Geography Master of Arts

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About the Program

The Master’s 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).

The Geography Graduate Committee regularly reviews the structure and content of the M.A. and 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.

Student's obtaining a Master's in Geography with a Research Track will be able to:

• Communicate geographic concepts orally and in writing
• Apply research skills to analyze geographic questions
• Propose, produce and defend original research in their field of study
• Explain geographic principles as they relate to their area of research

Student's obtaining a Master's in Geography with a Professional Studies Track will be able to:

• Communicate geographic concepts orally and in writing
• Demonstrate knowledge in their field of geography
• Apply geographical knowledge and methods to at least one of the following:
  • Human geography
  • Environmental geography
  • Geographic Information Science

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MA Degree Regulations

The M.A. 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.

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MA Degree Requirements

To earn a M.A. in Geography at WVU students must complete 30 credit hours of graduate courses (based upon the curriculum described below), form a committee of graduate faculty to supervise their study, write and defend a thesis or project proposal, and finally, write and defend a thesis or project.

The M.A. degree is designed to enable full-time students to satisfy all program requirements within two years. Students are required to be well grounded in one or more of the program’s three areas of specialization (Geographic Information Science; Human Geography; and Environmental Geography).

Credit Hours: Students are required to complete a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours in Geography at the 400 level or above. The program requires that no more than six credits be at the 400-level. Degree curriculum requirements are described in detail below.

Grade Point Average: Students must earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in courses applied to the degree.

Advisor/Committee Chair: Students must select an advisor (committee chair) by the end of the first semester of their entry into the program. The chair must be a faculty member of the WVU Geography program and a regular member of the WVU graduate faculty. It is recommended that students secure an advisor prior to entry to the program.

Plan of Study: Students must submit an initial plan of study approved by their advisor by the end of the first semester of their entry into the program. These initial plans of study may be adjusted or changed in subsequent semesters but a new plan of study must be formally submitted and approved. At the end of their second semester in the program, the plan of study must also include full committee approval and signatures.

Masters Committee: By the beginning of the second semester of enrollment, each student  must form a graduate committee of a minimum of three faculty and include this information on their Plan of Study. The committee are as follows: 

1. The chair must be a faculty member of the WVU Geography program and a regular member of the WVU graduate faculty.
2. One additional committee member must be a member of the WVU Department of Geology and Geography (either adjunct or regular faculty).
3. One additional committee member must be a regular member of the WVU graduate faculty. This requirement may be fulfilled by the same member that fulfills requirement number 2.
4. Committee members outside the Department and/or the University are allowed as long as the three above requirements are met, but must have a MA, MS or equivalent degree.
5. 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.
6. Please see the  WVU Academic Catalog for further details about committees.

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.

Capstone Requirement: In addition to completing course requirements, students are required to complete either a Professional Master's Project or a Master's Thesis to meet their graduation requirement.

• The Professional Field Project is designed for students interested in a more focused project than the traditional research thesis option. The project has strict deadlines and must be completed in one semester and after the completion of  GEOG 601 and  GEOG 602 Geographic Research-Design. Further details on the Professional Masters including degree progress benchmarks are available below.
• The Master’s Thesis is an independent research project undertaken by the student. The thesis research should adhere to the following: 1) Demonstrate knowledge of the literature in the student’s chosen field, 2) Use data and methods appropriate to the research, 3) Draw conclusions from the research endeavor.

Required Forms and Processes for Defense, Graduation and ETD

Please see the  Forms and Processes on the Eberly College Graduate website 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.

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M.A. Curriculum Requirements

Visit the WVU Academic Catalog for Course Requirements

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Guidelines for Professional Track

The Professional M.A. of the Geography Program provides students with advanced training in the history and theory of geography, geographic information science and earth and environmental sciences as well as the application of spatial thinking, research design, and project management skills and experience which are vital to careers in public service, private enterprise, K-16 education, development practice, consulting, and more. Our Professional M.A. program is proud of maintaining a 100% employment rate upon graduation.

As described in M.A. Curriculum degree requirements outlined in the sections above, students pursuing the Professional M.A. in Geography are required to complete 23 credits of scheduled coursework, 2-4 credits of Geography Research Colloquium, and a Professional Field Project GEOG 780 which is completed in the final semester of degree enrollment. 

The Professional M.A. has strict deadlines and additional course requirements. The culminating M.A. Professional Field Project GEOG 780 must be completed within one semester. The Professional M.A. is designed to enable full-time students to satisfy all program requirements and complete their field project within three enrolled semesters. The culminating field project therefore requires considerable planning in the semesters prior to its execution.

Professional Field Project GEOG 780

In the final semester of the program graduate students in the Professional M.A. must complete a Professional Field Project. The project is intended to prepare the student for designing and executing projects within a professional work environment under rigorous time requirements. Projects may comprise a wide range of activities, but may take the form (a) community engaged or applied research, (b) development or evaluation of a program, (c) an extensive literature review or (d) development of GIS application.

Unlike the MA Thesis, the Professional Field Project GEOG 780 does not require formal announcement of research proposal defense nor final research defense to the college. However, it does require an advisor and committee approval.

