MA Geography

 

Completed MA thesis titles

The Department of Geography and Environmental Science offers a Master of Arts in Geography with a range of courses in human geography, physical geography, regional geography, and geographic techniques and methods. There are four broad concentration areas: environmental studies, geographic information science, places and cultures, and urban geography studies. The program accommodates students with a variety of professional backgrounds, and with academic training in social sciences, computer science, environmental science / engineering as well as traditional geography.

The program emphasizes geographic theory, skills, and analytical methodologies in urban, physical, and environmental geography, as well as geographic information science. A limited number of research, teaching, and college assistantships are available. The MA degree can be completed through either a thesis or a non-thesis option. Full-time students may be able to complete the M.A. within three semesters, but the average time for degree completion is three years. Many courses are offered in the evening to accommodate part-time and working students.

An MA in Geography from Hunter can lead to employment with local and national governments, international agencies, non-government organizations, corporations, consultants and information technology companies. The New York area is home to diverse urban communities, dynamic economies and cultures, government structures of all levels (from local to international), and corporate headquarters. Located on Manhattan’s upper east side, Hunter College is close to these activities. Students who wish to continue graduate work at the PhD level will find themselves well prepared and equipped with the research and technical skills necessary for advanced research.



Requirements in MA Geography

For admission requirements, application deadlines, and requirements for the degree, please refer to Hunter College's Graduate Catalog
https://hunter-graduate.catalog.cuny.edu/programs/GEOG-MA



Learning Outcomes

Our students must demonstrate proficiency in scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and effective communication skills. These principles form the basis for the Geography master’s program learning outcomes.

  1. Students will be able to state how a research project contributes to an existing body of geographic literature. The MA program emphasizes the geographic approach, where students apply concepts of space, place, location, scale, borders and regions, for example, to examine and test hypotheses regarding natural and human systems and explain association and causation in human-environment interactions.
  2. Students will be able to compare geographic perspectives, evaluate evidence (qualitative and/or quantitative) and arguments, and use evidence to support their conclusions. They also will learn to think creatively about strategic solutions to both global and local challenges to environmental and social sustainability. Student will apply critical thinking and creative solutions to global and local challenges to comprehend complex issues facing people, places, and spatial processes.
  3. Students will learn to connect phenomena spatially, systematically, or otherwise and explain human and environmental causes of current and emerging societal stresses and crises including climate change, biodiversity loss, desertification and deforestation, sea level rise, poverty and inequality, urbanization, geopolitical crises, and migration.  This learning outcome necessitates a broad and integrative knowledge of human and environmental global phenomena.
  4. Students will be able to design legitimate geographic methodology and implement legitimate geographic methodology.  Students will learn to use qualitative, quantitative and mixed method approaches and tools, including statistical spatial analysis, grounded and social constructivist theory, remote sensing and GIScience assisted by geographical and geospatial technologies as well as theoretical insight into connections between regions and multiple factors that produce place. 
  5. Student will be able to communicate through oral and visual presentation of spatial and geographical information.  By incorporating written, oral and visual methods (including graphs and maps), students will learn to communicate efficiently, with clarity and purpose, in the language of the discipline of geography. They will be prepared to become active, informed citizens ready to have an impact on society and the environment.


Guidance on Requirements from the Graduate Geography Advisor:



Availability of funding for MA students

Limited financial support might be available to MA students through research grants of indivividual faculty members.

SWG Adelene Moffat Fellowship: The Society of Woman Geographers Adelene Moffat Fellowship at Hunter College is a monetary award given annually to an outstanding woman student enrolled in a masters’ graduate program at the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at Hunter College of the City University of New York. The fellowship provides financial support to assist the student in completing their thesis research and to encourage further graduate study in geography.

If you have any inquiries related to this matter, please contact the Graduate Geography Advisor, Professor Jochen Albrecht at jochen.albrecht@gmail.com.



Policy for maintenance of GPA

In order to graduate with an MA in Geography at Hunter College, students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. Any student whose cumulative GPA is below 3.0 at the end of a semester is considered “on probation.” Students on probation are expected to initiate a meeting with their academic adviser, and the graduate adviser, to discuss strategies to raise the student’s GPA. It is the student's responsibility to initiate this discussion.

If a student’s cumulative GPA is still below 3.0 after the semester of probation, the academic adviser and the graduate adviser may remove a student from the program. Such a decision is not taken lightly, and is taken only if the academic and graduate advisers agree that the student is unlikely to be able to successfully complete the requirements for the MA degree.



Policy for choosing an adviser and a committee

All Master’s degree students, regardless of whether they choose the thesis or exam option, must have a graduate committee consisting of an academic/major advisor and at least one other member. The role of the committee for thesis option students is to guide students through their course work and thesis research. The role of the committee for exam-option students is to guide students through their course work and their research papers, and to administer their exams. The committee should have expertise related to the student’s research interests. The role of the department's graduate adviser, which is different than the student’s academic adviser, is to ensure that students are meeting their requirements and milestones in a timely fashion, to enter permissions for classes, and to help students with other bureaucratic issues.

