About the Program
The Doctoral Program in Geography at West Virginia University provides students with cutting edge training in the history and theory of geography, experience with advanced geographic research methodologies and specialized mentoring from faculty experts across three sub-disciplinary fields (Human Geography; Environmental Geography; Geographic Information Science). To earn a Ph.D. in Geography at WVU students must complete 28 credit hours of graduate courses (based upon the curriculum described below), form a committee of graduate faculty to supervise their study, pass a comprehensive exam, write and defend a dissertation research proposal, and finally, write and defend a dissertation.
The Geography Graduate Committee regularly reviews the structure and content of the Ph.D. programs to provide the best possible education to students in order to meet the needs for highly trained individuals in Human Geography, Environmental Geography, and Geographic Information Science.
Students obtaining a doctorate in geography will be able to:
- Communicate geographical concepts orally and in writing
- Apply research skills to analyze geographical questions
- Propose, produce and defend original research of publishable quality
- Explain geographic principles as they relate to their area of research
- Effectively communicate the state of knowledge in their research area
- Identify research questions in geography
- Critique and assess peer-reviewed literature
Degree Regulations
The Ph.D Geography Program conforms to all the degree regulations set forth by WVU. To review all policies associated with Awarding Degrees, Time Limits, Requirements, Committees, Theses and Dissertations, and Graduation please refer to the Degree Regulations in the WVU Academic Catalog.
Ph.D. Degree Requirements
Credit Hours
Coursework will be selected based on the research area of each student, providing an individualized plan of study appropriate to the field of Human Geography, Environmental Geography, or Geographic Information Science. Students are required to complete a minimum number of 28 graduate credit hours in Geography at the 400 level or above. Coursework substitutions may be approved as appropriate by a student's graduate committee. No more than 6 credit hours of 400-level courses may be counted towards the degree. Students may petition their committee to transfer up to 9 credit hours from another program, including other graduate programs at WVU.
Grade Point Average: Students must earn a minimum GPA of 3.0 overall, and 3.0 in coursework applied to their graduate program.
Annual Review of Progress: The academic progress of every master's student is reviewed each year. Students must submit a self-evaluation signed by their advisor by December 31. The Graduate Committee will conduct its annual review of students in February and communicate with students in or before March. Waivers to the M.A. deadlines, timing requirements, and other rules may be requested from the Graduate Director. Waivers are only given under extraordinary circumstances.
Required Forms and Processes for Defense, Graduation and ETD
Please see the Eberly College Graduate site for further information and required forms for defense declaration and more.
See the registrar’s website for the deadlines and procedures to apply for graduation.
See the Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) website for deadlines for submission of completed theses and dissertations, which are before the end of each semester.
Extensions: In extenuating circumstances, the graduate committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies in Eberly College, with approval from the student’s advisor, can extend some deadlines. Please note that the submission of the Declaration Defense Form cannot be changed to be less than two weeks.
Certificates: For information on obtaining a certificate (i.e. Women and Gender Studies, Teaching, or GIS and Spatial Analysis) concurrently with the MA degree, see the Graduate Certificate information (Academic Catalog) and Graduate Certificates in the Davis College (Academic Catalog). Students can share 6 credit hours between a certificate and their program degree.
International Students: Please see the International Students Scholar Services web pages for information about the services they provide. International students are held to the same degree requirements and practices as US citizens, but do have different regulations pertaining to their stay in the US.
Contacts: Please reach out to your advisor or the graduate director with questions, concerns, or comments on graduate program requirements and/or processes. G&G’s administrative assistant, Hope Stewart, oversees many of our graduate program practices and therefore can answer many questions too. Members of your committee and the graduate committee may also be of assistance. You can also contact the Assistant/Associate Dean of Graduate Education in Eberly, or the Assistant/Associate Provost for Graduate Academic Affairs.
Ph.D. Curriculum Requirements
Geography Ph.D. Curriculum Requirements in the Academic Catalog
Doctoral Advisor
Each incoming student is required to select an advisor upon entry into the program. Advisors are to meet with each student prior to their first semester to identify the student’s interests and to assess whether the student has any academic deficiencies that require remedial work. Advisors and the doctoral student will design a plan of study.
Plan of Study
A plan of study must be completed by the end of the first semester in the program. Any changes to the plan of study requires the filing of an amended plan of study.
Doctoral Committee
By the beginning of the second semester, each student must form a doctoral committee of a minimum of four (4) individuals, comprising a chair and at least three (3) additional committee members, to oversee the student’s research. See below the requirements of service on committees. One of the members of the committee must be outside of the Geography program. All committee members must hold a degree of PhD.
By the end of second semester of enrollment, each student must have an advisor/chair and form a doctoral committee of a minimum of four faculty and include this information on their Plan of Study. The committee are as follows:
- The chair must be a faculty member of the WVU Geography program and a regular member of the WVU graduate faculty.
