Geography (GEOG)

Abstract

The Department of Geography offers graduate study leading to the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Accelerated programs from B.S. to M.A. and from M.A. to Ph.D., which can reduce the length of the combined programs by up to one year, are available to qualified students at the discretion of the department. The specific geographic research specializations represented by the faculty include: Human Dimensions: Demographic, social, cultural, economic and historical aspects of human systems with particular emphasis on human dimensions of global change and integration with physical systems. Population, minorities (African-American), women, natural resources, urban and regional systems, geographical education. Earth Systems Science: Biogeographical, climatological, hydrological and geomorphological aspects of earth systems. Global vegetation dynamics, land cover change, sea level rise, climate variability, biodiversity and biospheric processes in global climate modeling. Special attention to the global scale, and regionally to North America, mid-Atlantic, Chesapeake Bay, Russia, Africa, and Latin America. Integration with human dimensions of global change. Geographic Information Science: Observation, processing and analysis of geographic data. Remote sensing, geographic information systems, digital cartography, spatial analysis and numerical modeling. Particular emphasis on both passive (Landsat, SPOT, AVHRR, MODIS, ASTER) and active (LIDAR, ERS, Radarsat, Envisat) systems, regional-to-global scale data systems, scaling theory and spatial variance. Applications to human and physical aspects of geography.

The Department contains several specialized groups, including the Laboratories for Global Remote Sensing Studies, Coastal Research, Geographic Information Science as well as several smaller groups of research interests. The Earth Systems Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) is a cross-campus research initiative that bringing together the Departments of Geography, Geology and Atmosphere and Ocean Science in a research Institute to further encourage interdisciplinary studies to address contemporary questions in Earth Systems Science. This provides additional resources for research and funding opportunities to graduate students in the Geography Department.

Admissions Information

The Department offers courses of study leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. Admission is strongly competitive. Requirements (minimum), GPA B (3.0) average in junior and senior year, GRE verbal 600 with a good quantitative score, and three letters of recommendation. For foreign students the following additional minimum test scores apply: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) 600, Test of Written English (TWE) 5; foreign students who are applicants for teaching assistantships must pass an oral evaluation by the University's Maryland English Institute (MEI).

Closing date for applications is January 15. Applications are reviewed from September to February for Fall entry; there is no Spring entry. The Graduate School will accept applications up to May 1. However, applications received by the department after January 15 stand only a small chance of being considered for fall entry, since all offers of admission and financial aid are usually made by the end of March.

Ph.D. applicants normally must have a Master's degree in an appropriate subject, but not necessarily geography, with a GPA of at least 3.3 and must provide a statement of objectives and specialization to solicit the required minimum of two faculty sponsors. Students without a Master's degree may petition the Department for admission and may be accepted upon approval of a Graduate Admissions Committee. Ph.D. applicants' programs must draw on the research strengths of existing Faculty members.

Applications are reviewed from September to February for Fall entry; there is no Spring entry.

Admission to the graduate program is not limited to students with a Geography-first degree. Those with a good GPA in degrees in related disciplines such as environmental, physical or biological science, anthropology, economics, history and social science are encouraged to apply but may be required to undertake additional background study not for credit. Some knowledge of data processing and statistics is necessary for all applicants. Ph.D. applicants' programs must draw on the research strengths of existing faculty members.

Students must maintain a B grade level on all required courses. Award of degrees is granted only on sufficient evidence of high attainment, not s imply for completion of course requirements.

Application Deadlines

Fall

Spring

Domestic Applicants:
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

Domestic Applicant Deadlines

Applications must be received by January 15 (December 15 preferred) .

There is no spring entry, unless unpredictable circumstances preclude fall entry. Graduate director must approve it. .

International Applicants:
Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials

IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.

Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas

February 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1

June 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants

May 1
If Domestic Deadline is after May 1

October 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials

May 15
If Domestic Deadline is after May 15

October 31
If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Application Requirements

GRE General
3 Letters of Recommendation
Statement of Goals and Research Intertests and Statement of Experiences
International applicants: TOEFL (also MEI oral exam for TAs)

	Fall	Spring
Domestic Applicants: U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
Domestic Applicant Deadlines	Applications must be received by January 15 (December 15 preferred) .	There is no spring entry, unless unpredictable circumstances preclude fall entry. Graduate director must approve it. .

