Master's Degree Program (MA)

Please note that the department does not normally admit students whose objective is a terminal M.A. degree - applicants are normally expected to continue to the Ph.D. The M.A. may be earned en route to the Ph.D.

Please send all application materials in one envelope: Personal Statement, GRE scores, transcripts, and three letters of recommendation (sealed). We always recommend you request your GRE and Transcripts (sealed) be sent to your house and include them in your main envelope.

Admission

All applicants must submit an application online - information may be found at www.gdnet.ucla.edu . Please send all other supplemental application materials (e.g. statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, transcripts, etc) to the Graduate Office, UCLA Department of Geography, 1255 Bunche Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1524.

Application to the Master of Arts program in Geography may be made for admission to any quarter although we strongly recommend that students submit applications for Fall quarter to be considered for departmental funding that may be available.. An official application, a complete set of transcripts of prior university coursework, the results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test, a statement of purpose, and three letters of evaluation must be submitted. Normally applicants should have:

(1) completed the undergraduate major in geography or in a related field

(2) received a B.A. or B.S. degree

(3) attained at least a 3.3 grade-point average in courses taken in the junior and senior years in the major

(4) attained a high GRE score (normally well above 1,200) in the combined verbal and quantitative sections

(5) strong letters evaluating past academic and/or professional performance indicating potential for high achievement in graduate studies.

Exceptions to the guidelines may be made for students whose records indicate unusual promise. In addition, a faculty member must be willing to serve as interim advisor. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), is normally required of all international applicants whose native language is not English.

Areas Of Study

Students commonly specialize in one or more of the following areas of geographical knowledge: environmental studies, geomorphology, climatology, biogeography, cartography, and economic, social, cultural/historical, population, and urban geography. At the M.A. level students emphasize at least one of these specialized areas. However, because geographical knowledge and its associated research questions frequently transcend disciplinary and subdisciplinary boundaries, students, in consultation with knowledgeable faculty members, are expected to refine and deepen their research interests further, within, across, and beyond these organized research and teaching areas.

Course Requirements

The student must complete at least nine courses, seven (28 units) of which must be at the graduate level, including the required core courses (Geography 298A, one additional core elective, and a methodology core course), for a minimum of thirty-six units. Students must take Geography 298A during Fall quarter of the first year and all coursework must be completed within two years with a grade of B or better in each course. Students may count up to one further core elective course as part of their graduate level course requirements. One 500-series course may be applied toward the minimum course requirement for the M.A. degree but not toward the minimum graduate course requirement. Courses from other departments may also be taken. Quarterly course enrollment plans should be approved by the student's committee chair.

Individual Study Courses. The following rules pertain to individual study courses (Geography 596, 597, 598, 599):

(1) Before enrolling in one of these courses, students must consult with the responsible faculty member and work out a program of study and consultation.

(2) All 500-series courses can be taken on an S/U basis only.

(3) Students may enroll in Geography 597, 598, or 599 as often as required. Teaching Courses. Geography 375 and Geography 495 cannot be applied to the minimum of nine courses for the M.A.

Comprehensive Examination Plan

None.

Thesis Plan

Students must present a thesis, based in whole or in a part on original investigation. Selection of a thesis topic, creation of a scientific design, and conduct of the investigation should proceed under the supervision of the student's M.A. committee. The thesis proposal should include the exact nature of the problem to be researched, an outline of the subject matter, the proposed methods of research, the degree of originality involved, and the anticipated time of completion of the study. The entire thesis project must be carried out in close consultation with all members of the thesis committee.