GRADUATE PROGRAM
IN GEOGRAPHY
The Program in Geography
confers the Master of Arts in Environmental and Urban Geography.
Description of
the Program
Admission
Degree Requirements
Graduate-Level
Courses
Employment Prospects
Previous M.A.
Theses
Graduate Students (includes
both Anthropology and Geography)
DESCRIPTION
OF THE PROGRAM
The
program has two areas of specialization:
- Study in environmental behavior and cognition,
and environmental management and policy analysis
- Urban geography, including the environmental
impacts of urbanization, industrial and commercial development,
transportation geography, residential area analysis, and urban and
regional structures.
Specific programs of study are developed by the
individual student and
faculty advisers from courses in the areas of specialization,
supporting electives in geography, and courses offered in cognate
disciplines of several colleges in the University. The program offers
both non-thesis and thesis options.
The Master of Arts program is designed primarily to prepare students
for professional careers and continued study through the offering of
broad training in the theoretical and applied aspects of the
discipline.
The non-thesis
option is intended for people who are
interested primarily in upgrading professional skills for career
advancement, and/or who are interested in applied aspects of the
discipline. There is a range of courses in which the principles of
geographic inquiry are applied to real world problems confronting
environmentalists and urban systems.
The thesis
option is for students
who want to specialize in research in selected areas of environmental
and urban geography and who may consider further graduate study in
geography or an allied discipline.
The content and structure of the M.A. in
Environmental and Urban
Geography is designed to respond to societal challenges in the subject
areas of the environment and urban structures. The particular
competencies of the faculty are complementary in the support of these
objectives which are approached in both practical and theoretical
ways.
The technical and skills components of the program
are in the areas of
computer cartography and geographic information systems (GIS). There is
a clear emphasis on applied geography in the areas of computer
cartography, environmental analysis, environmental policy, geographic
information systems, and geomorphology and archaeology. Aspects of most
of these areas of emphasis include a focus on inter and intra urban
systems and structures, in each case exploiting the subdisciplinary
expertise of the respective faculty member. The concern for theoretical
issues is considered by faculty with interests in cultural ecology,
environmental perception, and locational analysis and modeling. A
strength of the program is the dovetailing of faculty interests with
societal concerns.
Faculty and graduate students participate in interdisciplinary
activities. Students in geography programs are encouraged to pursue
interests in cognate fields, which have included course work at the
School of Public Health, the School of Urban Planning and Policy, and
the College of Engineering, as well as in disciplines in Liberal Arts
and Sciences. Certain faculty hold affiliate appointments in the
Program of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences (School of
Public Health), the Department of Anthropology, and the Urban
Transportation Center.
Contact
Dr. John
Monaghan,
Director of Geographic Studies, for more information
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