Master of Science (M.S.) Geography

The M.S. in Geography will aim to expand the student's knowledge of how earth systems work and how humans interact with its components. The program requires a 30-credit hour minimum. Students must pass a public oral defense of their thesis.

The graduate curriculum emphasizes broad geographic training while encouraging in-depth commitment to an area of focus. Students also are encouraged to take course work outside the department that complements their degree programs.  Programs are tailored by the student and advisor to conform to the student’s interests and needs, as well as to fulfill the general degree requirements.

The central thrust of the department and the chief capabilities and interests of the faculty fall within these research-teaching areas:

  1. Human geography including cultural geography, regional development, and environmental policy;
  2. Geoinformatics including cartography, geographic information systems, and remote sensing;
  3. Physical geography including geomorphology, soils, and biogeography;
  4. Regional geography including Africa, East Asia, Russia, Latin America, and the United States; and
  5. Atmospheric science and climatology.

The program requires a 30 credit hour minimum. Students must pass a public oral defense of their thesis.

Current course requirements can be viewed in the KU online catalogue.

Ideally, work on the M.S. thesis should begin during the second full-time semester so that field, laboratory, or library work can be done the following summer. During this second semester of the M.S. program, the student should decide on the general area of thesis research. In consultation with the faculty advisor, the student should invite two additional members of the graduate faculty to serve on the M.S. Committee. At least one of the additional committee members must be a member of the Geography faculty. Additional committee members beyond the minimum of three may be appointed to the M.S. Committee if desired and if approved by the GSC. Members of the M.S. Committee conduct the proposal defense, read the thesis, and conduct the final thesis defense.

Proposal Defense

Each M.S. student will undergo a proposal defense with members of their M.S. committee to demonstrate that they are prepared to conduct research that will result in a satisfactory thesis. This examination should take place after a substantial portion of the coursework is complete and after at least one full draft of the proposal has been submitted to the advisor for review. The proposal defense may address all components of the proposal, including the problem statement, the literature review, and, particularly, the methods of research and analysis to be applied.

At the conclusion of the proposal defense, the committee awards an evaluation of either Satisfactory or Needs Revision. In cases where the committee determines that the proposal needs to be revised, the student is provided specific criticisms that need to be addressed. Once the criticisms have been addressed, the proposal is circulated to the advisor and then to the committee members. There is no need for the committee to formally meet again unless the advisor deems it necessary. Once the proposal is determined to be satisfactory by all committee members, the advisor forwards the decision to the Graduate Studies Committee.

M.S. Final Defense

A public oral defense of the thesis required of all M.S. students. The defense of the thesis is normally held during the semester of the student's final enrollment in course work but cannot occur until the entire thesis has been completed and has received approval from the advisor. The examination should be scheduled for a two-hour time slot, and in no case is it to extend beyond three hours. This final examination is separate from, and should not be confused with, the proposal defense, which is held earlier in the program when the proposal is complete and the student is ready to begin research.

Additional information regarding Geography & Atmospheric Science Graduate Student policy and processes can be reviewed in the Graduate Student Handbook.