Miami University

Program Requirements

The core curriculum is required of all M.A. candidates. It is intended to introduce you to departmental resources, provide a grounding in important theoretical, conceptual, and methodological concepts in geography, help build a sense of community among students and provide opportunities for you to define and develop your individual interests. The core curriculum includes the following courses:

  • GEO 601 - Seminar in Research Techniques (3 credits)
  • GEO 602 - Geographic Thought (4 credits)
  • GEO 605 - Teaching Skills in Geography (1 credit)
  • GEO 610 - Independent Research in Geography for Proposal Preparation (3 credits)


Tool requirement: One course from the following:

  • GEO 537 - Regional Land Use Capability Analysis
  • GEO 541 - Geographic Information Systems
  • GEO 542 - Advanced Geographic Information Systems
  • GEO 544 - GIScience Techniques in Landscape Ecology
  • GEO 547 - Aerial Photo Interpretation
  • GEO 548 - Techniques & Applications of Remote Sensing
  • STA 566 - Experimental Design Methods
  • STA 567 - Multivariate Analysis
  • STA 573 - Applied Multiple Regression

Or any graduate level course in cartography, GIS, air photo interpretation, remote sensing or foreign language instruction appropriate to the student's research interests.

Elective courses: In addition to the core requirement, you should take a combination of other courses appropriate to your special interests, to bring the total credit hours to a minimum of 24.

  • GEO 501 - Sustainable Regions
  • GEO 505 - The Caribbean in Global Context
  • GEO 508 - Geography of the Silk Road
  • GEO 510 - Advanced Regional Geography
  • GEO 521 - Climatology
  • GEO 524 - Geomorphology
  • GEO 525 - Hydrogeography
  • GEO 526 - Watershed Management
  • GEO 528 - Soil Geography
  • GEO 531 - Global Plant Diversity
  • GEO 532 - Ecoregions of North America
  • GEO 536 - Women, Gender, and the Environment
  • GEO 537 - Regional Land Use Capability Analysis
  • GEO 541 - Geographic Information Systems
  • GEO 542 - Advanced Geographic Information Systems
  • GEO 544 - GIScience Techniques in Landscape Ecology
  • GEO 547 - Aerial Photo Interpretation
  • GEO 548 - Techniques & Applications of Remote Sensing
  • GEO 551 - Urban and Regional Planning
  • GEO 554 - Urban Geography
  • GEO 555 - Race, Urban Change, and Conflict in America
  • GEO 557 - Global Cities, World Economy
  • GEO 558 - Cities of Difference
  • GEO 559 - Advanced Urban & Regional Planning
  • GEO 560 - Advanced Systematic Geography
  • GEO 561 - Migrants & Diasporas
  • GEO 562 - Public Space
  • GEO 567 - Land Use, Law & the State: Geographic Perspectives
  • GEO 573 - Development and Underdevelopment
  • GEO 575 - Global Periphery's Urbanization
  • GEO 576 - Global Poverty
  • GEO 610 - Research in Geography
  • GEO 620 - Geography Seminar
  • GEO 690 - Internship in Geography
  • GEO 700 - Research for Master's Thesis
  • GEO 710 - Special Problems in Geography

Other courses can be taken from cognate departments that the student and their advisor deem appropriate and relevant to the student's program.

Application option:

Two application options are available: a thesis or internship. The thesis consists of a substantial original work of geographic research. An internship is a minimum of three months' employment outside the University in the public, private, or NGO that can provide experiences appropriate to masters-level training in geography. The application option is chosen in consultation with the student's advisor. Neither the thesis nor the internship can be undertaken unless the student is making satisfactory progress (generally accepted to be a 3.0 cumulative grade point average). The application must consist of a minimum of six hours; a maximum of 12 hours is applicable to M.A. Both the thesis and internship options require a written document (thesis or internship report) that is defended in the final exam.

Exams

The qualifying exam is a written exam, about four hours in length, taken during the second semester in residence. The exam emphasizes two themes: 1. general subject area of the planned thesis; and 2. methods relevant to the planned thesis. The specific content of the exam is defined by a committee of three faculty members, in consultation with the student. While the exam may concentrate on one or more subdisciplines of geography, the student should be able to apply general geographic concepts to problems or phenomena within those subdisciplines.
The final exam is an oral exam which is taken after completion of all other degree requirements. It focuses on a defense of the thesis or internship report. The final examination committee consists of three members of the graduate faculty. One is the adviser, the second is the reader, and the third is a faculty member chosen by your adviser in consultation with the graduate program adviser.