Additional Information
Students must follow one of two plans - Plan A, requiring a comprehensive examination; or Plan B, requiring a thesis.
Plan A requires the development of a specific field of interest and a written, three-part comprehensive exam testing knowledge in human geography, physical geography and the student’s specified area of interest. The examination may be repeated only once. Plan B requires the development of a specific field of interest, a written thesis and a subsequent oral defense.
All students will follow Plan A unless approval for the thesis option is granted. In order to follow Plan B, the thesis option, students must have the written consent of their thesis supervisor and all members of a thesis committee. Permission to write a thesis may be granted only to students who have: (1) achieved a 3.25 grade-point average after 15 units of upper-division and graduate coursework; and (2) demonstrated proficiency in research and writing skills.
For further details or advising, communicate with the Department of Geography graduate program adviser.