Contents | Introduction | General Info | Master's Req | Geog Ed Master's | Ph.D. Req  | Joint Degrees | Progress Meetings
Program Planning | Dept. Resources & Policies | Faculty | Geography Grad Program Home  | Geography Home

Table of Contents (2004-2005)

I. INTRODUCTION AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION

II. GENERAL GRADUATE PROGRAM INFORMATION

III.  MASTER'S DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

IV. MASTER'S DEGREE (GEOGRAPHY  EDUCATION OPTION) REQUIREMENTS

V.  DOCTORAL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

VI. JOINT GRADUATE DEGREES IN GEOGRAPHY AND ANOTHER DEPARTMENT

VII. ANNUAL PROGRESS MEETINGS

VIII.  PLANNING YOUR GRADUATE PROGRAM

IX.  DEPARTMENT RESOURCES AND POLICIES

X.  LIST OF FACULTY AND STAFF

XI. GRADUATE TEACHING FELLOW DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (GDRS)


I. INTRODUCTION AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION

This handbook provides a statement of requirements for graduate degrees in the Department of Geography, as well as explanations, advice and other information to help you plan a rewarding graduate program.   Please be aware that the UO Graduate School has additional requirements and forms that you must complete at various stages in your graduate career.  The Grad School requirements are not addressed in this Geography Graduate Handbook, but are provide at the Graduate School Policies and Procedures and the Academic Forms web pages.

Each graduate student follows an individualized program designed to help him or her develop competence in a field of specialization and familiarity with the scope of geography as a discipline. You and your advisor and committee will determine the specific program you follow.  You will find that, while there are a number of requirements that all students must meet, there are also many decisions to be made about your individualized program. These individual program decisions are best made by you, first exploring fields of interest to you and assessing your abilities and motivation for these fields, then consulting geography faculty (your advisor and/or the Director of Graduate Studies) for further insights and guidance.  Working with graduate students is one of the most rewarding parts of a faculty member’s job, so faculty are usually willing and thoughtful contributors to planning your program (within the limits of the time they have available).  The ultimate responsibility lies with you, however, to ensure that you meet the requirements and academic standards of the Department and the Graduate School.

You should start to plan your program by reading the requirements, and other information relevant to your intended degree, contained in this handbook, and meeting with the Director of Graduate Studies to plan your first year program.  This meeting is also a time to ask questions about any requirements you don’t understand. 

The following people can give you information and advice on specific parts of the graduate program and Geography Department operations:

  • W. Andrew Marcus, Director of Graduate Studies, handles advising at the start of your program, including evaluation of your transcript for geography breadth requirements. The Graduate Director  provides general advice on degree requirements throughout your program, monitors progress of all graduate students, and certifies that requirements are met.  Proposals for the skills package, programming option, and any special requests or waivers to requirements are routed through the Graduate Director.  The Graduate Director is the department representative who signs all your Graduate School forms, even if the form specifies that the Department Head's signature is required.

  • Patricia McDowell, Department Head, handles decisions about GTF awards in consultation with the faculty.  She also makes initial GTF assignments and office assignments.  She is in charge of course planning and, in consultation with the faculty, makes decisions about appointment of graduate students to teach courses.

  • Shaul Cohen, Chair of the Graduate Admissions Committee, handles all questions concerning admission, including admission of Master's students to the Ph.D. program.

  • Peter Walker, Chair of the Graduate Grants and Awards Committee, handles applications and decisions about small research grants and travel grants from the department.  He also handles applications for external grant awards that require departmental approval or ranking, such as the University of Oregon Dissertation Fellowships and ITD Fellowships.

  • Susan Hardwick is the Director of Summer Session for the Department of Geography.  In consultation with the department head and the faculty, Susan decides what courses to offer in summer and who will teach them.  She also directs the Geography and Education option in the Master’s program, and any questions about this program should be directed to Susan. In addition, Susan is a good source of information on careers in teaching at the K-12 levels and at community colleges.

  • Mary Milo, Graduate Secretary, maintains graduate records and handles paperwork required at various stages of the graduate program.  She also handles records and paperwork concerning graduate admissions.  In her role as receptionist and department secretary, she also is in charge of mail, copying, faxes, mailboxes, and maintaining department addresses. 

  • Sandra Stewart, Office Manager, handles GTF appointment paperwork and payroll. She has general responsibility for all functions of the department office, including policies concerning use of central office facilities. 

  • Andrea Heid handles accounting and purchasing for grants.  

Several other offices on campus provide information on some important topics that are outside the responsibility of the Department of Geography.

  • The Graduate School is the official sources of information on the UO Graduate School degree requirements.  The Graduate School maintains a Graduate Funding Library that has information on fellowships, scholarships and research grants from external sources, and it also maintains a list of GTF positions available from administrative offices and special programs.  (For more information see Funding Sources for Graduate Students)

  • The Office of Student Financial Aid has information on scholarships, student loans, work-study programs, etc.

  • The Office of International Education and Exchange assists international students attending the University of Oregon and U.S. students intending to study or do research abroad.

Contents | Introduction | General Info | Master's Req | Geog Ed Master's | Ph.D. Req  | Joint Degrees | Progress Meetings
Program Planning | Dept. Resources & Policies | Faculty | Geography Grad Program Home  | Geography Home


II. GENERAL GRADUATE PROGRAM INFORMATION

This section and the following sections present Department of Geography requirements for graduate degrees in geography.  Some of the most important Graduate School requirements are also presented here, but this is not intended to be a complete statement of Graduate School requirements. Refer to the University of Oregon Graduate Catalog, or contact the Graduate School, for a complete statement of Graduate School requirements.  You are responsible for ensuring that you comply with Graduate School requirements as well as those of the Department of Geography. 

Types of Graduate Degrees Offered by the Department of Geography

Doctoral degree:  The Department offers a research-oriented Doctor of Philosophy in Geography.  Both students with a master’s degree from our department and students with a master’s degree from another department or university are admitted to work on the doctoral degree.

Master’s degrees:  Master's students may pursue a research-oriented master’s degree or a practice-oriented master’s degree.  The research-oriented master’s degree requires completion of a thesis that represents original research. The practice-oriented master’s degree requires completion of a terminal project of professional quality. At present we admit students for the practice-oriented master’s degree in only one field, Geographic Education.  

Differences between M.A. and M.S. degree:  The Department of Geography offers both Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Science (M.S.) degrees.  There is no difference in coursework required by the department for the M.A. and the M.S. degrees. The Graduate School requires proficiency in a foreign language to receive the M.A. degree.  Proficiency in either a foreign language or computer language may be used to meet the requirements of the M.S. degrees.

Time For Completion Of Graduate Degrees and Required Credits

The master’s program in geography is designed to be completed in two years of full-time study. Often students take longer than two years, but we encourage you to finish within two years if possible. Students whose undergraduate degree is in a field other than geography are more likely to take longer to complete the degree because they must take more courses to complete the geography breadth requirements.  A few graduate students enroll as part-time students, but full-time enrollment is encouraged, especially during your first year.  The residency requirement for the master’s degree is a minimum of 30 credits taken on the Eugene campus during at least two terms of study.

The Ph.D. program in geography is designed to be completed in a minimum of three years of full-time study and research after completion of a geography master’s degree with a thesis.  Students entering the Ph.D. program with a master’s degree in another discipline often take longer than three years.  The actual time to completion of the Ph.D. may vary, depending on your previous preparation in geography and in research skills necessary for your dissertation topic, logistics related to foreign fieldwork, etc.  The residency requirement for the Ph.D. is a minimum of three consecutive terms of full-time study at the University of Oregon (see Ph.D. requirements below and the University of Oregon Graduate Catalog for details).

Most students find that they have earned more than the minimum number of credits, and more than the minimum number of credits in geography, by the time they complete their graduate degree.  In planning your course registration, you should distinguish between credits and courses.  Full-time enrollment means registering for a minimum of nine graduate credits per term.  Graduate students supported by a teaching or research assistantship are expected to register for fifteen to sixteen credits each term.  A typical course load is three substantive courses (four or five credits each) per term during the first year of study, and one to three substantive courses per term during the second year.  In addition to the substantive courses, in many terms you will also register for individualized courses such as GEOG 503, 601, 602, 603, 605, or 608. You are expected to register for credits to represent faculty supervision of your individualized study. For example, if you are developing your thesis proposal, preparing for comprehensive exams, or doing individualized study with a faculty member, you are expected to register for GEOG 601 or 605 at a level that reflects the work you are doing in a given term.

Most graduate students devote summer term to fieldwork or thesis research and writing, and they take few or no courses during the summer.  You may find it convenient to take language courses or other specific courses during summer term.  Faculty members also devote their summers to research.  In general, your committee members will not be available during summer for official actions such as approving a thesis or dissertation proposal or giving comprehensive exams.  Plan to accomplish these milestones during fall, winter or spring term.  A major exception is the Geography and Education master’s program, which is active during summer sessions.

Continuous Enrollment and Residency

The Graduate School requires that you be enrolled continuously (summer terms excepted) until your degree is completed, unless you have an approved leave of absence. If you plan not to enroll for a term, you must apply to the Graduate School for on-leave status.

The Graduate School sets the requirements for minimum number of credits, residency, and a few other aspects of the graduate program.  The Graduate School has final authority over these requirements.  More complete information on Graduate School requirements can be found in the University of Oregon Graduate Catalog. Most of the requirements in this handbook are Department of Geography requirements.  These are set and interpreted by the Department of Geography, particularly the Director of Graduate Studies.