The academic adviser must be a full time faculty member of the Hunter College Department of Geography and Environmental Science. The second member (and any additional members) must have a Ph.D. in an appropriate field, and considered an expert in an area relevant to the student’s area of concentration. This may include full time as well as adjunct faculty of our department, faculty of other departments or institutions, or persons employed in the public or private sector. Students are required to identify an academic advisor before the end of their second semesters (or 20th credits, whichever is earlier) in the program and consult with her/him on which courses to take, and on what research topics to pursue. Students are also encouraged to choose committee members as early as possible during their career so that the committee can help shape the student’s academic experience as much as possible.

Potential advisors and committee members are not obligated to serve on the committee of any particular student. To choose an advisor or committee member, the student is expected to ask a faculty member if she/he is willing to serve in that capacity.  If she/he agrees to serve, ask her/him to email the graduate advisor to formalize the committee.



Guidance in choosing a research topic, an adviser and a committee

Your choice of research topic and advisor are critical, and there are many issues to be considered. The issues depend very much on the circumstances of each individual student. However, here we mention some general questions that each student should consider.

  1. Am I a student who needs or wants a close working relationship with your advisor? Or, am I experienced enough to do most of your research independently, with less interaction with your adviser? On this spectrum, most students fall in the middle, and require some degree of interaction with their adviser. If you are such a student, the choice of research topic and the choice of advisor are not independent of each other. It is likely in your best interest to be somewhat flexible in the specific topic, even if you have a general area of interest. This way, when you find a potential advisor, you work with her/him to decide on a topic that is of interest to both of you. If you choose a topic that is closely related to, or a small piece of, a project that the professor is already working on, you are more likely to benefit from direct interaction with the professor. If your topic is only marginally related to the professor’s current agenda, she/he may be less able to commit the same number of hours to your project.
  2. How should I identify which professors are potential advisors for me?Get to know the professors, first on the department web site, then by taking their classes, taking GEOG 70200 (where you meet many professors), and introducing yourself to them in other circumstances. This way you can get a feel for which professors have expertise related to your topic, and what specific projects the professor is working on.
  3. When should I start thinking about my research topic, advisor, and committee? As soon as possible. If you arrive here with a clear idea of your area of interest, start getting to know the appropriate professors immediately. Between your 9th and 18th credit is a good time to narrow it down and establish an adviser-advisee relationship with a professor. Then you have some time to choose a topic, and take the appropriate courses, before you have used up all your credits. However, some students will be able to accomplish this sooner, some will accomplish this later.
  4. Why should I choose my advisor early? Having an advisor early in your career (“early” means before you have taken too many credits towards your Master’s degree) will give you an advantage. The professor can advise you on what areas of knowledge you need in order to work on a particular project. To do the best thesis or research paper possible, there are probably a number of skills and areas of background information that you will need. If you start working with your advisor early in your career, you can take all the course work that you need, and independent studies if necessary, to cover all the bases. For students interested in pursuing a Ph.D., this should also make you a stronger candidate for admission to a Ph.D. program. If you approach your advisor when you have already taken, for example, 28 of your 31 required credits, and the advisor feels that you do not have the background necessary to accomplish a proper thesis in her/his field of study, you will either have to take extra classes or choose a different adviser.
  5. Can I switch topic and/or adviser?Yes. However, choosing and switching advisers is not something to be taken lightly. When a student and professor enter into an advisee-adviser relationship, they are each making a fairly significant commitment. Sometimes, however, things do not work out as planned, and you may need to choose a different topic and/or a different adviser. As long you are open and honest with your adviser about all frustrations that may arise every step of the way, give your project and course work the full attention they deserve, and try to work through the difficult moments that inevitably arise, you and/or your adviser may come to a reasonable decision about how to proceed. When you are first choosing an adviser, it may make sense for you and a faculty member to enter into a provisional, or temporary, advisee-adviser relationship. Then, after a semester or some other agreed-upon time, you can both decide whether to continue or not. Regardless of the details, both you and the faculty member must agree to the terms of the relationship.


Policy for credits taken outside this department

Master’s degree students are allowed to take courses outside of this department, which includes both courses at other institutions as well as courses from other Hunter College departments. Courses acceptable for use towards completion of a degree in this department must meet the minimum requirements for Hunter College transfer of graduate credits. For courses taken outside of Hunter College, students must follow the Hunter College guidelines for transfer of graduate credit (both the requirements and the procedures can be found at http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/graduateadmissions/applying/degree-application/transfer-credit. Note that among the requirements is that only courses for which a student received a grade of B or higher are accepted, and that there is a constraint on how far in the past these credits are acceptable. The graduate adviser, in consultation with the student’s academic adviser, determines which courses are acceptable for use towards completion of a degree in this department. For credits taken from other Hunter College departments, the grade will be transferred and will count towards the student’s cumulative GPA. For credits taken at other institutions, no grade will be transferred, and therefore the grade will not affect the student’s cumulative GPA. No credit is given for internships.

