Graduate Curriculum

Curriculum

Faculty

Environment & Society

The Environment and Society Program offers graduate students the opportunity to earn a Master's degree and/or Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Geography. Requirements for each program are outlined below.

Please be aware that requirements are subject to change. Graduate students also should consult their advisor and the Department of Geography Graduate Manual to ensure the appropriate requirements are met.

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General Principles
The emphases of Environment and Society at OSU are:

Drawing on the strengths of the research faculty, the areas and problems of research in the program include:

The diverse approaches to human-environment interactions in the program include analysis at a range of spatial and temporal scales, from recent and local political history to global and Quaternary climate transformations. Regions and areas of research include:

Our methods are both quantitative and qualitative. The range of analytical tools includes:

Research in the program includes data collection methods, such as:


Master's Degree (M.A.)

The Department core requirements (chapter 2 of the graduate manual) are designed to lay the foundations for research design, mapping and GIS, and quantitative and qualitative analysis.

A recommended course for those with a less comprehensive background in statistics is:

Required courses (substitutions in consultation with GSC chair)

In addition, students will complete four of the following courses:

These are more specialized courses. Note that if students have completed courses similar to any of the above nine courses at another institution, they would not be required to complete them here. For those students engaged in foreign-area research, language courses are strongly recommended in the first year of the program.

Students will also complete two 800-level seminars, selected in consultation with the advisor. Recent seminars have included:


Ideal Sequence of M.A. Study:
YearAutumnWinterSpringSummer
1Geography 683,
600-level course,
800-level seminar		Geography 883.01,
600-level course		Geography 883.02,
600-level course,
Proposal Writing		Thesis research
2Geography 607,
600-level course		800-level Seminar,
Thesis Writing		Thesis Defense 

Doctorate (Ph.D.)

Courses for the Ph.D. Program include:

  1. A course in Geographic Thought. Geography 882.
  2. An Advanced Methods Course. This can be fulfilled either through a Geography 983 course within the Department, or through an advanced methods course outside the Department, if approved by the Graduate Studies Committee.
    Both of the above courses must be completed before the General Examination
  3. A course in Professional Development in Geography (Geography 889) in the first or second year of study.
  4. At least one 800-level seminar per year at the Ph.D. level.
    During the first year this would involve enrollment in a seminar for the full five credits, with all course requirements being fulfilled. After the General Examination, students could enroll in a seminar for fewer than five credits with an expected reduction in formal course requirements. In this way the course requirements should not detract from progress toward the completion of the dissertation. For those students engaged in foreign area research, language courses are strongly recommended in the first two years of the program.
Ideal Sequence of Ph.D. Study:
YearAutumnWinterSpringSummer
1600-level course,
600-level course,
Geography 889		Geography 883.01,
600-level course,
600/800 level course		Geography 883.02,
600/800 level course		 
2Geography 607,
800-level course		Geographic Thought,
Proposal Writing
600/800 level course		Proposal Writing,
Examination Prep		Research,
Grant Writing
3General Examination,
800-level course,
Grant Writing		ResearchResearchResearch
4Dissertation WritingDissertation WritingDissertation Writing