Course Numbering, Grades and GPA

Graduate credit is awarded for courses numbered in the 500s or 600s.  To receive graduate credit, you must earn a grade of P (Pass), B- or higher.  Performance equivalent to a grade of B- or higher is required for a grade of P in graduate coursework.  The Graduate School requires that your cumulative GPA as a graduate student be 3.0 or higher to earn a graduate degree.  See the University of Oregon Graduate Catalog or ask the Graduate School for other policies on grades and incompletes.

Graduate Student Classification

The Department of Geography admits to our graduate program 1) students intending only to earn the master’s degree, 2) students working toward a master’s degree who plan to continue for a doctoral degree, 3) students with a master’s degree who are working toward a doctoral degree.  We encourage well-qualified students in our master’s program to continue for the doctoral degree in our department, but admission to work toward a master’s degree does not ensure admission to work toward a doctoral degree.  All students must complete a master’s degree, in geography or a related field, before unconditional admission to the doctoral program.

Student classification or student type is a data field that appears in your student record and on various forms that you may need to submit. The relationship between the degree you are pursuing and your student classification is explained below.

Master’s student (M, G8):  Students applying to work on a practice-oriented Master’s degree with no intention of continuing for a Ph.D. are generally placed in this classification.

Conditional doctoral student (Y, G4):  Students admitted to the graduate program without a previous master’s degree, who start working on the research-oriented master’s degree, are generally in this classification.  This classification does not necessarily imply that the student will continue for a doctoral degree at University of Oregon.  Neither does it guarantee that the Department will accept the student as an unconditional doctoral student to continue to work on the doctoral degree.  If the student wishes to continue for a doctoral degree at University of Oregon, the decision to change the student’s classification to unconditional doctoral (D) will be made by the Department when the master’s degree requirements have been met. This classification may also be used for a student with a previous master’s degree who would be deemed acceptable for the doctoral degree after completing some specific requirements.

Doctoral student (unconditional; D, G9) Students entering the doctoral program who have completed a master’s degree are generally admitted under this classification.

Advancement to candidacy:  This is not a formal student classification, but it represents a milestone in the doctoral student’s program. Advancement to candidacy occurs after the comprehensive exams have been passed.

Change in classification from Y to D:  A student who has completed a research-oriented master’s degree in the Department of Geography may apply to change status to doctoral classification (D) and to begin work on a doctoral degree in the Department.  This application is made to the Graduate Admissions Committee, usually when the master’s degree is completed or nearly completed (i.e., a complete first draft of the thesis has been submitted.)

Contents | Introduction | General Info | Master's Req | Geog Ed Master's | Ph.D. Req  | Joint Degrees | Progress Meetings
Program Planning | Dept. Resources & Policies | Faculty | Geography Grad Program Home  | Geography Home


III.  MASTER'S DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Course Requirements

Distinction between Master of Arts and Master of Science degreesThe department awards both M.A. and M.S. degrees in geography.  There is no particular distinction in subject matter between these two degrees. Generally the student may decide whether to receive a M.A. or M.S. degree in geography.  Competency in a foreign language is required to earn the Master of Arts degree. This is a Graduate School requirement. Competency in either a foreign language or a computer language may be used to meet the language requirement for the Master of Science degree.

Credit Requirement:  You must complete at least 45 graduate credits to earn a master’s degree at University of Oregon, of which the Graduate School requires at least 9 credits be for thesis (Geog 503). At least 36 of the total 45 credits must be non-thesis credits in geography (GEOG course prefix).  

Core Course Requirement:   The student must take the following courses during the first year that he or she is in residence at the University of Oregon:  Fall - GEOG 608, Work in Thesis Writing and GEOG 609,  Practicum [Introduction to the Faculty];  Winter- GEOG 620, Theory and Practice of Geography; and Spring - GEOG 621,Current Trends in Geography.

Purpose To introduce students to the demands and challenges of graduate research, to acquaint students with major evolution and current status of theoretical and methodological debates in geography, and to provide a forum in which students can get to know one another and members of the faculty.

Geographic Breadth Requirement:  Completion of the following courses unless you have previously taken their equivalents: 1) two graduate-level courses in physical geography in different subfields; 2) two graduate-level courses in human geography in different subfields; 3) one course in Cartography or GIS; 4) one course in quantitative methods (geographic data analysis, statistics).

Purpose: To ensure breadth of knowledge within the discipline by requiring students to take courses in different subfields of physical and human geography, widely used geographic techniques, and quantitative data analysis.

Foreign Language/Programming Requirement Reading skill in one foreign language or computer programming skills. You must consult your major advisor and get his/her approval on the option you choose, and if it is the language option, which language.

Purpose To expose students to the patterns of thought employed in learning a second language or computer programming skill, to provide students with a better understanding of the nature of English through the perspectives on language gained through the acquisition of another language, and to provide students with the tools to conduct research that utilizes a foreign language or computer programming.  

  • Guidelines for completing the foreign language requirement This requirement can be met either by successfully completing a second-year, university-level foreign language course sequence during a seven-year period prior to the receipt of the master's degree or by passing the Graduate Student Foreign Language Test (GSFLT) at a level equivalent to the 25th percentile or better.  If the GSFLT is not offered in the language relevant to your research specialization, the Geography Department may allow another language exam to be substituted.  (See the Graduate Studies Director for more information.)  

  • Guidelines for completing the computer programming requirement Computer programming skill is typically demonstrated by a minimum of two approved courses and authorship of a program used in the thesis research.  Where appropriate courses are not available at University of Oregon, the student may be directed toward courses at another institution or independent study supervised by an appropriate faculty member.  Recommended languages include programming languages such as Fortran, C++, Visual Basic, Perl, and application macro or scripting languages such as Avenue, AML, S-Plus, and IDL. 

Residency Requirement:  Completion of a minimum of 30 credits taken on the Eugene campus during at least two terms of study

Graduate Seminar Requirement:  Completion of a minimum of two graduate seminars (GEOG 507 or 607), one in human geography and one in physical geography. You should have completed coursework in the field of the seminar before taking it.  The two seminars must be distributed among physical, human, or GIScience seminars; they may not both be in just one of these categories.

Purpose To ensure that a student will gain experience in the process of defining a research question and preparing a substantial research paper in different subdisciplines of geography.

Preparation in field of specialization:  Completion of courses and seminars recommended by your advisor, other committee members, or the Graduate Studies Director, that are related to your field of specialization within geography. In some cases this will include courses from other departments.

Purpose To develop a deeper mastery of the concepts, methods and techniques of a subfield of geography, and to prepare to conduct independent research for the master’s thesis.

Research Workshop RequirementDuring the fall and spring quarters of each year prior to receipt of the Master’s degree, you must register for GEOG 608, a one hour research workshop that meets regularly during the term. During each workshop meeting a student or faculty member gives a presentation of ongoing research, and participants are encouraged to offer comments and questions.

Purpose:  To encourage students and faculty to share research issues and concerns with one another, and to provide students with a setting in which they are challenged to think critically about the work of others and to defend their own work in an environment of constructive criticism.

Other Master’s Degree Requirements

Advisor and Thesis Committee RequirementAppointment of a major advisor and a second faculty member to serve on the thesis committee.  The student identifies appropriate faculty members to serve as the major advisor and second committee member and then asks these faculty members to serve on the thesis committee.  Membership of the committee should be designed to include those faculty members whose teaching and research specializations are closest to the student’s intended research focus, and those faculty with expertise in the research skills appropriate for that research focus.  Faculty members have the option of declining to serve if they feel they cannot adequately advise the student on the intended thesis topic, or if their schedule does not allow them to serve.  When the committee members accept, the student informs the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Secretary of the committee membership. The thesis committee should be formed as early in the first year of graduate study as possible, and must be established by the end of your third quarter in the master’s program.

Purpose To establish a formal relationship with selected faculty who will be the student's primary advisors in selecting courses and in the preparation of the master's thesis.

Progress Meetings Requirement: The thesis committee will meet as a group with the student at least once a year (including the first year) to discuss the progress of the student’s program and thesis. For specific information see Annual Progress Meetings.

Purpose To provide the student advice on preparation for the thesis (coursework and other research preparation), and guidance on selection of the thesis topic and development of the thesis.

Thesis Proposal Requirement Approval of a short research proposal by the thesis committee and the Graduate Program Director by the end of your third quarter in the graduate program. With permission of the thesis committee, this deadline may be extended by one quarter. The proposal should include the elements listed below under Sample Outline. It should be no more than four pages, double-spaced, not including bibliography and figures. If it is necessary to change the scope of the project at a later date, the thesis committee will decide whether a new proposal is needed. Copies of the signed proposal must be circulated to all faculty members in the department.  Failure to present an approved proposal by the end of your fourth quarter in residence will be deemed to constitute unsatisfactory progress toward your degree.  Students in this situation may be suspended from the program.  They may be reinstated upon petition accompanied by a research proposal that is acceptable to the thesis committee.

Purpose To define the research topic and approach in the first year, so that the student can identify and begin research during the summer.

Sample outline for master’s thesis proposal: 


1.   Tentative thesis title, author, date of proposal

2.   Statement of problem:  What are the research questions?  Why are these questions significant?

3.   Objectives and procedures:  What do you plan to do?  How will you go about collecting information and analyzing it, i.e. what is your research plan?  What is your study area (if relevant) and why is this an appropriate study area? 

4.   Funding:  What are the costs of the project?  What sources of funding are being or will be pursued?

5.   Work plan and schedule:  What are the steps involved in completing the project?  How long will each step take you and when will it be accomplished? What is your anticipated completion date?