- Two additional committee members must be a faculty of the WVU Department of Geology and Geography (either adjunct or regular faculty).
- One additional external committee member must be from outside the Geography Program and provide expertise in the content area of the doctoral student.
- Students may change advisor or committee members after consultation with the advisor and the Graduate Committee; and/or with the approval of the Dean of Eberly Graduate Studies. Reasons for changing the makeup of the advisor or committee may include committee members no longer being available, or a change in the focus of the research interests of the student.
- Please see the WVU Academic Catalog for further details about committees.
To ensure progress toward completion of the degree, it is recommended that doctoral committees should meet at least once per year. If necessary, this meeting can be in-person, remote, or by circulating a summary statement of progress by the student.
Comprehensive Exams
Students should take the written and oral comprehensive exam no later than the end of the fourth semester of their studies, and after completing core geography and methods electives. The student is examined in two specialty areas and a third area that is closely related to the proposed dissertation research topic. The exams are based on extensive bibliographies for each of the three areas. The bibliographies are developed by the student in consultation with the advisor and committee. It is expected that the student should be able to conceptually situate the three areas in the context of the history and philosophy of geography.
The written exam has three parts, covering each of the areas chosen. The exams are open-book and each part will be no more than 8 hours in length. Normally all three exams take place within one week. The number of questions for each of the parts of the exam is determined by the committee. The chair of the committee has final responsibility for disseminating the questions to the student, gathering results from the student and disseminating to the committee for review.
The oral exam normally takes place within two weeks of the end of the written exam, and is a follow up and response to the written exam. The oral exam is a maximum of three hours in length. Although the oral exam is open to other faculty as observers, only the dissertation committee may ask questions. It is expected that the entire doctoral committee be present for the oral exam. However the presence of committee members who are not based in Morgantown is not required and teleconferencing may be used.
It must be the consensus of the doctoral committee that the student has passed the examination, although the committee may have one dissenting vote. In the event of a conditional pass, a single portion of the examination may be repeated at the discretion of the committee. If two or more of the members are dissatisfied, the entire examination must be repeated. The student may only re-take the exam one additional time.
Dissertation Proposal
A student must present and defend a dissertation research proposal no later than the end of the fifth semester of full time study in the program. It is recommended that the proposal be presented within three months of the comprehensive exam. The proposal presentation must be advertised in the Department two weeks prior to the presentation. Dissertation proposals are not normally held between June 15 and August 15. After passing the dissertation proposal, the student becomes a candidate for the doctoral degree.
Dissertation Defense
Practices and policies related to the proposal defense are governed by the College, the University, and the Department. University regulations state that “Only after the thesis or dissertation committee has tentatively approved the student’s written thesis or dissertation, can the final defense be scheduled.” In accordance with College requirements, the Defense Declaration Form must be submitted to the college at least two weeks prior to the defense. Also, the department requires that theses defenses are advertised to the Department at least two weeks prior to the presentation.
A copy of the dissertation must be made available to the committee at least one-month prior to the defense. At least 4 of the committee members must approve the dissertation defense for the student to pass. Dissertation defenses are not normally held between June 15 and August 15. In accordance with College requirements, original signatures are required on the Milestone Form specifying the outcome of the defense. Upon completion of the defense, students must fill out the required Eberly College Defense Result form, specifying the outcome of the defense and submit it within 48 hours of the defense.
Special Notes on Dates and Timing for Defenses:
Please plan to hold all defenses during the regular academic year. Faculty are off contract in the summer, which is normally between June 15 and August 15. Time between submitting defensible drafts of a dissertation proposal is typically two weeks, but can differ if the advisor, the committee members, and student agree upon a different timing. Time between submitting defensible drafts of the full dissertation to the committee and the defense must be one month. As noted above, the committee must tentatively approve the dissertation prior to the student submitting the Defense Declaration form. The Defense Declaration form must be submitted two weeks prior to the defense, hence the committee must receive the final dissertation well before the scheduled defense. It is strongly recommended that students consult with their advisor and committee long in advance about key deadlines to ensure they meet the milestones anticipated.
Table of PhD Benchmarks - 4 Year Timeline (Full-time)
- Semester 1
- 10 Credit Hrs
- Meet with Advisor
- Submit Plan of Study
- Preliminary Dissertation Idea Discussed
- Semester 2
- 10 credit Hrs
- Select Committee
- Identify Areas of Focus
- Preliminary Dissertation Idea Selected
- Semester 3
- Finish Coursework
- Prepare for Exams
- Semester 4
- Comprehensive Exams
- Draft of Dissertation Proposal
- Semester 5
- Defend Proposal
- Semester 6
- Begin Fieldwork/Data Collection
- Semester 7
- Complete Fieldwork/Data Collection
- Write Dissertation
- Semester 8
- Write Dissertation
- Defend Dissertation