Program Overview

Geography (MA) Program

The MA Program in Geography gives students an appreciation of where they stand in the world, as well as the geospatial skills to compete successfully in the job market.

Description

The goals of the MA Program in Geography are to broaden and deepen students' understanding of the spatial and environmental dimensions of the world we inhabit. Often students enter the program with an undergraduate degree in Geography, but the program is flexible enough to serve students from a diversity of educational backgrounds.

Program Specialties

• GIS and geovisualization
  • Human-Environment Relations
  • Cultural and Historical Geography
  • Urban and Political Geography The Geography program also resides within the School of Global Integrative Studies, alongside Anthropology and Global Studies, and so interdisciplinary work is welcomed and encouraged.

Degree Options

There are two options for the degree:

• Option A, the thesis option, which combines original research with 30 hours of coursework
• Option B, the non-thesis option, which involves 30 hours of coursework and a minor area of emphasis in another field Typically, a student will complete the degree in two years.

Career Pathways

• Geography Instructor (Community College)
• Cartography Technician
• Geographic Information Science Specialist
• Natural Resources Scientist
• Management and Program Analyst
• Housing Development Specialist
• Quality Analyst

Admission Requirements

Standard Requirements

• Application for Admission with a non-refundable application fee
• Transcripts (unofficial)
• Verification of English proficiency if the applicants native language is not English
• Financial information if the applicant is not a US citizen and expects an F or J visa

Additional Requirements

• GRE (optional)
• Resume/CV (optional)
• Personal Statement: Describe your educational and career goals
• Faculty: Contact a prospective advisor with whom you would like to work before applying
• Research Interest
• Three recommendation letters: At least two should come from professors or instructors who can speak to your academic abilities

Admission Application Deadlines

Apply by January 1 for priority and funding consideration. Later applications received between then and March 15 will be reviewed as space and funding permits.

Program Faculty

Faculty Members

• Rebecca Buller: American West, Cultural Geography, Environmental Justice, Experiencing Place, Experiential Education, Geographic Education, Great Plains, Great Plains Womens History and Populations, Historical Geography, Historical Geography of the Great Plains, Human Trafficking/Social Justice, Iceland, Outdoor Education and Leadership, Place Attachment, Qualitative Methods, Recreation and Tourism, Rural Geography, Sense of Place, Visual Methodologies
• Paul Hanson: Physical Geography and Surficial Geology, Environmental Science, Luminescence Dating, Quaternary Stratigraphy, Geologic Mapping, Paleoclimate Records, Dunes, Rivers and Climate Change, Soils, Geoarchaeology
• Emira Ibrahimpasic: Development, Economic Anthropology, Womens Economic Empowerment, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Identity, Islam, Women in Islam, Post-socialist Reconstruction and Transition, Women in Leadership, History/Culture/Religion of Former Yugoslavia
• Zhenghong Tang: Environmental Planning and Policy, Local Land Use Planning in Environmental Management, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptations, GIS Applications in Planning
• Brian Wardlow: School of Natural Resources, Land Use and Cover, Drought, Biogeography, Climate-Vegetation Interactions, Remote Sensing, GIS

Funding

Teaching assistantships, paying $15,000 for the academic year and also giving tuition remission, are available on a competitive basis. Students can expect to receive close attention from the faculty, who are dedicated to advancing their educational and occupational goals.