6.   References cited

7. Space for proposal approval:

 

Approval Recommended:

_________________________    ________
Chair, Thesis Committee                  Date

_________________________    ________
Committee Member 2                      Date 

_________________________    ________
Graduate Program Director              Date


Thesis Requirement:  A thesis approved by the thesis committee and completion of at least nine credits of thesis (GEOG 503.)

PurposeTo introduce students to the process of preparing a substantial piece of research on a geographical subject and to allow the student to develop significant expertise on that subject.

Thesis Presentation Requirement Oral presentation of the master's thesis at a public lecture in the department.

Purpose Requires students to explain their work and its significance in a fashion that is understandable to a general audience, and requires students to synthesize and articulate what they have accomplished.  Also familiarizes others in the department with the work of the student and the scope of a master's thesis.   If an oral presentation cannot be scheduled during the term of thesis completion, the student can still receive the degree, but will be asked to give an oral presentation during the following term.

Graduate School Requirements:  See UO Graduate School Policies and Procedures

Contents | Introduction | General Info | Master's Req | Geog Ed Master's | Ph.D. Req  | Joint Degrees | Progress Meetings
Program Planning | Dept. Resources & Policies | Faculty | Geography Grad Program Home  | Geography Home


IV.  MASTER’S DEGREE (GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION OPTION)

The Master's in Geographic Education option is designed for teachers who have K-12 teaching licensure or are working towards their Initial or Continuing Licensure. Most graduate students enrolled in our Education Track also have several years of teaching experience.  The degree may be completed in three consecutive summer sessions or in two summers with additional coursework taken during the regular academic year (fall to spring terms). A total of 45 credits are required for completion of this degree.  Up to 15 credits may be taken at UO or elsewhere prior to entering the program; however, teachers will not be eligible for GTF support until they are officially accepted into the program.

 

Admission and course requirements are equivalent to those listed in Section III of the Handbook for the master’s degree in geography except for the following:

  • Students must apply for admission by June 1 of the summer they intend to begin the program.

  • Students may earn either a M.A. (meets Graduate School requirements for foreign language requirements at second year level) or M.S. degree.

  • Students are required to take the GEOG 607 seminar and GEOG 408 workshop that is designed for the Geography Education option. These two required courses are offered during summer sessions each year.

Course Requirements

 

Students enrolled in the Geographic Education Option must complete the following course sequence to earn their degree

Core Seminar (4 credits):

GEOG 607: Geog. Inquiry and Curriculum Development

 

 

Breadth Requirements:

 

    Phys. Geog. courses (4-10 cr.)  Select 1-2 courses:

 

1)  GEOG 322: Geomorphology, GEOG 323, Climatology, or GEOG 324: Biogeography (taken with two additional credits of GEOG 605 Readings in Geomorphology, Climatology, or Biogeography

 

2) GEOG 4/510: Physical Geography Field Studies

 

 

    Human Geog. courses (8 cr.)  

Select 2 courses:

 

1) GEOG 510: Field Studies in Human Geography

 

2) GEOG 510: Historical Geography

 

3) GEOG 510: Geography of Native Americans (or other specialized courses in Human Geography)

 

 

Techniques Requirements (5-6 cr)

Select 1 of the following options:

 

1) GEOG 610 and GEOG 516: Geographic Information Systems or

 

2) GEOG 311: Maps and Geospatial Analysis (taken with two credits of GEOG 605: Readings in Cartographic Analysis)

 

 

Methods Requirement (4 cr.)

GEOG 508: Geog. Methods in the Social Classroom

 

 

Preparation in Field of Specialization (4 cr.)

 

Select 1 or 2 of the following options:

 

1) GEOG 602: Supervised College Teaching (2 cr. allowable each summer for GTFs and/or

 

2) GEOG 60?: Practicum (2 cr. allowable each summer for non-GTFs)

 

 

Final Project (9 cr.)

GEOG 601

 

 

(and electives and/or graduate transfer credits)

 

Total credit hours required for the degree:  45

Other Degree Requirements

  The following two requirements are substituted for the thesis requirement:

  • Students are required to pass a written final examination administered by the student’s Advisory Committee. This written exam consists of three or more questions on: concepts in a systematic or regional specialty; pedagogy and teaching methods in geography; and methodologies used to complete the student’s final project. Comprehensive exams last three hours.

  • Written and oral presentation of a final master’s project is required.  The project includes original research that is applied to a learning activity for use in school classrooms.  The project must be reviewed and accepted by the student’s Advisory Committee.

Contents | Introduction | General Info | Master's Req | Geog Ed Master's | Ph.D. Req  | Joint Degrees | Progress Meetings
Program Planning | Dept. Resources & Policies | Faculty | Geography Grad Program Home  | Geography Home


V.  DOCTORAL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Course Requirements

Credit Requirements:  To graduate with a Ph.D. in Geography, students must have at least three years of fulltime graduate enrollment (81 credits) beyond the Bachelor's degree, and must take the classes required by the department and the thesis committee, as outlined below.  The total number of credits required to receive the Ph.D. will vary with student background and the research topic.  You must take at least 18 hours of dissertation (GEOG 603) after advancement to candidacy.

Core Course Requirement:   The student must take the following courses during the first year that he or she is in residence at the University of Oregon:  Fall - GEOG 608, Work in Thesis Writing and GEOG 609,  Practicum [Introduction to the Faculty];  Winter- GEOG 620, Theory and Practice of Geography; and Spring - GEOG 621,Current Trends in Geography.

PurposeTo introduce students to the demands and challenges of graduate research, to acquaint students with major evolution and current status of theoretical and methodological debates in geography, and to provide a forum in which students can get to know one another and members of the faculty.  

Geographic Breadth Requirement:  Completion of a master’s degree in geography or equivalent study that includes courses required for the M.A. or M.S. degree in geography at the University of Oregon.

PurposeTo ensure breadth of knowledge within the discipline by requiring students to take courses in different subfields of physical and human geography, widely used geographic techniques, and quantitative data analysis.  

Graduate Seminar Requirement:  Completion of at least two graduate geography seminars (GEOG 507 or 607) after admission to the doctoral program. The two seminars must be distributed among physical, human, or GIScience seminars; they may not both be in just one of these categories.

PurposeTo ensure that a student will gain experience in the process of defining a research question and preparing a substantial research paper in different subdisciplines of geography.

Preparation in field(s) of specializationCompletion of courses and seminars recommended by the advisor or committee members.

PurposeTo develop a deeper mastery of the concepts, methods and techniques of a subfield of geography, and to prepare to conduct independent research for the dissertation.

Research Workshop RequirementDuring the fall and spring quarters of each year prior to receipt of the doctoral degree, you must register for GEOG 608, a one hour research workshop that meets regularly during the term.  

PurposeTo encourage students and faculty to share research issues and concerns with one another, and to provide students with a setting in which they are challenged to think critically about the work of others and to defend their own work in an environment of constructive criticism.

Foreign Language/Programming/Skills Requirement: Completion of the language requirement for the master's degree plus one of the following:  (1) advanced knowledge of the foreign language used for the master’s requirement, as shown by successfully completing a third-year, university-level course sequence in that language that deals with composition and conversation; (2) proficiency in a second foreign language at the level required for the master’s degree; (3) computer programming skills at the level required for the master’s degree; or (4) completion of a research skills package typically consisting of three courses that cover a body of related methods and techniques useful in geographic research.  For examples of research skills packages, see Examples of Research Skills Packages below.

PurposeSee Foreign Language/Programming Requirement under the master's program for the basic rationale.  A higher level of language proficiency or the mastery of a technique or method required for the Ph.D. reflects the greater background and skills needed to conduct advanced, original research. Students should choose the option to fulfill this requirement in a way that best suits their doctoral research needs.

Residency requirement:  Three consecutive terms of full-time enrollment on the Eugene campus. Full-time enrollment means a minimum of nine graduate credits completed each term.  Summers may be excepted from the three consecutive terms.  For students continuing from the geography master’s program directly into the geography Ph.D. program with no break in enrollment, the Ph.D. residency requirement may have been met during the master’s program.  The residency requirement is a Graduate School requirement, and any questions about this requirement should be directed to the Graduate School.

PurposeThe residency requirement is intended to ensure at least one year in which the student concentrates exclusively on coursework and research, and experiences in-depth contact with faculty and students in geography.  The residence year is intended to include substantive coursework in geography, although individualized research credits may be completed as well.

Other Ph.D. Requirements

Major Advisor and Advising Committee RequirementAppointment of a major advisor and two additional faculty members, all from the Department of Geography, to serve on your advising committee.  The student identifies appropriate faculty members to serve as the major advisor and committee members and then asks them to serve on the advising committee.  Membership of the committee should be designed to include those faculty members whose teaching and research specializations are closest to the student’s intended research focus, and those faculty with expertise in the research skills appropriate for that research focus.  Faculty members have the option of declining to serve if they feel they cannot adequately advise the student on the intended research focus, or if their schedule does not allow them to serve.  The advising committee should be formed as early in your first year as possible, and it must be established by the beginning of your third quarter in the Ph.D. program.  In most cases, the advising committee also serves as the comprehensive exam committee (consisting of three geography faculty members) and, with the addition of an outside member, becomes the dissertation committee.  The membership of the committee may change, however, before the comprehensive exams and at the time of establishment of the dissertation committee, to fit changes in the student’s research focus. 

Purpose: The advisor and the advising committee supervise your course program during the first year of Ph.D. study, and guide you in development of a research focus for the dissertation.

