PhD Geography at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Programme overview

The Department of Geography and Environment offers MA and PhD degrees, with major emphasis on the PhD. Programmes are tailored to individual students with an advisor and committee, and students can work with research centres such as the Carolina Population Center and the Odum Institute. Research areas include biophysical geography and earth systems science, culture, society and space, geographic information and analysis, globalization and international development, and nature-society studies.

Faculty: The Graduate School | Department: Department of Geography and Environment | Study mode: full-time | Location: Chapel Hill, NC, United States

What you will study

All graduate students complete three core courses (GEOG 702, 703 and 704) covering geographical theory, communication and research; remaining coursework and the dissertation topic are chosen with the advisor and committee.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Graduate School minimum (applies to all graduate programmes): a four-year bachelor's degree (or international equivalent) from an accredited institution completed before graduate study begins and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 (B) or better; application via the Graduate School online application with transcripts, three recommendation letters, statement of purpose and CV, plus any programme-specific tests/materials; international applicants add a TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo English Test score; admission decisions are made by each programme.

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 apply for a start term; fall is the main start term. Very few programmes admit new students for spring or summer terms.

Graduate applications and payment must be received by the deadline of the academic programme applied to, which varies by programme; the application closes at 11:59pm Eastern Time on the deadline date. The Graduate School recommends complete applications by December 15, 2026 for full fellowship consideration.

Apply through the official page: https://gradschool.unc.edu/admissions/instructions/

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