Geography (Master's) at Michigan State University

Programme overview

The Master of Science in Geography at Michigan State University builds professional competence in the discipline, increasing substantive and technical proficiency. It is offered as Plan A (research-based, with thesis) or Plan B (course-based, without thesis). Students with research and publication experience may present a dissertation pre-proposal after their first year to be considered for fast-tracking into the PhD.

Faculty: College of Social Science | Department: Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences | Duration: Minimum 30 credits | Study mode: full-time | Location: East Lansing, MI, United States

What you will study

Both plans require one geography seminar (e.g. Urban and Economic Geography, Physical Geography, Human Geography, Geographic Information Science), 9 credits of 400- or 800-level GEO courses and 9 further credits at 800-level. Plan A adds GEO 886 Research Design in Geography, 6 credits of thesis research, a paper or poster at a professional meeting and an oral thesis defence; Plan B adds 9 more credits of 800-level GEO courses and a final written examination or evaluation.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Regular admission requires a bachelor's degree from a recognised institution, preferably with a major in geography or at least 14 credits in geography and related fields, and a GPA of at least 3.40 in all geography courses and in all junior- and senior-year courses. Plan A students are expected to have completed courses in physical, human and regional geography, quantitative methods and geographic information science; any deficiencies are addressed with the guidance committee.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate applicants can start in fall (late August), spring (January) or summer (May) in the MPH programme; intake terms for other graduate programmes are set by each department or program.

The graduate application fee is $75 for domestic and international applicants, with one fee per application; applicants may submit up to two applications to different graduate majors per semester. Applications are reviewed by the department or program, which sets its own deadlines.

MPH application deadlines (SOPHAS completion): fall May 18, spring October 18, summer February 15; MSU supplemental application: fall June 1, spring November 1, summer March 1.

Apply through the official page: https://admissions.msu.edu/apply/graduate-students

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