Progress Meetings RequirementA meeting between the student and all of the geography faculty on his or her advising committee will be held at least once each academic year, including the student’s first year in the Ph.D. program, to discuss the student's progress.  For specific information, see Annual Progress Meetings.

PurposeTo ensure regular contact between student and committee, to allow for regular input on a student's research so as to head off problems before they become major, and to provide students with a forum in which they are required to demonstrate some kind of progress each year.

Comprehensive Exam Requirement: Doctoral students must pass a comprehensive examination in order to obtain the status of Ph.D. candidate.   Students are expected to take their comprehensive examination within two years of commencing the doctoral program.  . (See section on “Procedure for Comprehensive  Exams” below.)  Geographic breadth requirements, seminars, and the language/skills/programming requirements must be completed before the comprehensive exams are taken. A comprehensive exam committee consisting of three Geography Department faculty members administers the exam.   If a student fails a comprehensive examination, he or she may take a new examination with a start date no later than six months after a decision has been communicated on the first examination.  Students who do not pass the comprehensive exam the second time will be dismissed from the program. For more information, see The Comprehensive Exams.

PurposeEnsures that students have significant breadth and depth in the discipline prior to admission to doctoral candidacy, as well as experience in framing questions and answering them in an analytically rigorous fashion.  Requiring that comprehensives be taken after seminars and the language/skills requirements have been met ensures that the student can be admitted to doctoral candidacy immediately after passing the comprehensives.  It also ensures that students undertake the comprehensives with background in defining research questions and preparing research papers, and with sufficient linguistic or technical skills to open up a broader range of sources or methodologies in answering questions.

Dissertation Advisor and Committee requirement:  Appointment of a dissertation committee consisting of, at minimum, three Geography Department faculty members plus one member from another department at the University of Oregon. The chair of the Dissertation Committee is normally the student’s major advisor.  The outside member must be someone whose work is related to the student's dissertation interest and with whom the student has had substantial contact. The four basic dissertation committee members must hold appointments at the level of Assistant Professor or higher (tenure-related) and Ph.D. degrees. A dissertation committee may include additional members beyond the four basic members, such as faculty at other universities and other researchers with the Ph.D. These additional members are people who contribute some particular expertise to the topic of the dissertation and are willing to provide advice to the candidate. The student is expected to notify the Graduate Studies Director of the members of the committee before comprehensive exams are taken.  The committee must be formally appointed by the Graduate School within a short time, after the comprehensive exams have been completed.

PurposeSee Advisor and Thesis Committee Requirement under the Master's requirements.  The addition of a committee member outside of geography ensures a broad range of input into the student's work

Dissertation Proposal RequirementDoctoral students must present a dissertation proposal within nine months of completion of the comprehensive exam. The dissertation proposal should state and explain the following elements: the research question or questions, how these questions are related to previous published research literature, the significance of the questions, and a methodology appropriate to the research problem. The committee will review the proposal and may require revisions before accepting it. The document must be in one of the following forms: (a) a written dissertation proposal, (b) a grant application equivalent to a proposal for an NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant or Research Fulbright, or (c) a published article. This document must be signed by the dissertation committee and the Graduate Program Director and distributed to all faculty members in the department.  Copies of the signed proposal must be circulated to all faculty members in the department.  Failure to submit an approved dissertation proposal within nine months of the completion of the comprehensive exam will be deemed to constitute unsatisfactory progress toward your degree.  Students in this situation may be suspended from the program.  They may be reinstated upon petition accompanied by a dissertation proposal that is acceptable to the dissertation committee.

PurposeTo promote well-focused research by encouraging students to articulate and justify their research question, and to encourage students to compete for research funding as appropriate.

Dissertation RequirementCompletion of a dissertation presenting the results of research of a substantive and original nature on a significant geographic problem.  The dissertation must be presented and defended at a public meeting in the department and approved by the dissertation committee.  For more information, see Procedures for Completion of Ph.D. Program.

PurposeTo provide students with the experience of preparing and justifying a substantial piece of original research on a geographical subject and to allow the student to develop significant expertise on that subject.  The presentation requirement ensures that students are able to explain their work and its significance in a fashion that is understandable to a general audience, and to respond to the questions raised about their work.

Graduate School Requirements:  See UO Graduate School Procedures and Policies

Examples of Research Skill Packages for Ph.D. Students   

A research skills package consists of a coherent set of four to five courses covering a body of related methods and techniques that are useful in geographic research. Courses in the research skills package should focus on research techniques and approaches. The intent of the skills package is to develop skills outside the standard undergraduate courses offered in geography departments; the skills package may therefore  include no more than one 400/500 level geography course from within the department.  In particular, the introductory cartography (Geog 311) or GIS (Geog 416/516) courses may not be used for the skills packet.  It is expected that the student will take additional courses outside of geography that address theory and concepts of cognate disciplines that will enrich the student’s research focus.

The groups of courses listed below are examples of courses that could be used in a skills package.  Courses for the skills package must be chosen with the assistance of the student’s advisor and should be selected to enhance the student’s ability to conduct research in his/her selected research focus.  Because each student’s research needs are different, and because course content changes frequently, the courses listed below are provided as examples only. Each student must submit a written proposal for his/her skills package, and the student’s major advisor and the Graduate Studies Director must approve any proposal.   Because skills courses are intended to ensure the student’s ability to accomplish high quality dissertation research, the department may elect not to accept courses completed so long ago that the knowledge or technology of the course is likely to be out-of-date.

  • Culture/Ethnicity/Gender ResearchANTH 517 Field Methods in Cultural Anthropology; ANTH 539 Feminism and Ethnography; ANTH 697 Ethnoarchaeology; SOC 535 Ethnomethodology and Conversion Analysis

  • Political/Environmental/International Research: PS 546 Methods for Politics and Policy Analysis II; PS 626 Research Methodology; PPPM 564 Cost-Benefit Analysis; PPPM 613 Planning Analysis; PPPM 636 Public Policy Analysis; PPPM 678 Evaluation Research; INTL 650 International Research Methods

  • Qualitative Research Approaches for Human Geography: PPPM 521 Qualitative Methods in Planning and Public Policy; SOC 612 Overview of Sociological Methods; SOC 613 Advanced Sociological Methods; ANTH 684 Comparative Research Methods; PS 544 How to Construct Social Theory

  • Ecological Methods: BI 542 Systematic Botany; BI 548 Field Botany; BI 573 Quantitative Ecology

  • Historical Landscapes: AAAP 551 Historic Survey and Inventory; LA 520 Landscape Research Methods; ARCH 531 Settlement Patterns; ARCH 534 Vernacular Building

  • Quaternary Landscapes: GEOL 334 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy; GEOL 313 General Petrology; GEOL 535 Paleopedology; GEOL 552 Neotectonics and Quaternary Geology; GEOL 564 Exploration Geophysics; GEOL 619 Electron Beam Analysis; ANTH 546 Laboratory in Archaeological Analysis

  • Paleoecology: BI 575 Freshwater Ecology; BI 585 Paleobiology and Paleoecology; GEOL 553 Paleontology III: Nonmarine Fossils; GEOL 573 Isotope Geochemistry

  • Geomorphologic and Hydrologic Processes: GEOL 554 Geological and Environmental Fluid Mechanics; BI 575 Freshwater Ecology; CIS 545 Modeling and Simulation; CE 544 Open Channel Hydraulics (OSU); CE 545 Sediment Transport (OSU); CE 548 Water Quality Dynamics (OSU); FE 531 Forest Engineering Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology (OSU)

  • Advanced GIS/Cartography/Geographic Visualization/Spatial Data Analysis: GEOG 511 Advanced Cartography; GEOG 572 Advanced GIS; GEOG 514 Advanced Geographic Data Analysis; CIS 541 Introduction to Computer Graphics; F 520 Advanced Aerial Photos and Remote Sensing (OSU); GEOG 544 Remote Sensing (OSU); GEOG 566 Digital Image Processing (OSU); Math 527 Multivariate Statistical Methods (Note: GEOG 311, 314 and 516 and MATH 525 do not count toward the skills package. MATH 526 may be used in place of, but not in addition to, GEOG 524.

The Comprehensive Exams

All Ph.D. students must pass written and oral comprehensive exams, as described below, in order to advance to Ph.D. candidacy.

Planning Your Comps Schedule:  You should plan out the schedule for your comps in advance, to fit the schedules of both you and your committee members. The duration of the comprehensives procedure is typically nine to ten weeks: one day to one week from pre-comps meeting to start date, six weeks writing, three weeks for faculty to read your answers, then the oral exam. The writing period may span over winter vacation or spring vacation, but the writing period remains six weeks. In exceptional cases, the writing period may be extended by a few days (but never more than a week) if, during the writing period, the student plans to attend a professional meeting or has a personal obligation that takes him or her away from normal activities. Students should make every effort to schedule their writing period when extensions are not needed. Moreover, granting any extension in the writing period is entirely within the discretion of the examination committee, and the student must make an absolute commitment not to work on the comprehensive exams during the period when he/she is otherwise committed. Faculty members are not expected to be available for pre-comps meetings, reading comprehensive exams or attending oral exams during summer session or term breaks. You must be enrolled during the terms in which you take and complete your comprehensive exams. Usually advancement to candidacy is effective at the start of the term following the term in which you complete your comps. The date of your advancement to candidacy may be important to you, to meet conditions of a fellowship or change to a higher level GTF appointment. If so, you should plan your comps schedule well in advance, allowing plenty of time for completion.