The number of such credits that are acceptable for use towards completion of a degree in this department depends on a student’s background.

  1. For students entering the program with an undergraduate degree in Geography from Hunter College, a maximum 9 credits outside this program are acceptable for use towards this degree.
  2. For students entering the program with an undergraduate degree in Geography from another institution, a maximum nine credits outside this program are acceptable for use towards this degree.
  3. For students entering the program with an undergraduate degree other than Geography, a maximum six credits outside this program are acceptable for use towards this degree.


Policy for credits previously earned in this department by a Master's degree student, at a time when the student had either non-matriculated or undergraduate status

Credits previously earned in the Hunter College Department of Geography and Environmental Science by a Master’s degree student, at a time when the student had non-matriculated status, may be acceptable for use towards completion of a degree in this department. A maximum of two courses or eight credits, whichever is greater, are acceptable. The credits will be accepted only if the cumulative GPA of the transferred credits is at least 3.0. Grades received for these transferred credits are included in the students’ cumulative GPA.

If the student had undergraduate status when the courses were taken, then only courses that were not used to fulfill an undergraduate requirement will be accepted.

The only situation where a greater number of credits will be accepted is if the courses were taken to complete the Hunter College GIS Certificate Program, which are subject to the Policy for credits taken to complete the GIS Certificate Program. Note that, if the GIS Certificate has not been completed, then the policy stated in this paragraph apply.



Policy for credits taken to complete the GIS Certificate Program

Up to 9 credits taken for the Hunter College GIS Certificate may be counted towards a Master’s Degree in Geography at Hunter. Students must apply to the GIS Certificate Program separately. The transfer of credits can work in several ways:

  1. Students may be enrolled in both programs simultaneously, in which case the credits are acceptable for both the Master’s degree and the GIS Certificate.
  2. Students may have completed some (but not all) of the credits for the GIS certificate program prior to matriculation in the Master’s Program. In this case, the policy for credits earned in this department previously by a Masters degree student, at a time when the student had nonmatriculated status, is in effect.
  3. Students may have successfully completed the GIS certificate program prior to matriculation in the Master’s program. In this case, a maximum of 9 credits are transferrable, provided that the cumulative GPA of the transferred credits is at least 3.0.
  4. Students may have completed some or all of the credits for the Master’s program prior to enrollment in the GIS Certificate Program. In this case, students may apply to the GIS Certificate Program. Students must consult with the GIS Certificate Program Advisor to discuss the transfer of credits into that program.


Policy for graduate level regional geography courses

Our department does not offer graduate level regional geography courses. However, we provide an opportunity for graduate students to take such a course. GEOG 70900 is listed as "Geography of Selected World Regions." This is not actually a course. This is a course number that allows graduate students, in some circumstances, the option to take an undergraduate regional course, and to arrange with the instructor to do extra work to make it worth graduate credit. This is typically used by students in the Adolescent Education in Earth Sciences program, but not usually by Geography MA students.



Procedure to file for graduation

All students must file online degree audit in their “MyHunter” accounts near the beginning of the semester during which they intend to graduate (or prior to that semester).  The student must be actively enrolled or enrolled for maintenance of matriculation during the semester that the student files for graduation.

For the exam option, the graduate advisor must submit a letter to the records department confirming that the student has fulfilled all requirements. When an exam option student passes both the exam and the paper, it is the student's responsibility to make sure that the academic/major advisor writes an email statement to the graduate advisor with information on the date that the exam was completed, whether the student passes the exam, and the date that the student completed the research paper, so that the graduate adviser can write the letter to the records office.  This is especially important for exam option students, because the records department receives independent confirmation from the Dean's office when these are completed, but receives no other confirmation for exam option students.

For the thesis option, students need to follow the Guidelines and Step by Step Guide below to submit the thesis online.  It is recommended that the thesis be submitted three weeks prior to graduation. Guidelines for preparation of the Master's thesis electronic submission on CUNY Academic Works can be found here. Step by Step Guide for Department of Geography and Environmental Science graduate students on the electronic thesis submission can be found here. When a student’s thesis is approved by the academic advisor, it is the student’s responsibility to make sure that the academic/major advisor submits a grade change form for the student’s thesis credit.

  • If the thesis credit was taken more than a year ago, the student needs to make sure that the major advisor sends the grade change form to the Dean's office for approval; if more than two years ago, the form needs to be approved by the provost's office as well and accompanied with a letter from the major advisor explaining why it took so long for the student to complete the thesis.
  • If a student took the thesis credit more than once, which should only happen if a student changed the academic advisor, a grade change form is required from each professor that the student has taken the thesis credit with.
  • Hunter College School of Arts and Sciences Master's thesis deadline can be found here.