International Applicants: Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.
Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas	February 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1	June 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants	May 1 If Domestic Deadline is after May 1	October 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials	May 15 If Domestic Deadline is after May 15	October 31 If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts (M.A.)
A minimum of 30 credits with a "B" (3.0) average grade. Two introductory courses (6 cr) and Research Tutorial (3 cr), Departmental Seminars (3 cr), one course each from Human Dimensions, Earth Systems Science and Geographical Data Science (9 cr total), 9 credits worth of electives, a scholarly paper. Internships are encouraged for all students. At least 21 credits must be at the 600- level or above. Award of degrees is granted only upon demonstration of a high level of scholastic achievement, not simply for completion of course requirements.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
The study program is individually designed by the student and a faculty committee. Two introductory courses (6 cr) (unless taken in Master's program), Research Tutorial (3 cr) (or equivalent credits of Independent Readings when more appropriate), attendance at Departmental Seminars (3 cr), optional elective courses, a dissertation proposal defense, a minimum of 12 dissertation credits after advancement to candidacy, and a dissertation. Normally the Ph.D. is completed in 3 years; part-time study takes longer, but at least 1 year full-time attendance is required.

Facilities and Special Resources

The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is an exceptional location in which to pursue geographic research. Many national and international agencies are within a short distance of the campus, including the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, the National Archives, Bureau of the Census, National Institutes of Health, USGS, National Geospatial Imaging Agency, Smithsonian Institution, and NOAA. International and non-governmental agencies are located within easy reach, including the National Geographic Society, the Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, World Bank, and many others. Corporations, businesses and nonprofit organizations that use geographical applications are also well represented. Libraries on campus and nearby are unrivaled elsewhere in the world. The University is also located in a region of extraordinary geographic diversity, including two major urban centers (Baltimore and Washington, D.C.), and the superb, continuous section from the Appalachian mountains, through the Piedmont, Coastal Plain, and Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Coast.

Many opportunities exist for students to participate in externally funded research projects. Graduate students find these research programs a rich source of ideas for dissertations as well as providing opportunities to join projects as paid research assistants and, often, identifying openings for employment on completion of their studies.

The Department is housed on the main College Park campus. Teaching laboratories include facilities for wet analysis, cartography and two that are dedicated to computer-based instruction; in addition the facilities needed for virtually any type of investigation are available through collaborations with other departments. The are two primary computer environment, namely UNIX and PC, with more than 60 machines dedicated to teaching and graduate research. The research laboratories support UNIX, Linux, and high-end PC machines, including very high performance processors and peripherals and large-volunme RAID arrays. There are a large number of color printers, magnetic disk farms, tape carrousels etc. In addition, personal computers are available both in the Department and the College. An extensive range of software is available, including satellite data processing, image analysis, and ESRI GIS packages. Field research, remote sensing, Global Positioning Systems, and other types of equipment are available.

Financial Assistance

Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, and various Fellowships are available. Salary is for 9.5 months per year. Assistants work 20 hours per week. Fellowship recipients have no work assignment. Renewal for a second (M.A. and Ph.D.) or third year (Ph.D. only) is contingent on maintenance of satisfactory academic progress and a 3.5 GPA. Ph.D. students must be advanced to candidacy by the end of their second year in order to receive a third year of support. Applications are made on the University Graduate Admission Application and further information about Financial Aid is given in the Application. All application materials must be received by the University and the Department before January 15 since awards are made in February. Note, residents of certain Southern States without equivalent Geography graduate programs may be eligible to receive tuition at the lower, in-state fee rates.

Contact Information

More detailed information on the M.A. and Ph.D. programs can be obtained by reviewing the Department's Graduate Progams Web Site. Call or e-mail Assistant Director of Academic Programs for more information. To arrange consultations with the Graduate Director and individual faculty, call the Department at (301)-405-8085.

Assistant Director of Academic Programs
2181 LeFrak Hall
MD 20742
Telephone: (301) 405-8085 or (301) 405-4050
Fax: (301) 314-9299
crossgro@umd.edu

http://www.geog.umd.edu/

Courses: GEOG

Related Programs and Campus Units

Environmental Science and Policy
Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center
Geography/Library & Information Systems
Advanced Computer Studies, UM Institute for (UMIACS)
Black Saga Program
Joint Global Change Research Institute