Basic Requirements For The Exams:  The written comprehensive exam consists of questions in each of three sections: (1) a systematic field of geography, (2) a synthetic theme, and (3) geographic thought and methodology.  In consultation with your comprehensive exam committee (consisting of three geography faculty members), you develop four to six questions for each section.  None of the questions should elicit answers that would duplicate topics covered in graduate level papers you have already written. The committee reviews the questions and may require you to revise questions or write new questions.  The committee members will select questions to be answered in each of the three areas.

Once the questions have been selected, you have six weeks to prepare answers to all the selected questions.  A total of seven questions will be selected, with at least two questions in each section; three of the questions will be answered in no more than four double-spaced pages, and the remaining four questions will be answered in no more than six double-spaced pages. The committee specifies the required maximum length of answer for the different questions.  All answers shall be typewritten essays with 1-inch margins and 12 pt. font. All answers should include references to published works and should be accompanied by a bibliography which is not counted towards the page limit.  Maps, figures, and illustrations should be included where appropriate, and these may be included outside the four or six page limit.  When the written part of the exam is completed and has been read by the committee members, you will be given an oral exam in which you respond to questions posed by the committee members. The oral exam consists primarily of further exploration of the questions and answers in the written part of the exam, and it normally takes two to three hours.  At the end of the oral exam, the committee will meet to decide whether you pass or fail the comprehensive exams. More detail on the comprehensive exam procedures and possible outcomes is provided in a later subsection on Procedures for the  Exam.

Objectives of the Comprehensive ExamIn your questions and answers, we are looking for evidence that you have the background and ability to talk intelligently to other geographers and regional specialists with similar interests, to explain the relationship between your area of expertise and other academic fields, and to develop clear, well-conceived arguments about important geographical issues and ideas.  The scope of your comprehensive exams should be considerably broader than the scope of your dissertation or a typical graduate seminar.  A useful comparison is to think of the comprehensive exam as testing your competency to teach geography at the undergraduate and graduate levels, while the dissertation offers evidence of your competency to conduct research on a focused topic.  With this in mind, you should think of the comprehensive exam as an opportunity to demonstrate (1) that you can craft analytical questions and formulate concise, focused answers, (2) that you have competency in a systematic field of geography and breadth across the discipline, (3) that you are aware of major theoretical and methodological issues in your major research and teaching areas, and (4) that you have a sense of where those theories and methods stand in relation to major themes in contemporary scholarship. Answers to comprehensive exam questions should not be simple literature reviews.  Instead you should develop a point-of-view or perspective in your answers, which refers to the relevant literature.

The Systematic Field SectionIn selecting a systematic field, you should select the subfield of geography in which you plan to do most of your teaching and research. Examples of appropriate fields might be: geomorphology, political geography, urban geography, historical geography, biogeography, Quaternary environments, or hybrid fields encompassing significant portions of two or more of these (e.g., Quaternary biogeography and Quaternary paleoclimatology).  It is inappropriate to select a field as broad as human geography or as narrow as physical climatology or geography of religions.  Some questions should show breadth in the systematic field, whereas others should show depth in particular issues.  One of the questions in this section might be a foundation for your dissertation, but others should show your familiarity with diverse aspects of the systematic field. Your questions should demonstrate that you have sufficient breadth and depth to teach a range of courses relevant to that subfield and to speak intelligently to other geographers who specialize in various aspects of that subfield.

The Synthetic SectionQuestions developed for the synthetic section will integrate across two or more substantially different areas of geography and will include some questions that integrate across human and biophysical geography.  You may accomplish this synthesis through questions focused on a region or a theme.   In either case, the questions must be designed to draw significantly on understandings of processes rather than primarily description.   If the synthetic section is focused on a region, it must be a geographically significant biophysical or human region at the global scale, and it may be either a traditional region or a new regional formation.  This generally means something larger than an average-sized country or a state/province of a large country, but smaller than an entire hemisphere.  Examples of traditional regions of appropriate scale are Western Europe, the Middle East, Oceania, the United States, the American West, Anglo-America, China, and Africa South of the Sahara.  If the synthetic section is focused on a theme, the theme must be clearly recognizable as a geographic theme, on which a body of relevant geographical literature exists, and clearly different from the theme chosen for the systematic field section.

The Geographic Thought and Methodology SectionThere need not be a single theme to the questions in this section.  The questions may include questions relevant to your systematic field but must also include some more broadly relevant questions.  At least two of questions you develop for this section must address broad issues in geography as a whole and/or the place of geography within the larger academic enterprise.  Up to two of the questions you develop may deal with important theoretical and methodological issues in the systematic field you have chosen, so long as these questions raise issues that are not limited to that field.  In other words, such questions should raise issues that, although relevant to your systematic field, cut across subfields of geography. Correspondingly, your answers to these questions should go beyond a discussion of their significance within your chosen systematic field.

Preparing For Comprehensive Exams:  Preparation for comprehensive exams occurs through courses and seminars beginning in the first year of your graduate program.  Plan your coursework to develop adequate geographic breadth for the comprehensive exams and to include at least one course from each faculty member on your comps committee.  Timing of the comps should be planned so that you have completed all of your Geography Department and Graduate School requirements for advancement to candidacy by the time you finish your comps.  Timing of the comprehensive exams varies depending on your previous background in geography, but they are typically taken during the third to sixth quarter of study in the Ph.D. program.  Comps are normally taken during fall, winter or spring terms; comps may be taken during summer only with strong justification and with the agreement of each committee member. 

Most students devote the term preceding the start of the comprehensive exams primarily to preparation for the exams.  It is appropriate to register for reading courses (Geog 605) with faculty who will serve on your comprehensive exam committee. A first step is to select themes (subject to approval by your committee members) for the systematic and synthetic sections of the exam. During the period of preparation, consult your committee members on appropriate readings for the sections of the exams, and try to develop an awareness of the most important written works in your areas of interest.  When you are preparing, you should read broadly and critically.  You should become familiar with the contributions of scholars outside of the United States that are relevant to the themes you have selected.  Draft questions that are broad enough to bring together a substantial body of literature, but that are not open-ended.  Most questions should be drafted in a fashion that provides the faculty with a clear idea of the direction the answer will take. By the time a question is written, you should have a good idea of the literature you will consult in preparing your answer.  However, you may not draft responses prior to the beginning of the six-week answer period.

In working with faculty members on your comps, the general principles that should guide you are as follows:

  • It is expected that you will discuss with faculty the general type of readings you should be doing as you begin to think about your comprehensive exams

  • It is expected that you will ask for faculty comments on draft questions you produce. 

  • It is not acceptable to have faculty write questions for you.

  • It is not acceptable to have faculty provide you with a specific list of sources pertaining to your questions.

With these points in mind, the following guidelines should govern your interactions with faculty over your comprehensive exams:

  • Seek faculty input early in the process on general categories for your exams and the strategies that make sense to prepare yourself for question writing.

  • Seek faculty input on draft questions--their scope, content, and form--but remember that responsibility for producing the final draft of the questions is yours alone.

  • Seek faculty input on the relevance of particular bodies of literature to the questions you are raising, but do not look to faculty for anything even approaching a listed bibliography.

Seek faculty input on whether the list of questions you produce is good enough to move ahead with the writing phase of the process.

Procedures for the Exam: Once you have drawn up a complete list of proposed questions for each section of your exam, convene a meeting of your comprehensive exam committee (the pre-comps meeting). The members of your committee should have copies of your questions at least three days prior to the meeting. To avoid conflicting advice from different faculty members, you should not ask an individual faculty member to comment on your entire list of questions prior to this meeting. At the meeting your questions will be reviewed, and you may be asked to make some changes. Shortly after your questions have been accepted by the committee (usually the same day as the committee meeting), the committee will select the questions you are to answer. In the process of selecting questions, the committee may revise or add questions. You should then circulate a copy of the comps questions you will be answering to all faculty members. Your answers are due six weeks from the date when the committee advises you of the questions you are to answer. Scheduling may not be adjusted to allow any significant additional preparation time between the committee meeting and the start of the exam.

After your answers have been submitted, your committee members will discuss them. You will then meet with your committee for the oral exam. Typically, the oral exam is held within three weeks after the section is completed. During the oral exam you may be asked to discuss the general character of your answers, clarify or amplify points you made, justify the approach you took, address relevant issues that you did not include in your answers, and/or respond to arguments that oppose the positions you adopted. In addition, issues of presentation and style are generally discussed during the oral review.

After the oral review the committee will meet in closed session to evaluate your performance. There are three possible outcomes of the committee’s deliberations: pass, fail, and deferred decision.  If the committee believes you have answered all questions satisfactorily, you will be advised that you have passed the exam.  If the committee is not satisfied with your answers to three or more of your questions, you will be advised that you have failed the exam.  If the committee believes that you have answered at least five of the questions satisfactorily, but is not satisfied with your answers to one or two questions, a decision on your exam will be deferred.  Under these circumstances, you will be asked to redo the unsatisfactory question or questions.  You will be given one week for each question deemed to be unsatisfactory—beginning on a date selected by your committee.  At the end of the rewrite period, the committee will review your revised answers and will decide whether or not a second oral exam is necessary.  If the committee is satisfied with your revised answers, you will be passed outright.  If the committee is not satisfied with your revised answers, you will be failed.  Even if you pass the exam, the committee may determine that there are some deficiencies that need to be addressed by additional coursework or reading.  Under these circumstances, your advancement to candidacy will be delayed until the additional requirement has been met. 

