Master of Arts
Geography Master of Arts degrees are offered within the Department of Anthropology and Geography. GRE exam scores (verbal and quantitative) are required for graduate admission. Applicants either should have earned a prior degree in geography, or be prepared to take a prescribed set of essential geography prerequisite courses at the University of Nebraska if accepted into a graduate degree program.
Geography graduate degree programs within the Department of Anthropology and Geography emphasize human-cultural geography, regional geography, geographic information analysis (GIS, remote sensing, cartography, spatial analysis), person-environment behavior and relations, climatology, anthropology, and community and regional planning. There are currently four Graduate College approved specializations in Geography: Community and Regional Planning (doctoral level only); Environmental Geography; GIS/Cartography/Remote Sensing; Indigenous Peoples Studies. When completed successfully, Graduate College specializations are explicitly indicated on the student transcript. A Graduate College approved doctoral-level specialization in anthropology is pending approval. Students may specialize in areas other than Graduate College approved specializations.
Geography graduate faculty represent a wide spectrum of expertise across the social and physical sciences, and humanities. Faculty are primarily from the Department of Anthropology and Geography, The Center for Advanced Land Management Technologies (CALMIT) / School of Natural Resource Sciences, Community and Regional Planning, and Geosciences.
Geography stresses individuality and flexibility in designing graduate degree programs. Special interest is paid to the way that student interests mesh with faculty expertise. Thoughtful advising is provided to guide students toward their academic goals, in choosing courses and research projects, and to the completion of their degrees. Internships are strongly supported, and teaching and research assistantships are available on a competitive basis.
M.A. Degree Options
An M.A. degree may be obtained under one of four options. Option I (thesis) is considered the standard program. Normally the Option II (non-thesis) is designed for those not planning to pursue a Ph.D. degree. Students planning to pursue a Ph.D. degree at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln after completing their M.A. degree can discuss Option III (non-thesis, but publishable manuscript) with their advisor. However, Option III is available only to students who have received approval (after one full academic year) from the Geography Graduate Committee. Option IV, the GIS Certificate requires the completion of GIS, Remote Sensing, and cartography courses. For more information about degree options, please refer to the Requirements and Guidelines Handbook.
Applications
If you decide to apply, the following materials are required and should be sent to the office indicated:
To the Office of Graduate Studies:
1. Application for Admission form
2. Two sets of official transcripts for ALL undergraduate and graduate grades
3. GRE scores
4. TOEFL or IELTS score for students coming from a Non-English speaking country
5. Financial resource information if not a US citizen
To the Geography Program:
1. Three letters of reference
2. A two-page statement describing your professional purpose and goals
Deadlines for submitting ALL of the above application materials are January 15 if applying for an assistantship, and April 15 only for fall semester admission only. An exception to these dates is for admission in the spring semester which begins in January, in this case the deadline for admission is October 15. It should be noted that mid-year assistantships are rarely available.
More Information
Introductory Letter (.pdf format)
Requirements and Guidelines for Applying to the Geography Program (.pdf format)
GIS Certificate Program (.pdf format)
Information about Lincoln, Nebraska
* Stop by and visit! Faculty and Grad students are always willing to meet with prospective students!
Recent Theses
Sudeer Chadalavada, 2005. "A Procedure to Identify West Nile Virus Potential Risk Areas for Seven Counties in Nebraska Using GIS and Remote Sensing"
Joel Connot, 2005. "Quantification of Leaf Defoliation Caused by Simulated Hail Damage using Close Range Spectroscopy"
Ian Ratcliffe, 2005. "Occurrence and Persistence of Hailstreak Devegetated Zones as Observed by Synoptic Sensors"
Rebecca Buller, 2004. "Settlements of Holt County, Nebraska : A Historical Geography of Failed and Successful Towns" Dan Wurdinger, 2004. "Interactive Maps and Geographic Comprehension: A Case Study"
Ezra Zeitler, 2003. "Vitality of Ethnic Culture in Rural America: A Comparative Study of Dannebrog and Wilber, Nebraska, 1870-2003"
Kenny French, 2002. "Ethnic Groups on the Urban Fringe: An Analysis of Residential Patterns in Four Midland Cities: 1960-2000"
Mathew Dooley, 2002. "Assessing the Role of Visibility in Prehistoric Place Use in Central North Dakota"
Joseph Hlady, 2001. "The Distribution and Characteristics of Hydrologic Sinks in the Elysium Region of Mars"
