General Graduate Degree Information
The Department of Geography offers M.A., MSGISci and Ph.D. graduate degrees with concentrations in spatial technology, physical geography, people-environment interactions, and urban-economic geography. When viewed in its totality, the Department of Geography at MSU provides a unique environment for graduate work. The combination of course offerings and faculty expertise present innovative and stimulating opportunities for graduate students.
- See the M.S. program requirements
- See the MSGISci program requirements
- See the Ph.D. program requirements
Offerings in cartography, geographic information systems, and remote sensing are designed to meet a wide range of student needs. Courses address both theoretical and practical aspects of the field including map design, automated map production, computer graphics, spatial data handling, and analysis of airborne and satellite remote sensing. Faculty are actively engaged in both theoretical and applied research.
This area of specialization in the department emphasizes the study of regional, national, and international dimensions of development and change in regions or countries in which faculty have particular expertise and experience. Specific foci of concern include resource analysis, rural development and land use and cover change. Regional emphases include North America, Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East.
Advanced offerings in physical geography focus on synoptic and mesoscale climatology, soil, eolian, and glacial geomorphology, plant geography, and Pleistocene and Holocene landforms, especially in the Great Lakes region. Within geomorphology, emphasis is on reconstruction of paleoenvironments. The availability of diverse course offerings in the agricultural, physical, and natural sciences at MSU provides a valuable opportunity for the development and enrichment of student programs.
Urban-economic geography emphasizes the study of the underlying theories of location and spatial interaction of human activities in their economic, social, and policy contexts. This program stresses the analysis of spatial systems related to economic, urban, and transportation geography, location analysis, and regional science. Study and research in this area generally involve the use of mathematical models and quantitative techniques.