A student who fails the exam will be given one opportunity to retake it within six months of the date a decision has been communicated on the first exam.  The student must develop a new list of questions and go through the procedures outlined above.  If a student does not succeed in passing the exam a second time, the student will be dismissed from the program.

Students who pass their comprehensive exams should give the departmental secretary a copy of their answers for their student files. They should also meet with the Department of Geography Graduate Secretary to fill out forms required by the university for the advancement to candidacy.

Procedures for Completion of the Ph.D. Program

Continuous Enrollment, Leave Status and DeadlineYou must attend the University continuously (except summers) until all requirements are completed, unless you are “on leave.”  Following the advancement to candidacy only a single year “in absentia” is allowed.  You must maintain registration of three graduate credit hours or in absentia registration.  The year’s residency on the Eugene campus, the passing of the comprehensive examination, and completion of dissertation must all be accomplished within a seven-year period.

Advancement to CandidacyYou are advanced to candidacy when you have completed all required courses (including the language/skill/programming requirement), the residency requirement, and the comprehensive exam. Appointment of the dissertation committee, acceptance of the dissertation proposal, completion of required dissertation credits (GEOG 603), and completion of the dissertation all occur after advancement to candidacy. Advanced to candidacy is expected to occur within three weeks after completion of the comprehensive examination. You and your advisor should ensure through the Graduate Secretary that the necessary paperwork is completed. You must be registered for credits at University of Oregon in the term in which you advance.

After AdvancementThe members of the dissertation committee are decided upon and a letter recommending appointment of the committee is sent by the department to the Graduate School. The major advisor is usually recommended to be dissertation committee chair. This should be done within one month after advancement and no later than six months before completion of the dissertation.  The outside member must belong to a department that offers a Ph.D. or be on an approved list of the Graduate School.   If the recommended members are approved, the Graduate School then sends each member a formal notice of appointment.  After advancement to candidacy, the student must complete a minimum of eighteen credit hours in GEOG 603.

Dissertation Proposal: The dissertation committee must accept a dissertation topic within nine months of completion of the comprehensives.  

Draft Dissertation:  The candidate provides the dissertation committee chair, and often other committee members, copies of the dissertation in draft form as the work progresses.  You should consult with each member of the committee to determine when and what order the member prefers to read dissertation chapters.  In most cases a dissertation goes through three or four drafts, with the committee chair and members making comments and suggestions for revision

Dissertation Defense:  The Graduate School requires that “a formal, public defense” take place on campus at a date set by the committee chair and the Graduate School.  This requirement is met in the Geography Department by the following steps.  [Please see the Graduate Program Director if you have any questions.  See also the Graduate School's web page on Doctoral Degree Policies and Procedures.]

Two or Three Months Before the DefenseThe date and the location of the defense are selected with approval of the dissertation committee chair and the Graduate School.  The defense should be scheduled for a departmental seminar time or a time that is equally suitable for public presentation.  The venue should be Condon Room 106 or a nearby lecture or seminar room that can accommodate 25 people or more.  If 106 Condon is not available, the candidate should consult with the dissertation committee chair to select an appropriate venue.  The department office can help determine which rooms are available.

Three Weeks Before the Defense:

  1. Final draft copy of the dissertation is submitted to each dissertation committee member for review.  After the committee has read the manuscript, usually some final revisions are required.  If major revisions are required, the committee can request the defense be postponed until a future time.  The committee members may provide you written or oral suggestions for revision of the defense draft either before or at the dissertation defense. Failure to give your committee the manuscript three weeks ahead may result in postponement of the public defense.

  2. The dissertation committee chair approves the dissertation title and abstract (350-word maximum) and four copies are filed with the Graduate School. At this time the “Application for Final Oral Defense” and the “Confirmation to Attend the Final Oral Defense” must be submitted to the Graduate School.

  3. The candidate notifies the department office of the time and location of the defense so that it can be posted prominently in the Geography Department.

  4. One Week Before The Defense:  A copy of the final manuscript is available for public examination in the Geography Office.

Defense Format: The candidate presents the main objectives and findings of the dissertation in a 30-minute public presentation. Following this presentation, members of the dissertation committee question the candidate on the research and related topics.  The public is then allowed to asked questions.  The question session generally lasts about an hour.  At the dissertation committee’s discretion, it can then meet in closed session with the candidate to ask additional questions. 

The committee meets privately after the defense to decide whether the candidate has passed.  The chair then certifies to the Graduate School within two weeks that the defense was held as scheduled and whether it was successful. 

Notification of the results of the oral examination (Certificate of Completion of Graduate Work for Doctoral Degree) must be filed with the Graduate School no later than two weeks after defense or by the final published deadline--whichever comes first.

Following final approval, two copies of the dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate School. If no signed approval is received within two weeks of the oral defense another oral defense must be scheduled to defend the dissertation.

Terms of Awarding of Degree:  Ordinarily, no dissertations will be read during summer quarter.  You should have your dissertation completely written and maps designed before applying for the degree.  Only preparation of the final copy for presentation at the defense should remain during the term in which application for degree has been made with the registrar.  You should ensure that all committee members would be in residence during the term in which the defense is made.

Contents | Introduction | General Info | Master's Req | Geog Ed Master's | Ph.D. Req  | Joint Degrees | Progress Meetings
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VI. JOINT GRADUATE DEGREES IN GEOGRAPHY AND ANOTHER DEPARTMENT

The Department of Geography welcomes graduate students in related fields to consider a graduate program combining geography with another discipline.  In the past, graduate students in related natural science, social science and professional programs at University of Oregon have done strong academic work in geography and have contributed to the Department of Geography through participation in courses, as research assistants, and as Graduate Teaching Fellows. Programs that allow you to combine graduate study in geography with another discipline are described briefly below. 

Masters degree in an interdisciplinary program with a Geography Department advisor 

Geography faculty frequently serve as advisors to students in the Environmental Studies M.S. program, the International Studies M.A. program, and the Russian and East European Studies M.A. program.  In such cases, you are admitted to and enrolled in one of these three programs, and the graduate requirements of that program apply. 

Second  (Concurrent) Master’s Degree in Geography

This option applies if you were initially admitted to another graduate program at University of Oregon, and you wish to do a concurrent master’s degree in geography.  Geography is considered the second master’s degree.  The following steps should be followed if you wish to do a second master’s degree in geography.  (If you have been admitted first as a master’s student in geography, and wish to do a second concurrent master’s degree in another program, your second program decides what is required for the second master’s beyond your geography requirements.) 

Admission to Geography:  Apply to the Department of Geography Graduate Admissions Committee for admission to the geography master’s program.  You should apply for admission as early in your program as possible, so that the Geography Department can provide advice on your course plan. Early admission will ensure that the courses you select will meet your geography degree requirements. Applications received after the Geography Department’s usual application deadline will be considered only on a space available basis. 

To apply, first obtain a copy of the Graduate School form Filing for Concurrent Master’s Degrees, and also read the Department of Geography Master’s degree requirements. You should submit to Geography your transcripts, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, a statement of professional interests (including a brief description of the intended thesis project), and a proposed course plan.  The geography section of the course plan should show how you propose to fulfill the Geography master’s degree requirements, including geographical breadth, core courses, seminars, and foreign language.  Some of the Geography master’s degree requirements (breadth and language requirements) may have been met through undergraduate courses, or other courses taken prior to enrollment at University of Oregon.  The course plan should also show how you would fulfill the Graduate School requirements, including number of credits, graded credits, and 600-level credits.  As you proceed in your program, modifications to the Geography course plan will be allowed with the approval of the Geography Graduate Studies Director. Any exceptions to meeting the Geography master’s degree requirements must be approved by the Department as a whole.

If you are doing a master’s thesis for your first program (and registering for thesis credits in that program), and if the topic and form of the thesis is acceptable to your geography advisor, the requirement for registration in geography thesis credits is waived.  Nine thesis credits as required by the Graduate School should be taken in your first program; you should take additional research credits in geography to represent the input of your geography advisor.   The geography advisor should be involved in the planning and completion of the master’s thesis. If no thesis is being done for the non-geography major, you must complete a thesis for the geography degree.  In this case, it may be more efficient to select geography as your first major and take all of the thesis credits in geography.

Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Studies and Policy with Geography as the Focal Department

AdmissionThe ESSP Ph.D. degree is offered by the Envirnmental Studies Program.  You apply to the Environmental Studies program.  The application is forwarded by Envirnmental Studies to the Geography Department for review. For admission, the admissions committees of both the Envirnmental Studies program and the Department of Geography must approve the application.  You should consult both Environmental Studies and Geography faculty while preparing the application

Degree requirements: The ESSP program sets most of the requirements for this degree. If geography is your focal department, your major advisor will be a Geography faculty member.  Geography focal department requirements are:  1) completion of GEOG 609, 620 and 621; 2) completion of two graduate seminars in geography, one in physical geography and one in human geography; and 3) preparation in your specialization and related skills, by completion of a group of courses and seminars recommended by your advisor and other committee members. ESSP-Geography doctoral students are also advised to participate in GEOG 608s and 580s, attend departmental seminar talks, and participate in activities of the Geography Department in other appropriate ways.   

Interdepartmental Ph.D. Program With Geography as the Second Major

In this program, you are working toward one Ph.D. degree with two majors.  Both majors must be in programs authorized to award the Ph.D. at the University of Oregon.  This is a challenging program because you must meet all requirements for the Ph.D. in each major.  If you are interested, obtain specific information on the rules governing this program from the Graduate School. 

