Graduate Courses
Geography Core Courses
- GEOG 200A, B, and C: Introduction to Geographic Research
- GEOG 201: Seminar in Geography (Required every quarter offered until advancement to candidacy; S/U grading only)
- GEOG 210A, B, and C: Analytical Methods in Geography
- GEOG 500: T.A. Training (Required for all Teaching Assistants)
Course Descriptions
GEOG 200A: Introduction to departmental faculty, their research and professional development. Systematic and technique areas of emphasis will be presented, as well as department facilities and research collaborations with other institutions. Approximately half of the course will be devoted to professional development.
GEOG 200B: Geography 200B provides an introduction to the history of geographic thought as baseline preparation for the General Geography component of the doctoral written exams. The goal of the class is for students to gain a basic understanding of core geographic concepts and their history, and an appreciation of the broad domains of geographic scholarship and differences among their approaches to research. By the end of the class, students will have developed partially-customized reading lists that they will continue to pursue in preparation for their written exams.
GEOG 200C: Introduction to scientific research methods in human, physical, and techniques in geography. Topics include: scientific logic and philosophy, physical measurement, surveys, experimental and non-experimental research designs, computational modeling, sampling, data analysis and display, written and oral communication, and research ethics.
GEOG 201: A series of seminars on diverse problems in human and physical geography, and geographic techniques, by current and visiting faculty and researchers.
GEOG 210A: Introduction to analytical methods for geography research. Topics include: calculus, differential equations and linear algebra. Emphasis is placed on solving geographically relevant problems and their documentation.
GEOG 210B: Statistical principles and practice of analyzing geographical data. Topics include bivariate and multiple regression and other multivariate techniques. Emphasis on exploratory data analysis and graphical techniques.
GEOG 210C: Overview of key concepts in spatial statistics, including measures of spatial association and models for spatial regression, point processes and random fields. Geostatistical methods for analysis and interpolating continuous and area (lattice) data.
GEOG 500: Course for new teaching assistants to examine geographic teaching methods and classroom procedures. Emphasis on use of equipment and facilities in the department, teaching aids, lectures, exams, grading, student advising, and special problems.
Independent Study Courses
Independent study courses are designed to provide flexibility for individual study towards the Master’s and Ph.D. degrees and to enable students to easily maintain a 12- unit course load each quarter.
GEOG 596: Directed Reading and Research (2–8 units). Must use an instructor number when registering. The student, with the instructor’s endorsement (the instructor is usually the student’s thesis or dissertation advisor), writes a brief proposal for each tutorial. No more than half the graduate units necessary for the Master’s degree may be taken in Geography 596. You will need an approval code to register for this course - the Graduate Program Assistant can provide it.
GEOG 597: Individual Study for the Ph.D. Examinations (1–12 units). Must use an instructor number when registering. Graded S/U and does not provide unit credit towards the degree. The total number of units that the student can enroll in Geography 597 is limited to 24.
GEOG 598: Master’s Thesis Research and Preparation (1–12 units). Must use an instructor number when registering. Graded S/U and does not provide unit credit toward the Master’s degree. Instructor normally is the chair of the student’s thesis committee.
GEOG 599: Ph.D. Dissertation Research and Preparation (1–12 units). Must use an instructor number when registering. Graded S/U. Instructor normally is the chair of the student’s Doctoral Committee.
