Get your PhD in Geography

The Doctor of Philosophy in Geography is a 4-to-5-year graduate program that prepares students in geographic research and teaching. Our program is research-focused, and designed for students seeking a career in academia, and for public, private, and non-profit sector positions that require advanced research skills. The PhD program is designed to prepare students for positions in college and university teaching and positions in the public and private sectors that require advanced research skills. The program of study leads to:

1. Broad knowledge of the discipline of geography
2. Broad knowledge of a subfield of geography and its literature
3. Specific expertise (deep knowledge) in the subfield

The first provides a basis for communication with professional colleagues across the discipline. The second represents the general area in which the PhD holder seeks employment, and the third represents the area of most active research involvement. Mastery of a specific area of geography and geographic research methods is demonstrated by completion of an appropriate course sequence, the completion and approval of a dissertation proposal, passing a comprehensive exam, and the successful completion and final examination of a PhD dissertation.

SEES facilities include state-of-the-art laboratories and research support facilities, including the Paleontological Repository, Ecoclimatology of Carbon and Water (ECH2O) Lab, Lab for Observing and Quantifying Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems (LOQATE), a Mineral Separation and Sample Processing Facility, and the Micropaleontology, Planetary Exploration, and Sedimentary Materials labs. Analytical instruments are housed in the MatFab facility, including an x-ray fluorescence spectrometer, electron microprobe, field emission scanning electron microscope with automated mineralogy capabilities, and two mass spectrometers for solution or laser analyses. Computing resources include the Geographical Information Systems Instructional Lab (GISIL), a GIS centric computer lab used to teach GIS, cartography, and remote sensing. The lab also hosts an array of special purpose peripherals and software (e.g., ArcGIS Desktop/Pro, Q-GIS, ENVI, GPS units, etc.).