Admission:  After admission to one regular departmental doctoral degree program and successful completion of one year of coursework in this department, you apply to the Department of Geography admissions committee.  You should submit to Geography your transcripts, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, a statement of professional interests (including a brief description of the intended dissertation project), and a proposed course plan.  If the geography application is accepted, you then apply to the Graduate School for permission to work toward a Ph.D. degree in more than one major.  See the Graduate School for details on this application

Degree requirements:  The Graduate School sets the general requirements for this degree. Your coursework in geography must meet all requirements for the Ph.D. in geography.  You must have an interdepartmental advisory committee that includes at least two geography faculty members.  This committee administers the comprehensive exams and the oral defense, and approves the dissertation.

Contents | Introduction | General Info | Master's Req | Geog Ed Master's | Ph.D. Req  | Joint Degrees | Progress Meetings
Program Planning | Dept. Resources & Policies | Faculty | Geography Grad Program Home  | Geography Home


VII. ANNUAL PROGRESS MEETINGS

Basic Requirement 

Each student will have an annual progress meeting with his or her advisory committee each year during winter or spring term. The purposes of the annual progress meeting are to ensure that: 1) at least once a year the committee is informed of the student’s progress to date and plans for the coming year; 2) the committee members share their thoughts on the student’s program and give the student consistent guidance; 3) the coursework is adequate to prepare the student for thesis research; and 4) an appropriate rate of progress on coursework requirements and thesis research is being made. 

Timing of Progress Meetings

Students in their second year or later have their progress meetings between February 1 and March 15.  First year students have their progress meetings between April 1 and May 30. To avoid the absence of a committee member, the meeting may be held earlier, or (rarely) later.  You are usually not expected to hold an annual progress meeting if 1) you are well into the writing stage of your thesis and are within a term of completing it, or 2) you are taking comprehensive exams during the term of annual progress meetings.  Students planning to be on leave during the term of annual progress meetings should have a progress meeting before they go on leave.  If you think you fall into one of these categories, consult the Graduate Studies Director to see if you are excused from the annual progress meeting requirement. 

Attendance at the Progress Meeting

The meeting is attended by you and the Geography Department members of your advisory committee (or thesis committee, comps committee, or dissertation committee, depending on your stage in the program).  Outside committee members are welcome but their attendance is not required. If a committee member is on sabbatical or unavailable for an extended period (i.e. one month or longer), your major advisor may choose to hold the meeting without her or him. In most cases, you should send your statement of coursework and research progress to the absent member in advance, so that she/he can provide written input to you and the other committee members.  You should plan your progress meeting well in advance to avoid conflicts with shorter absences of committee members. For example, progress meetings can be held earlier than normal to accommodate travel schedules of committee members.

If you are a first year student and don’t have a committee yet, you must form one before scheduling this meeting.  If you have not yet decided on a thesis topic, you should form an advisory committee consisting of a potential major advisor and a second committee member, before scheduling your progress meeting.  You may change the composition of your committee later if your thesis plans develop in a different direction. 

Scheduling Your Progress Meeting

Each faculty member will provide her/his schedule of availability for the progress meeting period to the Department office, two weeks prior to the progress meeting period. Faculty members typically identify several blocks of time each week during which they are available for progress meetings.  You should examine the schedules of your committee members, select a common time, reserve this time on the faculty schedule sheets, and contact each committee member to get the meeting on his/her schedule.  Your progress meeting must be scheduled by February 1 if you are in your second year or above, or by April 1 if you are a first-year student.

Topics To Be Covered at the Meeting

The agenda should include:

Progress of your coursework requirements:  Discuss courses already completed and your plans for completing the remaining requirements.  Discussion of coursework should include not only your geographic breadth requirements but also coursework for research preparation, and language/ programming/ skills requirements. 

Thesis or dissertation researchDiscuss statement of the research problem/ questions/ approach/ methods, progress to date, and plans for the next year. Also plan to discuss your draft proposal if it has not yet been approved.  Pre-comps doctoral students should discuss plans for comps. 

Student’s Preparation at the Meeting

Prepare a statement of coursework and research progress that consists of two or more short handouts for your committee members.  It’s usually most effective if these are short handouts which can be read by the committee members at the meeting, and that you use to present your progress to the committee members.  For coursework requirements, get a copy of your existing Progress Report, update it to include recently completed requirements, and make copies for your committee members.  Be prepared to explain to your committee members how and when you plan to meet remaining requirements.  For thesis/dissertation progress, the form will vary depending on your stage in the research project.  If you do not yet have a proposal approved, most committees would like to see a draft proposal or a brief description of your research direction. If you are planning to take comps in the coming year, a one-page handout on comps topics and schedule would also be appropriate.  If you have a draft proposal (or other longish documents), you’ll need to get it to committee members a week or so before the meeting if you want useful feedback at the meeting. 

Outcome of the Meeting

Your committee members will give you advice on your coursework plans, thesis/dissertation idea and, if relevant, comprehensive exam plans.  You may get approval on your thesis proposal, or on the timing and areas of your comps, for example.  You should end up with clear priorities for the next year – this will make your work more productive and relations with your committee more positive.  Your major advisor may use the progress meeting checklist form to make an informal record of the major decisions made at the meeting.  Copies of the completed form should be made for you and each committee member.  You should give your updated copy of the checklist to the Graduate Studies Director, so that your permanent Progress Report can be updated.

Annual Progress Meeting Checklist  (Acrobat .pdf file)

Contents | Introduction | General Info | Master's Req | Geog Ed Master's | Ph.D. Req  | Joint Degrees | Progress Meetings
Program Planning | Dept. Resources & Policies | Faculty | Geography Grad Program Home  | Geography Home

 

VIII.  PLANNING YOUR GRADUATE PROGRAM

This section contains advice on general strategies to ensure that your graduate studies are successful, rewarding and enjoyable.  A graduate degree is not earned simply through coursework.  Because research is required, you will need to do significant preparation and self-study outside of your courses.  The intent of this section is to help you decide how to arrange your course of study and other activities, and which courses should be taken early in your program.  In planning your courses and other aspects of your graduate program, be sure to talk with faculty, including the Director of Graduate Studies.

Goals For 1st Year (In Order Of Priority)

  1. Complete GEOG 609, 620, 621. 

  2. Complete two graduate-level courses in your general area of interest (physical, human or techniques).  One of these should be from your intended major advisor, and the second from another regular (not visiting or part-time) faculty member.

  3. Complete at least one graduate seminar in your general area of interest.

  4. If you have not had previous training in cartography, become familiar with the basic principles of cartographic representation and interpretation by taking GEOG 311.

  5. Develop geographic techniques relevant to your intended specialty if you have not had previous coursework in geographic techniques. Most physical geography research in the department involves GIS and data analysis, and both of these techniques take some period of time to master.  All physical geography students therefore are advised to take both GIS and statistics during their first year unless they have had substantial coursework in these skills as undergraduates.   Human geography research in the department may also involve GIS, data analysis and/or qualitative research methods.  Human geography students are advised to take at least one relevant techniques course during their first year. 

  6.  Begin to develop language or programming skills relevant to your intended specialty, if not developed in your prior studies.  (See below for specific advice.)

  7. Start to become familiar with the research literature in your intended specialty by reading beyond your specific course assignments in research journals and books.  Read to become familiar with current research questions, theory, and research methods.  Participate in reading groups (GEOG 580, 581) in your specialty when they are offered. 

  8. For master’s students, recruit your major advisor and a second committee member by the end of winter term, and have your thesis proposal accepted by the end of spring term.

  9. For Ph.D. students, identify the general focus of your research specialization, and recruit your major advisor and two committee members, early in winter term.  Develop a plan for your comprehensive exams (date, committee members, topics) by the end of spring term.

  10. Note that all graduate students will have their first progress meeting in winter or spring term of their first year.

  11. Plan for making progress on your research (fieldwork, reconnaissance, language training, data collection, etc.) during the summer after your first year.

  12. Make progress on other geographical breadth requirements that you lack.

  13. Become acquainted with the breadth of geography and with department members outside your specialty by participating in weekly Tea/Seminar and GEOG 608. 

Goals For 2nd Year (In Order Of Priority)

  1. Complete breadth requirements in geography. 

  2. Complete language/programming requirement.

  3. Complete at least a second graduate seminar, and preferably more.

  4. For master’s students, complete thesis or make substantial progress on analysis and begin writing.

  5. For Ph.D. students, prepare for your comprehensive exams by doing readings (GEOG 605) with committee members.  Complete your comprehensive exams. 

  6. Take GEOG 608 and give a presentation on your research in progress. 

Advice On Foreign Language and Computer Programming

  1. Foreign language competency is advised for any human geography student intending to do field work outside the English-speaking world. A language appropriate to the intended field area should be studied.  If the appropriate language is not offered at University of Oregon, the student should plan on attending a summer language institute following the first or second year in the program. 

  2. Computer programming is advised for students specializing in GIS/cartography/visualization, climatology, or other geography topics using large data sets.  The major advisor and/or the Graduate Studies Director will make a decision on whether computer programming will be required by the end of the student’s second term in the graduate program.

  3. Foreign language training is beneficial for any educated person.  Students doing the computer programming requirement and intending to do foreign fieldwork are recommended to take a relevant foreign language in addition to computer programming. 

  4. Selection of a foreign language for study is usually related to the area of planned fieldwork.  If no foreign language is required for the field area, you should study a language in which research relevant to your specialty is likely to appear.

Advice On Coursework Outside Of Geography

Coursework outside of geography is beneficial to many geographic specialties.  Doctoral students in particular are encouraged to take coursework outside of Geography, including seminars if possible.  Selection of outside coursework should be made with input from the major advisor.  

