Programs by Campus

Bloomington

Geography
College of Arts and Sciences

Departmental E-mail: geog [at] indiana [dot] edu

Departmental URL: www.indiana.edu/%7egeog

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.)

Apply electronically for admission: www.gradapp.indiana.edu/

Curriculum
Degrees Offered

Master of Arts, Master of Arts for Teachers, Master of Arts in Geography and Master of Science in Environmental Science (SPEA), Master of Science, Master of Science in Geography and Master of Science in Environmental Science (SPEA), and Doctor of Philosophy

Special Departmental Requirements

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)

Grades

B (3.0) average or higher; B in core courses.

Master of Arts Degree

Admission Requirements

Undergraduate major in geography or its equivalent. Applicants not meeting this requirement may be expected to take addi­tional work.

Fields of Study

Climate and Environmental Change, Geographic Information Science, Human-Environment Interaction, Human Geography

Course Requirements

A minimum of 30 credit hours, including a core curriculum consisting of G500, G501, and G588. In addition, each student should select one topical field of concentration and complete a sequence of courses involving a minimum of 9 graduate credits in that field.

Thesis or Research Papers

Students have the option of writing a thesis (G850) or two research papers (G845). Up to 6 credit hours are allowed for a thesis and up to 3 credit hours are given for each research paper.

Final Examination

Oral examination covering the topic of specialization, the thesis or research papers, and other aspects of geography.

Master of Science Degree

Admissions Requirement

Undergraduate major in geography, environmental science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, or equivalent. Ap­plicants not meeting this requirement may be expected to take additional work.

Fields of Study

Climate and Environmental Change, Geographic Information Science

Course Requirements

A minimum of 30 credit hours, including a core curriculum consisting of G500, G501, and G588. In addition, each student should select a topical field of concentration in either climate and environmental change or geographic information science and com­plete a minimum of 9 graduate credits in that field.

Thesis or Research Papers

Students have the option of writing a thesis (G850) or two research papers (G845). Up to 6 credit hours are allowed for a thesis and up to 3 credit hours are given for each research paper.

Master of Science in Geography with Specialization in Climate and Environmental Change Requirements

Requirements are the same as for the M.S. in Geography, with the additional requirements of a minimum of 9 graduate credits in the field of climate and environmental change. Suitable courses include but are not limited to:

  • GEOG-G 505 Hydroclimatology
  • GEOG-G 532 Physical Meteorology and Climatology
  • GEOG-G 544 Climate Change Impacts
  • GEOG-G 550 Instrumentation and Field Methods in Atmospheric Science
  • GEOG-G 551 Water Resources: Semi-Arid Environments
  • GEOG-G 577 Topics in Atmospheric Science
  • GEOG-G 588 Applied Spatial Statistics
  • GEOG-G 589 Atmospheric Data Analysis
Master of Science in Geography with Specialization in Geographic Information Science Requirements

Requirements are the same as for the M.S. in Geography, with the additional requirement of a minimum of 9 graduate credits in the field of geographic information science. Suitable courses include but are not limited to:

  • GEOG-G 504 Advanced Quantitative Methods in Geography
  • GEOG-G 535 Environmental Remote Sensing
  • GEOG-G 536 Advanced Remote Sensing: Digital Image Processing
  • GEOG-G 538 Geographic Information Systems
  • GEOG-G 539 Advanced Geographic Information Systems
  • GEOG-G 584 Geological Applications for GIS
  • GEOG-G 588 Applied Spatial Statistics
  • GEOG-G 639 Topics Seminar in Geographic Information Science

Master of Arts for Teachers Degree

Admission Requirements

A full undergraduate major in geography is not required, but applicants should have had introductory courses in physical, environmental, or human geography.

Program

An individual program of study will be arranged for each stu­dent. A general description of the M.A.T. requirements is found elsewhere in this bulletin.

Master of Arts/Master of Science in Geogra­phy and Master of Science in Environmental Science (Public and Environmental Affairs)

Admission Requirements

The Department of Geography and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) offer a program that qualifies students for two master’s degrees. A student must apply to and be accepted by the School of Public and Environmental Affairs for study toward the Master of Science in Environmental Science (M.S.E.S.) and by the Depart­ment of Geography and the Graduate School for study toward the M.A. or M.S. degree.

Program

An individual program of study will be arranged for each student.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

Admission Requirements

M.A. or M.S. degree in geography or related discipline.

Fields of Study

Climate and Environmental Change, Geographic Information Science, Human-Environment Interaction, Human Geography

Course Requirements

A minimum of 90 credit hours, including a core curriculum consisting of G500, G501, and G588 as well as a dissertation (up to 20 credit hours). Each student must select a major within the field of geography chosen from the fields of study listed above. Stu­dents must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours beyond the M.A./M.S. in the major, including at least one graduate seminar. The dissertation must be written in the major field of study within geography.

Minors

At least one outside minor required. It should be closely related to the internal major and must be chosen from approved pro­grams of study outlined in this bulletin (unless exceptions are approved by the University Graduate School).

Qualifying Examination

Written and oral, covering the areas of concentration, other aspects of geography, and the tentative dissertation problem.

Research Proposal

The proposed research for the dissertation must be approved by the research committee and presented at a departmental colloquium.

Final Examination

Oral defense of the dissertation.

Ph.D. Minor in Geography

The requirements for the Ph.D. minor in geography are flexible. A student’s specific program should be developed in consultation with the minor-field advisor in geography. Typical fields include Climate and Environmental Change, Geographic Information Science, Human-Environment Interaction, and Human Geography. A minimum of 9 credit hours of course work.

Ph.D. in Geography with Specialization in Climate and Environmental Change

Requirements

Requirements are the same as the Ph.D. in Geography, with the additional requirement of a minimum of 12 credit hours in climate and environmental change beyond the M.S. in Geography with a Specialization in Climate and Environmental Change. Suitable courses include but are not limited to the list that appears under the course requirements for the M.S. in Geography with a Specialization in Climate and Environmental Change (above).

Ph.D. in Geography with Specialization in Geographic Information Science

Requirements

Requirements are the same as the Ph.D. in Geography, with the additional requirement of a minimum of 12 credit hours in geographic information science beyond the M.S. in Geography with a specialization in Geographic Information Science. Suitable courses include but are not limited to the list that appears under the course requirements for the M.S. in Geography with a specialization in Geographic Information Science (above).

Academic Bulletins

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