Our mission is to get you ready for professional employment or a Ph.D. program by mentoring you as you learn to:
Master's Degree in Geography
- Supportive, accomplished faculty
- Master of Arts or Master of Science degree options
- Thesis and non-thesis options
- Plenty of jobs in Geography
The Geography Department at Marshall University offers a supportive atmosphere featuring responsive, accomplished faculty and state-of-the-art facilities. In order to prepare students for professional employment or further education, the faculty strives to maintain a flexible curriculum, involve students in research, keep offerings updated with changes in the field and the job market, and help students obtain internships. As a result, many of our students secure employment as professional geographers before graduation, obtaining positions as urban and regional planners, GIS professionals, environmental scientists, geography doctoral students, economic development consultants, city/county/state/federal government professionals, historic preservationists, international trade consultants, and more.
Students wishing to earn a master’s degree in geography have the option of selecting either a Master of Arts (M.A.) or Master of Science (M.S.) degree. The core requirements are the same for both degrees. In consultation with a faculty advisor, a student choosing the M.S. option will specialize in natural science-based geography such as environmental science/planning, cartography, GIS/remote sensing, or physical geography. In consultation with a faculty advisor, a student pursuing an M.A. degree will specialize in social science-based geography emphasizing GIS, planning, geographic education, human or regional geography. Both the M.S. and M.A. degree options prepare the graduate for professional employment or advanced work at the doctoral level.
Admission
Applicants should follow the admissions process described in the Graduate Catalog, or at the Graduate Admissions website: http://www.marshall.edu/graduate/admissionsrequirements.asp. In addition, applicants must:
- Submit GRE (Graduate Record Examination) scores with the graduate application;
- Have completed nine semester hours of undergraduate coursework in geography for full admission to the program.
Provisional admission for applicants who have not yet completed the GRE or nine hours of undergraduate coursework in geography may be granted with consent of the faculty.
Applications for department research or teaching assistantships are available from the Geography Department chairman. For more information about graduate assistantship at Marshall University, please see
http://www.marshall.edu/graduate/assistantships.asp.
For more information about other financial support please see http://www.marshall.edu/graduate.
Degree Requirements
A Plan of Study approved by the deparment and graduate dean must be filed in the Graduate College office before a student register's for the 12th semester hour.
Candidates for the master's degree (M.A. or M.S.) must complete not fewer than 24 hours of graduate coursework in geography and complete either a thesis with a minimum of 30 total credits or comprehensive exams with a minimum of 36 total credits.
What courses should you take and when during your Geography Master's Degree? How will you write your
thesis? What are the comprehensive exams like? We hope our
will answer these questions.
*Requirement waived if course was taken at the 400 level as a Marshall undergraduate.
