Geography and Environmental Planning M.A.

Degree: Master of Arts
https://www.towson.edu/cla/departments/geography/gradgeography/

Program Director: Jeremy Tasch
Phone: 410-704-4270
Email: jtasch@towson.edu

Students will graduate ready to be successful working for an International NGO, think-tank, US Department of State, USAID; or as a geospatial analyst, regional, community, or urban planner; or to pursue a doctoral degree.

Blending the sciences with the liberal arts, the Geography and Environmental Planning M.A. program offers a comprehensive approach to sustainability, area studies, critical geopolitics, political ecology, and the human dimensions of climate change with an emphasis on interdisciplinary skills and geographic techniques.

The Master of Arts in Geography and Environmental Planning has two options: Thesis and Non-Thesis. 

Accelerated Bachelor’s-Master’s Program

Students may also earn an M.A. in Geography and Environmental Planning through the Department of Geography and Environmental Planning's accelerated bachelor’s to master’s program. This program allows students to complete their undergraduate and graduate degrees in a shorter time frame. 

All students enrolled in the graduate program must demonstrate proficiency in research using qualitative, quantitative, and/or technical methods. Students may choose a thesis or non-thesis option. All non-thesis students must complete a final research project.

Please see the Undergraduate Catalog for information on the accelerated bachelor's-master's program.

Admission Requirements

Application deadlines and a full listing of materials required for admission can be found on the website.

Degree Requirements

  • All degree candidates must meet with their academic advisers to file intended programs of study. This should be done prior to, or during, the first term of course work. The program director is the initial adviser for all incoming students. The program can be amended in consultation with the adviser.
  • Successful completion of statistics or qualitative methods, or an approved equivalent.

 Thesis Option (minimum 36 units)

Required Courses
All graduate students must complete the following core courses:
GEOG 601SEMINAR ON GEOGRAPHICAL PERSPECTIVES3
GEOG 621RESEARCH DESIGN3
Thesis
Select 6 units of the following course:6
GEOG 898
GEOGRAPHY THESIS
Electives
Select a minimum of 24 units of GEOG electives; a maximum of 6 units may be non-GEOG electives. See elective options below. 24
Total Units36

Non-Thesis Option (minimum 36 units)

Required Courses
All graduate students must complete the following core courses:
GEOG 601SEMINAR ON GEOGRAPHICAL PERSPECTIVES3
GEOG 621RESEARCH DESIGN3
GEOG 797RESEARCH3
Electives
Select a minimum of 27 units of GEOG electives; a maximum of 6 units may be non-GEOG electives. See elective options below. 27
Total Units36
  • For GEOG 797, students should work closely with a member of the graduate faculty on independent research and then present the paper to the graduate faculty. If the paper is judged unacceptable, the student may re-present the paper at a later date set by the faculty. Students not completing their research paper in a single term should enroll in GEOG 799 until the research paper is complete.
Electives
GEOG 502ENERGY RESOURCE3
GEOG 503SOILS AND VEGETATION3
GEOG 504INTRODUCTION TO REMOTE SENSING AND PHOTOGRAMMETRY3
GEOG 505CARTOGRAPHY AND GRAPHICS I3
GEOG 510HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF URBANIZATION3
GEOG 511CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY3
GEOG 512ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY3
GEOG 515CLIMATOLOGY3
GEOG 516QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN GEOGRAPHY3
GEOG 517METEOROLOGY3
GEOG 519POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY3
GEOG 520POPULATION GEOGRAPHY3
GEOG 522URBAN SYSTEMS I3
GEOG 523GIS APPLICATIONS3
GEOG 526FEMINIST GEOGRAPHIES3
GEOG 527OUTDOOR REC PLAN/MNGT3
GEOG 544GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTH ASIA3
GEOG 551GROWTH OF GEOGRAPHIC THOUGHT3
GEOG 552SEVERE AND HAZARDOUS WEATHER3
GEOG 553COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING3
GEOG 554RETHINKING BRAZIL3
GEOG 557STUDIES IN NATURAL HAZARDS3
GEOG 560GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA3
GEOG 562GEOGRAPHY OF AFRICA3
GEOG 563THE SILK ROAD: THE GEOGRAPHIES OF CENTRAL EURASIA3
GEOG 564GEOGRAPHY OF EAST ASIA3
GEOG 565GEOGRAPHY OF THE MIDDLE EAST3
GEOG 566GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE3
GEOG 567GEOGRAPHY OF RUSSIA3
GEOG 568GEOGRAPHY OF LATIN AMERICA3
GEOG 569THE TWO DOWN-UNDERS: GEOGRAPHIES OF AUSTRALIA AND AOTEAROA-NEW ZEALAND3
GEOG 582GEOGRAPHY/ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING INTERNSHIP1-6
GEOG 584TRAVEL AND STUDY3-6
GEOG 586INDEPENDENT STUDY IN GEOGRAPHY1-6
GEOG 587ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS3
GEOG 603URBAN HOUSING JUSTICE3
GEOG 608APPLICATION OF GIS IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT3
GEOG 620QUALITATIVE METHODS3
GEOG 622PROBLEMS AND ANALYSIS IN GEOGRAPHY3
GEOG 623CONSTRUCTING THE ARCTIC: GEOGRAPHIES OF THE CIRCUMPOLAR NORTH3
GEOG 624GEOGRAPHIES OF CONSUMPTION AND WASTE3
GEOG 625PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE REGION3
GEOG 626GIS DATABASE DESIGN3
GEOG 631ADVANCED REMOTE SENSING: DIGITAL IMAGE PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS3
GEOG 652GEOGRAPHIES OF HEALTH3
GEOG 654CLIMATE CHANGE: SCIENCE TO POLICY3
GEOG 664PYTHON SCRIPTING FOR ARCGIS3
GEOG 665ADVANCED TECHNIQUES IN GIS3
GEOG 671SPECIAL TOPICS IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY3
GEOG 672SPECIAL TOPICS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY3
GEOG 673HUMAN-ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS SPECIAL TOPICS3
GEOG 685DIRECTED READING IN GEOGRAPHY1-3
GEOG 696INDEPENDENT STUDY IN GEOGRAPHY1-6
  1. Demonstrate capability in geography, with a critical understanding of how specific areas of theoretical, methodological, and practical expertise relate to scholarship in other areas of the discipline;
  2. Express the ability to analyze critically geographic problems and challenges; ask research questions; understand and apply methods; and conduct original research;
  3. Use effective written, verbal, and graphic communication skills.