Program Overview
Geography, PhD
The Department of Geography is a leader in the field of geography and offers exceptional opportunities for graduate education. The department has been consistently rated as one of the best in the country and for more than 100 years has been the training ground for generations of geographers. The department's strength is reflected in its ability to attract top-caliber students, compete for significant research funding, and publish foundational scholarly work. The department maintains strength across the full spectrum of subfields within the discipline and is organized into four major thematic areas: physical geography and earth system science, people and environment, human geography, and cartography/GIS.
Program Overview
The PhD degree is founded primarily upon specialized advanced training and research. Students may specialize in a single subdisciplinary area or a combination of areas and are expected to engage in research leading to a dissertation that makes an original and significant contribution to geographic knowledge and ideas.
Facilities
Housed in historic Science Hall, the Department of Geography offers exceptional facilities for advanced study in geography, cartography, and GIS. The department maintains the University Cartographic Laboratory, the Arthur Robinson Map and Air Photo Library, a computer lab, several computer classrooms, and laboratory facilities specializing in biogeography, biogeochemistry, paleoecology, geomorphology, and soil research.
Admissions
Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below.
- Fall Deadline: December 15
- Spring Deadline: This program does not admit in the spring.
- Summer Deadline: This program does not admit in the summer.
- GRE (Graduate Record Examinations): Not required.
- English Proficiency Test: Refer to the Graduate School's policy.
- Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT): n/a
- Letters of Recommendation Required: 3
Breadth Requirements
Applicants must complete the equivalent of one undergraduate-level course in each subarea (Physical Geography, Human Geography, People-Environment Geography, Cartography/GIS). One course taken for breadth can also be used to fulfill degree requirements.
Funding
The Bursars Office provides information about tuition and fees associated with being a graduate student. Resources to help afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School.
Requirements
Mode of Instruction
- Face to Face: Yes
- Evening/Weekend: No
- Online: No
- Hybrid: No
- Accelerated: No
Curricular Requirements
- Minimum Credit Requirement: 51 credits
- Minimum Residence Credit Requirement: 32 credits
- Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement: 26 credits must be graduate-level coursework.
- Overall Graduate GPA Requirement: 3.00 GPA required.
- Assessments and Examinations: Students must pass a general and specific qualifying exam. Students must orally defend dissertation proposal before a dissertation committee.
- Language Requirements: Competence in a non-English language can be used to fulfill skills requirement.
- Graduate School Breadth Requirement: All doctoral students are required to complete a doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate.
Required Courses
- GEOG 765: Geographical Inquiry and Analysis: An Introduction (1 credit)
- Seminars: Students must complete two (3-credit) courses numbered 900 or above geography seminars with two different core or affiliate Geography faculty members.
- Skills Coursework: In consultation with advisor, students must complete 6 credits of intermediate or advanced courses numbered 300 or above.
- Additional Coursework: In consultation with advisor, students must complete coursework to reach the minimum 51 credit requirement.
Policies
Prior Coursework
- Graduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions: With program approval, students are allowed to transfer no more than 9 credits of graduate coursework from other institutions.
- Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison: No credits from an undergraduate degree are allowed to transfer toward the degree.
Probation
The Department of Geography expects graduate students to progress through a sequence of benchmarks within prescribed time periods.
Advisor / Committee
The chair (or co-chair) of a doctoral students Dissertation Committee is the students Advisor. This individual must be UW-Madison graduate faculty in Geography or affiliated with Geography.
Professional Development
Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career.
Learning Outcomes
- Articulates research problems, potentials, and limits with respect to theory, knowledge, or practice within geography.
- Formulates ideas, concepts, designs, and/or techniques beyond the current boundaries of knowledge within geography.
- Creates research, scholarship, or performance that makes a substantive contribution.
- Demonstrates breadth within their learning experiences.
- Advances contributions of geography to society.
- Communicates complex ideas in a clear and understandable manner.
- Fosters ethical and professional conduct.