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Master of Arts in Geography

Overview

The Master of Arts (M.A.) in Geography is offered through the University of Nebraska - Lincoln (UNL) Faculty of Geography and GIScience. Students pursuing an M.A. in Geography have considerable flexibility in designing programs tailored to their individual interests and career goals.

Programs

Particularly strong programs exist in:

  1. Geographic Information Science (remote sensing, GIS and cartography)
    • The GIScience program capitalizes on the strengths and facilities of the Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies (CALMIT).
  2. Historical and Human Geography
    • Continuing a long tradition of research in cultural and regional geography, students and faculty foci include historical settlement, land use change, environmental perception Native American studies, Great Plains studies, modern population and settlement patterns, and political behavior.
  3. Natural Resources
    • Graduate students in Geography can pursue interdisciplinary studies in conservation biology, water resources, natural hazards, climatology and related areas in conjunction with faculty of the School of Natural Resources.

 

M.A. Degree Options

Students may pursue the M.A. under one of three options:

  • Option I - Thesis - Considered the standard program
  • Option II - Non-thesis - Designed for those not planning to pursue a Ph.D. degree.
  • Option III - Non-thesis, but publishable manuscript - Option III is is primarily for students planning to seek a Ph.D. degree at UNL after completing an M.A. degree.

 

Facilities

Geography faculty and student offices are located in Hardin Hall, a modern research and classroom facility that also houses other units of the UNL School of Natural Resources. The facility includes specialized laboratories and several nationally-recognized research centers including:

Faculty and students in Geography also collaborate with many other University of Nebraska academic units including:

All Geography graduate students are provided access to state-of-the-art computing and image-processing and GIS software including ArcGIS, Leica Geosystems ERDAS Imagine and ENVI. Field vehicles, spectroradiometers, airborne imaging systems, GPS units, and plotting and digitizing equipment are also available.

 

To Apply

Students seeking admission to the MA program should have a bachelor's degree in geography or a cognate field. GRE scores are required. The MA degree requires 24 hours of coursework, plus a thesis (or 36 hours without a thesis) and a written examination. Graduate teaching assistantships are available for qualified students. Research assistantship opportunities are often available for Geography students from the various Centers within the School of Natural Resources. Assistantships provide 12 hours of free tuition each semester, and basic individual student health insurance at a reduced premium. MA students are eligible for two years of support. University fellowships are available to persons with outstanding qualifications.

If you decide to apply, the following materials are required and should be sent to the office indicated:

To the Office of Graduate Studies:

To the GeographyProgram in GAMES

Submit an initial application to UNL at gradapp.unl.edu. Allow two business days to establish your access to GAMES and then complete these departmental requirements:

  • Entrance exam(s): GRE
  • Minimum TOEFL:  Paper-550  Internet-79
  • Three recommendation letters
  • A two-page statement of goals

 

Deadlines

  • January 15 - submit ALL of the above application materials (if applying for an assistantship)
  • April 15 - fall semester admission only
  • October 15 - admission for spring semester (Note: mid-year assistantships are rarely available)

 

Additional Information

Or contact:

Faculty of Geography and GIScience
School of Natural Resources
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0973
Telephone: (402) 472-2865.  
E-mail:   

Recent Masters Theses

  • Nataliya Lys. 2009. "Analysis of Thematic Maps in Newspapers: Quality, Quantity and Variety"
  • Daniel Becker. 2009. "Modeling the Effect of Urbanization on Surface Runoff Within the Apalachicola - Chattahoochee - Flint Watershed"
  • Kyle Baxter. 2008. "A Cost Examination of Historic Trails Starting at the Missouri River and Passing Near Fort Kearny, Nebraska"
  • Katie Haselwood. 2007. "Childbirth in Homesteading Communities of  the Great Plains, 1862 – 1920"
  • Paul Merani. 2007. "Salt Marsh Species Discrimination and Mapping in the Chesapeake Bay Using  Hyperspectral Remote Sensing"
  • Jeffrey Rhodes. 2007. "A GIS Analysis of Social Vulnerability in  the New Orleans Metropolitan Area"
  • Shawn Slade. 2007. "A Comparative Analysis of Per-Pixel Classification Techniques: An Economic and Practical Approach"
  • Mark Steele. 2007. "Non-Destructive Estimation of Leaf Pigments and Monitoring Phenology of Grapevines"
  • Chad Smith. 2006. "A GIS for Applications in Viticulture"
  • Marcela Doubkova. 2006. “Synegistic Use of AMSR-E and MODIS Data for Understanding Land Surface Phenology: Case Study from the Central Great Plains"
  • Sudeer Chadalavada. 2005. "A Procedure to Identify West Nile Virus Potential Risk Areas for Seven Counties in Nebraska Using GIS and Remote Sensing"
  • Joel Connot. 2005. "Quantification of Leaf Defoliation Caused by Simulated Hail Damage using Close Range Spectroscopy"
  • Ian Ratcliffe. 2005. "Occurrence and Persistence of Hailstreak Devegetated Zones as Observed by Synoptic Sensors"