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Geography Department > Masters Program > Master's Degree Requirements

Master's Degree Requirements

The following requirements will apply to all incoming students as of Fall 2001. Students in residence prior to Fall 2001 will be governed by the requirements in force in the academic year in which they entered the graduate program, typically the May 1995 revised MA program statement.

Responsibility for familiarization with and adherence to departmental and university regulations rests with the student. Please consult the General Graduate and Information Catalog. If you have any questions concerning the interpretation of specific requirements please consult the Chair of the Graduate Field of Study (hereafter Graduate Chair).

Prior to beginning graduate study, each student should carefully read the latest Graduate Division Bulletin as well as this statement.

Pre-Program Deficiencies

Upon admission to the program, and before the initial course registration, students should meet with the Graduate Chair and their interim advisor. Together they will review the student’s previous record and determine whether admitted students have any significant gaps in basic geographical knowledge. This will apply especially, but not exclusively, to those whose undergraduate degrees are in other disciplines and who did not take under-graduate geography courses.

Faculty are concerned that students graduating from the program are not narrow sub-disciplinary specialists, but that they develop a breadth of geographic knowledge during their program. To meet this goal, the faculty require students to have basic cartographic, and quantitative course skills. Additionally, a basic knowledge in both human and physical geography must be obtained during the student’s degree program. Pre-program deficiencies in these areas will be identified by the Graduate Chair, and can be remedied by completing the following courses:

• Geog 375, “Introduction to Cartography and Air Photo” or equivalent.
• Geog 380, “Analytical Methods in Geography I”, or equivalent.
• 300 - level or above human or physical geography course [recommended human geography courses include Geog 312, Geog 326, Geog 328 and Geog 335; physcial geography courses include Geog 300, Geog 303, Geog 309]. Other suitable geography courses may be substituted with support of the candidate’s academic advisor and approval of the Graduate Chair or Graduate Program Committe

Courses identified as pre-program deficiencies may be taken as credit / no credit (with credit being defined as a grade of C or better) or for grade (A-F).

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Coursework

Each student is required to complete a minimum 31 credit hours of coursework in addition to any pre-program deficiencies. Students should consult with their advisors before registering for courses and should maintain a Synopsis of Program which summarizes their coursework. Students, in consultation with their advisor, are responsible for planning their coursework and should aim to complete their program in a timely fashion (see the Guide to Progress Through the M.A. Program page 7). Upon completion of coursework, and pre-program deficiencies, a final Synopsis of Program must be submitted to the Graduate Chair who may transmit to the Graduate Program Committee (GPC) for approval.

The Core Program (7 credits)
This program consists of three related courses designed to introduce students to the world of professional geography and to the faculty of the department. These courses are best taken in sequence although it is recognized that this is not always possible. It is preferred that all students take these courses regardless of their background. It will not be possible to receive credit for these courses by taking Geog 699 (see below). Also, students must obtain a B grade or better to satisfy the core requirement. These courses should be taken in sequence, beginning with the first Fall semester in residence. They are as follows:

Geog 692, Faculty Seminar Series (1 credit)
This course introduces students to the profession of geography and particularly the sub-disciplines of the UHM faculty via seminar-style presentations by individual faculty members. This course is required of all MA students. Faculty will generally assign readings of their own work and present their research. Students will be expected to participate in class discussions and to complete two short papers during the semester. This course will be offered in the Fall and will run concurrently with Geog 695.

Geog 695, Introduction to the Concepts and Theories of Geography (3 credits)
This seminar course provides students with an introduction to the major concepts and theories of modern geography. The aim is to provide students with a basic understanding of the various epistemological and methodological approaches to the study of geography, and the major intellectual debates within the field since its inception as a university discipline in the late nineteenth century. The course is required for all entering graduate students, and will run concurrently with Geog 692 in the Fall semester.

Geog 696, Introduction to Research Design and Field Methods (3 credits)
This course introduces students to the basic research methods used in the various sub-disciplines. It may include fieldwork exercises. Students will be required to write a research proposal as the major paper in this course. It is expected that this will be the basis for their thesis research, although this will not always be the case. This course will normally be open only to classified graduate students and it will be offered in each Spring semester. [Prerequisite Geog 695]

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The Specialization (15 credits)
Students, in consultation with their advisor, should devise a program of courses that together constitute a coherent specialization. Faculty are presently supervising students with specializations in the following areas:

Agricultural Geography Biogeography Cartography Climatology Cultural Ecology Cultural Geography Environmental Geography Geographic Information Systems

Geomorphology Global Environmental Change Population Geography Regional Specialization (Asia or Pacific) Remote Sensing Resource Geography Urban Geography Water Resources

Students proposing a specialization that is not currently recognized by the department will be required to petition the Graduate Chair or the GPC. A specialization must be recognizably geographical, intellectually defensible, and there must be expertise within the faculty of the department. A specialty must include:

At least 9 credits of coursework offered by the Department of Geography (i.e. students may include up to 6 credits in related courses from cognate departments or programs).

At least 6 credits of advanced coursework at the 600 or 700 level (the remaining can be at 300- or 400-level).

Research Skills (3 credits)
Students must take one course in research techniques appropriate to their field of specialization. This might include, for example, cartography, remote sensing, GIS, quantitative methods, field methods, experimental methods or bibliographic techniques. Where appropriate, and with the approval of the advisory committee, candidates may also satisfy this requirement with a foreign language. Candidates will demonstrate their competence in a language other than English in one of the following ways. The main method of demonstrating competence is by passing the foreign language proficiency examinations administered by there respective language departments. In some cases, individuals can also be certified competent in their language by a qualified instructor or examiner. The department will also accept the completion of the second semester of 300-level language instruction with a grade of B or better. Students who specialize in a methodology (this includes cartography and GIS, for example) must take a graduate seminar in either another systematic field or in regional geography.

Thesis Writing (6 credits)
The student receives credit while writing the thesis under the direction of an advisor.

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The Thesis

The thesis must demonstrate the student’s ability to formulate a research problem, to assemble and analyze relevant data, to draw appropriate conclusions, and to express findings clearly and concisely. It should be of publishable quality as judged by the advisory committee. In practice, it varies considerably in length and style, and students are advised to review the collection of departmental theses to obtain some idea of this variety. All students must present one copy of their thesis to the department for binding and placement in the reading room. Students should refer to the Graduate Division guidelines for further information on format and deadlines for thesis submission. Students can obtain a current copy of the UH Manoa Graduate Division “Style and Policy Manual for Theses and Dissertations” at the following address: http://www.hawaii.edu/graduate/Forms/s&p.pdf.