defense of a project or a thesis.

Graduate Degrees Offered

• MA in Geography

Related Programs

• Watershed Studies and Management Certificate
• Professional Science Master's Certificate in Cartography & Geographical Information Systems
• Professional Science Management Certificate
• Accelerated Degree: Geography BA + Geography MA (Learn more about accelerated degree programs.)

Application Deadlines

Admission Requirements*

The standards maintained by The Graduate School and individual departments and programs are applied to ensure that applicants admitted to the University are well qualified and trained to study at this institution and have a reasonable expectation of successfully completing a graduate program, and who, with the benefit of graduate education, are most likely to contribute substantially to their academic or professional fields.

To be eligible, you must have and provide:

• A bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a nationally or regionally accredited college or university
• Complete set of your undergraduate and graduate transcripts. At minimum, a 3.0 GPA is required. See details.

Applicants must submit the following:

• Online graduate degree application and application fee
• Transcripts from each college/university you have attended
• Two letters of recommendation
• Personal statement (2-3 pages) describing your reasons for pursuing graduate study, your career aspirations, your special interests within your field, and any unusual features of your background that might need explanation or be of interest to your program's admissions committee.
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae (max. 2 pages)
• Official GRE scores

And, for international applicants:

• International Student Financial Statement form (PDF)
• Official bank statement/proof of support
• Official TOEFL or IELTS scores

*This information is subject to change. While we make every effort to keep it accurate and up-to-date, we recommend you contact the department for any program-specific requirements.