Graduate Studies

Students with a strong academic performance at the undergraduate level may wish to pursue graduate work in Geography.  Marks of 300 and 400-level courses will be used to calculate for admission eligibility, and marks in each of the last two years of full-time studies (despite course level) will be used to calculate eligibility for entrance scholarship and future scholarships.

The Department of Geography offers the M.A., M.Sc. and the Ph.D. degrees in

1. Geographical Biogeosciences - we specialize in climatology, geomorphology, biogeography, hydrology, and spatial information sciences.
2. Human Geography - our major areas of specialisation include cultural, historical/environmental, economic, social, and feminist geography, and also political and policy questions, urban geography, environmental geography, North America, East and Southeast Asia, Russia, and Eastern Europe.

All students enrolled in an M.A., M.Sc. or Ph.D degree programme in Geography are required to complete either Geography 500 or 520.

As each graduate student program is tailor-made for the individual, students should carefully study department offerings and faculty research interests in order to determine the relevance of particular faculty and course programs. 

Further information is available from the Graduate Program Coordinator.

Master's Program

The Master's Program (M.A. or M.Sc.) introduces students to independent research while broadening and deepening their contact with a selected aspect of geography.

Programs of Study:

(i) An M.A. or M.Sc. with Thesis, requiring 15 credits of courses numbered 300 or above, including at least 9 credits of courses numbered 500 or above, plus a 15-credit thesis.

(ii) An M.A. or M.Sc. with Comprehensive Examination, requiring 30 credits of courses, numbered 300 or above including at least 24 credits of courses numbered 500 or above (18 of the 24 credits of courses numbered 500 or higher in an M.Sc. program must be Science courses) plus a major essay.

Ph.D. Program

Although there are no specific course requirements for the Ph.D. program (except for either GEOG 500 or 520), students are expected to take a range of graduate courses in geography and allied fields during their first year of residence.  A Comprehensive Examination (written and oral) is required, in three or four different areas, and is usually scheduled during the second year of the student's program.  Doctoral candidates must submit a Ph.D. dissertation and pass an oral defence of the latter, usually not later than 5 years after the commencement of the program.

Full details on all programs are contained in the Graduate Program Brochure, which is updated every year, available online at: http://www.geog.ubc.ca/graduate/.