Geography, PHD

Required Core (3 credit hours)
GCU 585 Geographic Research Design and Proposal Writing (3)

Electives or Research (43 credit hours)

Methods or Statistics Electives (6 credit hours)

Skills Electives (6 credit hours)

Specialization Electives (9 credit hours)

Other Requirements (5 credit hours)
GCU 529 Contemporary Geographic Thought (3)
GCU 591 or GPH 591 Seminar: Geography Colloquium (1)
GCU 591 or GPH 591 Seminar: Geography Colloquium (1)

Culminating Experience (12 credit hours)
GCU or GPH 799 Dissertation (12)

Additional Curriculum Information
Doctoral students entering with a bachelor's degree must complete 84 credit hours: 72 credit hours of coursework and research at ASU, and 12 dissertation credit hours.

Doctoral students entering with a master's degree must complete 54 credit hours: 42 credit hours of combined coursework and research at ASU, and 12 dissertation credit hours.

Coursework and research hours are selected by the student in consultation with an advisory committee. The program recognizes that other graduate-level courses are offered at ASU; advanced courses are often taught in omnibus courses, courses that have rotating content and whose content is not reflected in their titles. Students may include these courses in their curriculum with approval of the program directors.

The Other Requirements course Seminar: Geography Colloquium, is taken twice, once in each of the first two semesters of the program, for one credit hour each. Other courses may be used with approval of academic unit.

Up to six credit hours of 400-level coursework may be applied toward the plan of study.

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Applicants must have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in any field from a regionally accredited institution.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

1. graduate admission application and application fee
2. official transcripts
3. personal statement
4. resume
5. three letters of recommendation
6. proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

Incoming students must demonstrate or attain competence in cartography and quantitative methods and complete other basic coursework that will enable them to pursue graduate studies in their area of specialization.

The personal statement must address four questions:

1. What specialty in geography does the applicant wish to pursue, and why?
2. What aspects of the applicant's education (a description is needed) will enable them to pursue this specialty?
3. What additional training does the applicant believe can be obtained at Arizona State University to realize their educational and career goals?
4. What other information does the applicant feel should be considered in their application for admission? Examples include research experience or information that might be drawn from the applicant's resume.

Letters of recommendation must be from three faculty members who can attest to the applicant's academic achievements.

Professionals with expertise in geographical sciences research, theory and practice are in high demand across sectors and industries, including institutions of higher education, consulting firms, government agencies, research facilities and community organizations. Skills in geographical data analysis, mapping and climate science are valuable to businesses and institutions that rely on research-based approaches to solve complex practical problems.

Career examples include:

• atmospheric, earth, marine or space sciences professor or instructor
• environmental scientist or specialist
• geographic information systems technician
• geophysical data technician
• geoscientist
• geospatial information scientist or technologist