College of Arts and Sciences

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

Departmental URL: www.indiana.edu/~geog

(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: http://graduate.indiana.edu/admissions/apply.shtml/

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Degrees Offered

Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy.  The department currently is not accepting applications for the Master of Arts for Teachers or for the dual programs, Master of Arts in Geography and Master of Science in Environmental Science (SPEA) or Master of Science in Geography and Master of Science in Environmental Science (SPEA).

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, Land and Environmental Change; Food and Agriculture; Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing; Globalization, Development and Justice; Water Resources.

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, Land and Evironmental Change; Food and Agriculture; Systems and Remote Sensing; Globalization, Development and Justice; Water Resources.

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 climate, land and environmental change; food and agriculture; geographic information systems and remote sensing; globalization, development and justice or water resources 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, Land and Evironmental Change 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 climate, land, and evironmental change. Suitable courses include but are not limited to:

• GEOG-G 505 Ecological Climatology
• GEOG-G 532 Physical Climatology
• GEOG-G 540 Topics in Environmental Geography
• GEOG-G 544 Climate Change Impacts
• GEOG-G 550 Field Methods in Physical Geography
• GEOG-G 551 Water Resources
• GEOG-G 552 Tree-Ring Science
• GEOL-G 577 Topics in Climatology
• GEOG-G 588 Applied Spatial Statistics
• GEOG-G 589 Advanced Geospatial Data Analysis
• GEOG-G 602 Topical Seminar in Climate, Land, & Environmental Change

Master of Science in Geography with Specialization in Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing 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 systems and remote sensing. 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
• GEOL-G 584 GIS Applications in Geology
• GEOG-G 588 Applied Spatial Statistics
• GEOG-G 589 Advanced Geospatial Data Analysis
• GEOG-G 639 Topics Seminar in Geographic Information Science

Master of Arts for Teachers Degree

Admission Requirements  (Currently this program is not accepting applications.)

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 (Currently this program is not accepting applications.)

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, Land and Evironmental Change; Food and Agriculture; Geographic Information Sensing and Remote Sensing; Globalization, Development and Justice; Water Resources

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, Land and Environmental Change; Food and Agriculture; Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing; Globalization, Development and Justice; Water Resources. A minimum of 9 credit hours of course work.

Ph.D. in Geography with Specialization in Climate, Land 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, Land and Environmental Change beyond the M.S. in Geography with a Specialization in Climate, Land 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, Land and Environmental Change (above).

Ph.D. in Geography with Specialization in Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing

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 Systems and Remote Sensing beyond the M.S. in Geography with a specialization in Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing. 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 Systems and Remote Sensing (above).