General Advice

  1. Graduate seminars are the most important courses in your graduate program.  Plan on taking all the seminars offered by your advisor, and at least one from each committee member, during your graduate program.

  2. In some cases, it may be appropriate to audit a course rather than taking it for credit.  You should always get the instructor’s permission before auditing a course. The instructor may want to limit the course to students who will participate fully.

  3. Avoid getting incompletes in graduate school.  Because graduate courses are more demanding than undergraduate courses, it is difficult to recover from incompletes. Incompletes are given only at the discretion of the instructor.

  4. Avoid taking GEOG 605 in place of an established 500-level course.  The Graduate School expects that a significant majority of your coursework that is taken to meet Geography course requirements will consist of established courses.

  5. At several stages during ad after your graduate program, you will need to ask faculty members to write letters of recommendation for you.  Writing a detailed effective letter of recommendation takes time and concentration.  Be considerate of faculty members.  Give them plenty of time (at least two weeks notice before the deadline).  Provide them complete information for the letter, including the name and address, deadline, and information on the job or award for which you are applying.

Contents | Introduction | General Info | Master's Req | Geog Ed Master's | Ph.D. Req  | Joint Degrees | Progress Meetings
Program Planning | Dept. Resources & Policies | Faculty | Geography Grad Program Home  | Geography Home

 

IX.  DEPARTMENT RESOURCES AND POLICIES

Department Office

Office Hours:  The department office is open from 8:00 until 12:00 noon and from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.  Activities involving the department office (copying, picking up mail, etc.) should be done during open office hours.

Phones:  Telephone service is provided in most graduate student offices.  Campus calls require only a 5-digit number beginning with 6; dial 9 + the 7-digit number for local off-campus calls.  Long distance calls for university business require an authorization code.  These are issued to faculty and staff.  All research related or university business long distance calls need to be authorized by a faculty member who should lend you their authorization code.  Personal long distance calls can be made by dialing 9 + 0 + ten digit number, wait for second dial tone, and dial your own calling card number.  Phones in the main office are not available for general use.

Fax machine:  The department fax machine is available for official University business only.  Fax services for personal use (both sending and receiving) are available at the University of Oregon Bookstore, the Erb Memorial Union Ticket Office (sending only) or the Copy Shop located at 539 E. 13th Avenue.

Copy machineA coin operated photocopier is available in the Knight Library for public use.  Use of the department copier should be limited to class materials (classes for which you are the GTF, not the ones that you are taking) and grant related copying.  Our machine has double-sided copy capability which we encourage you to use whenever feasible.  Large jobs should go to Printing Services, which usually has about a 24-hour turnaround time. There's a lot of competition for the copy machine so plan ahead.  Please don't expect to interrupt someone else's job because your class is beginning in ten minutes. 

Typewriter:  An electric typewriter is available in the main office near front reception desk for typing labels, forms, etc.

Supplies:  The department furnishes supplies related to teaching or assisting with classes.  Things like chalk, writing and red pencils, thumbtacks, and transparencies are provided.  Letterhead stationery and envelopes are available for departmental business.

Mail services

Campus mailPick-up and delivery at about 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. each day.  Campus mailers are kept in the bookcase behind the table across from the mailboxes. Cross off the previous name and department before addressing (check both sides).  Address by using the person's name and their department.  In most cases, office numbers are unnecessary and confusing.  Outgoing campus mail is collected in the wooden tray at the end of the counter in 107 Condon or you may drop it in the white box outside Room 104 Condon. Shuttle mail between UO and Oregon State University, Portland State University, and Salem (government offices) should be addressed with a complete address, including zip code, and marked SHUTTLE where the stamp would normally go.  It goes out with the campus mail

US mail:  Delivered and picked up once a day (anywhere between 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.).  Mail with postage may be placed in the US mailbox (where all of Geography's mailboxes are) in 107 Condon.  Stamps are available at the University Bookstore where letters can also be mailed. There is also a US Post Office located in the EMU.  If you are doing a mailing that is grant related, please let us know which grant should be charged.  If in doubt, ask!

Computers

The computers in the Geography Faculty and Graduate Student Research Lab in Condon 167 provide computing resources for research projects conducted by faculty and graduate students.  In addition, graduate students have access to a shared computer in most of the graduate student offices for GTF related work, viewing email, web browsing and homework.  Use of lab and office computers and other computer resources and facilities within the Geography department binds the user to adhere to professional computing standards and ethics while using its resources and facilities.  Refer to University of Oregon Computing Center Use Policy to obtain guidelines for the appropriate use of computing resources at the University of Oregon.

Unauthorized use of the network, unauthorized use of others files, copying software, and using the network to break a system are considered violations of professional standards and ethics in computing.  Installing software, viewing pornography, game playing, abusing equipment, and other actions deemed unacceptable are not tolerated.  Computer users may not install their own software into the computers without prior written approval of the department head.  Geography department software must never be copied. This is a violation of copyright law.

Contact the Geography Department computer support technicians for help with department computing resources.

Contents | Introduction | General Info | Master's Req | Geog Ed Master's | Ph.D. Req  | Joint Degrees | Progress Meetings
Program Planning | Dept. Resources & Policies | Faculty | Geography Grad Program Home  | Geography Home

 

X.  LIST OF FACULTY AND STAFF

Regular Faculty

Patrick J. Bartlein, Professor (climatology, quantitative methods, Quaternary environments), B.A., 1972, M.S., 1975, Ph.D., 1978, Wisconsin, Madison.  UO since 1982.

Shaul E. Cohen, Associate Professor (political, environmental, forest issues, Middle East), B.A., 1983, Clark; M.A., 1987, Ph.D., 1991, Chicago.  UO since 1996.

Susan E. Hardwick, Professor (cultural/historical geography, geography education, North America, Russian Federation), B.A., 1968, Slippery Rock; M.A., 1976, CSU Chico; Ph.D., 1986, UC Davis. UO since 2000.

Amy Lobben, Assistant Professor (geographic information science, visualization, spatial cognition), B.A., 1991 & M.A.1996, Georgia State University; Ph.D., 1999, Michigan State University.  UO since 2004.

W. Andrew Marcus, Professor (hydrology, geomorphology, remote sensing), B.Sc., 1978, Stanford; M.A. 1983, Arizona; Ph.D., 1987, Colorado.  UO since 2001.

Patricia F. McDowell, Professor and Department Head (fluvial geomorphology, human impacts on rivers, arid lands geomorphology, Western United States, Quaternary environments), B.Arch., 1971, M.C.R.P., 1977, Illinois Institute of Technology; Ph.D., 1980, Wisconsin, Madison.  UO since 1982.

James E. Meacham, Director, InfoGraphics Laboratory (cartographic design and production, geographic information systems), B.A. 1984, M.A. (Geography), 1992, University of Oregon.  UO since 1992.

Alexander B. Murphy, Professor (political, cultural, historical, geographic thought, environment and law, Europe), B.A., 1977, Yale; J.D., 1981, Columbia; Ph.D., 1987, Chicago.  UO since 1987.

Lise K. Nelson, Assistant Professor (cultural geography, international rural development, feminist theory, Latin America), B.A., 1990, University of Oregon; M.A. 1996, Ph.D. 2000, Washington, (Seattle.)  UO since 2000.

Peter A. Walker, Associate Professor (nature-society relations, cultural/political ecology, Africa, Western United States), B.A., 1986, California, Berkeley; M.S., 1990, Harvard; Ph.D., California, Berkeley, 1997.  UO since 1997.

Adjunct, Part-Time And Visiting Faculty

None at present

Emeritus Faculty

Stanton A. Cook, Ph.D., California, Berkeley, 1960 (ecology, biogeography)

Carl L. Johannessen, Ph.D., California, Berkeley, 1959 (biogeography, Latin America)

Clyde P. Patton, Ph.D., California, Berkeley, 1953, (cultural, climatology, Europe)

Edward T. Price, Ph.D., California, Berkeley, 1950, (cultural, historical, North America)

Gary (Joe) H. Searl, M.S. Oregon, 1996, (geographic education, Oregon)

Everett G. Smith, Jr., Ph.D., Minnesota, 1962, (urban, social, North America)

Alvin W. Urquhart, Ph.D., California, Berkeley, 1962, (cultural, Africa)

Ronald Wixman, Ph.D., Chicago, 1978, (cultural, ethno-territorial conflict, former Soviet Union, eastern Europe)

Staff

Jake Bartruff, Info Tech Consultant, maintains servers and networking in the department and the InfoGraphics lab

Andrea Heid, Accounting Technician, handles accounting and purchasing for grants.  

Rechelle Kirsh, Info Tech Consultant, maintains computer applications and consults with computer users in the department.

Mary Milo, Graduate Secretary and Departmental Receptionist maintains graduate records and handles paperwork required at various stages of the graduate program.  She also handles records and paperwork concerning graduate admissions.  

Sandra Stewart, Office Manager, handles GTF appointment paperwork and payroll.

 


XI. GRADUATE TEACHING FELLOW DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (GDRS)

This document is provided to Graduate Teaching Fellows at orientation.  Copies are available from the Graduate Secretary upon request.


Contents | Introduction | General Info | Master's Req | Geog Ed Master's | Ph.D. Req  | Joint Degrees | Progress Meetings
Program Planning | Dept. Resources & Policies | Faculty | Geography Grad Program Home  | Geography Home

 

Last revised:  09/18/2007 01:51 PM