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Doctor of Philosophy in Geography

Overview

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Geography is offered through the University of Nebraska - Lincoln (UNL) Faculty of Geography and GIScience. Students 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 capitalizeson 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.
  4. Community and Regional Planning
    • Students may pursue a cross-disciplinary PhD combining strengths of the Faculty of Geography and the Department of Community and Regional Planning.

 

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 PhD program should have a Master's degree in geography or a related field (with thesis). GRE scores are required. Some 36 hours of coursework are necessary, plus a dissertation, written and oral comprehensives and proficiency in one research tool.  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. PhD students for three years of funding. University fellowships are available to persons with outstanding qualifications. Part-time teaching positions (freshman-level courses) are sometimes available.

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 Dissertations

  • Darren Adams. 2010. "Preservation Ethics in the Case of Nebraska's Nationally Registered Historic Places "
  • Lawrence Bradley. 2010. "Dinosaurs and Indians: Paleontological Dispossession from Sioux Lands "
  • Lesli Rawlings. 2010. "Proximity and Home Values: a Case Study of Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska"
  • Rebecca Buller. 2009. "Intersections of Place, Time, and Entertainment in Rural Nebraska in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries"
  • Kenneth French. 2008. "Patterns and Consequences of Segregation: An Analysis of Ethnic Residential Segregation at Two Geographic Scales"
  • Ryan Weichelt. 2008. "Scale Factors in Hispanic Voting Behavior"
  • Kenneth Cannon. 2008. "Biogeography of Holocene Bison in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem"
  • Ezra Zeitler. 2008. "Geographies of Indigenous-based Team Name and Mascot Use in American Secondary Schools"
  • Matthew Engel. 2008. "When a Prison Comes to Town: Siting, Location, and Perceived Impacts of Correctional Facilities in the Midwest"
  • Patrick Guiberson. 2007. "An Examination of Transparency as a Visual Variable for the Mapping Sciences"
  • Thomas Jeffrey. 2006.  "An Analysis of Potential Soil Productivity and Land Use on the Standing Rock Reservation"
  • Joan Lubischer. 2006. "Micropolitan Areas as Unique Economic Regions"
  • Matthew Dooley. 2006. "Multi-Temporal Land-Use Patterning in the Western Papagueria: A Geoarchaeological Analysis of Pre-Columbian Cultural Landscapes"
  • Melissa Connor. 2005. "Landscapes of Conflict"
  • Paul A. Kelley. 2005. "Population Change in the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains, 1960-2000"
  • Bidisha Nag. 2005. "A Journey across the Black Waters : Female Migration from India to the United States"
  • Katherine Nashleanas. 2005. "Metageographic Communities: Structuring the Non-Place Place"