The doctorate is a research degree and is granted only to those who demonstrate proficiency in conducting independent research. Students must have a broad foundation and understanding of the discipline; these should have been achieved in a comprehensive master’s program.
Requirements
Course requirements for the degree shall be determined by the student’s faculty committee in accordance with specific interests and needs. The program must include GEOG 415 , GEOG 504 , GEOG 515 , GEOG 599 , 9 credit hours of 600-level seminars, and (at each offering during residency) GEOG 501 . A minimum of 9 credit hours must be earned in collateral fields, with courses selected for their relevance to the special fields. PhD students whose master’s-level work was in a field other than geography and for whom the master’s area remains close to their PhD specialty areas may petition to substitute geography credit hours in courses outside of their specialty areas for up to 3 of the 9 required outside credit hours. Competency in quantitative/qualitative methods and basic human and physical geography is required. Additional tools, including languages, will be required as appropriate to the student’s areas of research specialization.
Examinations required for admission to candidacy include a written comprehensive examination, consisting of two written examinations in which the student will be tested on his/her knowledge of two special fields and related areas of geography, and an oral examination on the student’s program, the special fields and related areas, and the dissertation proposal. All parts of the written comprehensive examination should be taken within the same semester.
Interdisciplinary Watershed Minor
The department participates in the Interdisciplinary Watershed Minor program designed for both undergraduate and graduate students. See Watershed Minor , housed in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, for program details.