Field Project Proposal

During the semester before the project is undertaken, the student must develop a written project plan in consultation with the student’s Professional Masters project committee. The project plan must follow the general outline of a proposal and include a description of the intended outcome, relevant literature, the objectives, methods, design, and timetable. No public presentation or defense of the proposal is required.

Enrolling in GEOG 780

The student must make a written request to the Graduate Director for a permit to sign up for the Professional Field Project course (GEOG 780) no later than the end of the semester before the start of the semester in which the project is undertaken and be endorsed by the student’s advisor. Not until the complete written request has been received will the Graduate Director issue a permit for the course.

Project Progress Report Meetings

The student is required, at minimum, to have meetings with the advisor and committee in weeks three and seven of the project semester to present progress reports. The student is advised to meet regularly with their advisor and committee.

Public Project Presentation

The project results must be delivered in a public presentation. The presentation must be advertised in the Department at least two weeks in advance of the event.

Final Project Report

A final project report must be finalized, approved by the student’s project committee, and a copy given to the department administrator Hope Stewart by the end of the semester.

Evaluation

The standard for passing will be that the majority of the advisory committee (two or more of the three members) evaluate the work as substantially meeting the goals identified in the written research plan. Successful completion of the project, the student will be given a grade of Satisfactory. If the student does not successfully complete or defend the project by the time indicated above the student will be assigned a grade of Unsatisfactory and will be required to undertake a different project the following semester. The graduate committee may grant an extension to the one semester deadline only under exceptional circumstances.

Table of Professional MA Benchmarks (Full-time)

• Semester 1
• 10 Credit Hrs
• Select Advisor
• Submit Plan of Study
• Semester 2
• 10 credit Hrs
• Select Committee
• Preliminary Project Proposal
• Semester 3
• 3 credit hrs
• 780 Project
• Meeting with committee week 3 and 7
• Public Presentation

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Guidelines for M.A. Research Track

The Research M.A. Thesis track of the Geography Program is designed to provide advanced training in theory, methodology, and project design required for research focused careers in higher education, public service, consulting, and other professional research environments. Our Research M.A. program graduates are creative and well-prepared for research positions and top-flight doctoral programs across the country.

As described in M.A. Curriculum degree requirements outlined in the sections above, students pursuing the M.A. Research Track in Geography are required to complete 20 credits of scheduled coursework, 6 credits of Research 797, 2-4 credits of Geography Research Colloquium. 

The MA Thesis option enables full-time students to satisfy all program requirements and complete an examinable thesis within four semesters. Students are required to be well grounded in one or more of the program’s three areas of specialization (Geographic Information Science; Human Geography; Environmental Geography).

The M.A. Thesis (GEOG 797)

The MA Thesis is an independent research project undertaken by the student. The thesis research should: demonstrate knowledge of the literature in the student’s chosen field; use an appropriate research design and methodology; draw conclusions from the research endeavor; and present the final work in a manuscript form.

Thesis Proposal

Although much of the MA student’s first two semesters is dedicated to coursework, students are expected to develop a written thesis research proposal during the second semester of their first academic year. When the proposal has been completed to the satisfaction of the student’s advisor and thesis committee, the student will make an oral presentation of the proposal to all students and faculty in the Geography program.

Proposal Deadlines

Ideally, students submit and defend their proposals before the end of their second semester. The deadline for submitting an acceptable proposal to the student’s advisor and committee is within five weeks of the start of their third semester in the program. The deadline for the public presentation of the proposal is within 10 weeks of the start of their third semester.

Proposal Defense

A copy of the proposal must be made available to the committee two weeks prior to the defense. A Defense Declaration Form must be submitted to the college no later than two weeks  prior to the thesis defense. The proposal defense is public and must be advertised in the Department at least two weeks prior to the presentation . Students are required to fill out a Milestone sheet at the conclusion of the defense. The entire committee must attend. The defense should take no more than two hours and is overseen by the student’s advisor. Defense Result Form must be completed at the conclusion of the thesis defense. Thesis proposal defenses are not normally scheduled between June 15 and August 15.

Thesis Proposal Approval

Following the proposal presentation the student’s committee will determine whether to approve the proposal. The standard decisions in these cases are Pass or Fail, though other outcomes, including revisions by a set date or a second public defense are possible. In accordance with College requirements, original signatures are required on the Milestone Form specifying the outcome of the defense. Students should work closely with their advisors to establish expectations for length and structure of the thesis/project.

Final Thesis 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. 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.  In accordance with College requirements, original signatures are required on the Milestone Form specifying the outcome of the defense. Thesis defenses are not normally scheduled between June 15 and August 15.

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  thesis 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 thesis to the committee and the defense must be  at least three weeks. As noted above, the committee must tentatively approve the thesis 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 Thesis MA Benchmarks (full time)

• Semester 1
• 10 Credit Hrs
• Select Advisor
• Submit Plan of Study
• Consult about Thesis Project with Advisor
• Semester 2
• 10 credit Hrs
• Select Committee
• Preliminary Thesis Proposal Draft
• Semester 3
•  Thesis proposal to advisor by or before week 5
• Proposal defense by or before week 10
• Semester 4
• Thesis draft to advisor by or before week 7
• Thesis draft to committee by or before week 9
• Thesis defense by week 12
• Submit to ETD