M.S. Geography

The Geography Program offers three options for the M.S. degree:  General Geography, GIS & Cartography, and Community and Environmental Planning.  Additionally, all of these options may be completed using one of three tracks:  the thesis, professional paper, or non-thesis (portfolio) track.

M.S. Geography Degree Requirements for All Options

For the M.S. Geography degree (in any option), students are required to complete one of the following
tracks:

  • Thesis track:  Successfully complete and defend a thesis or one or more papers (i.e., articles) of publishable quality before an examining committee.
  • Professional Paper track: Successfully complete and defend a professional paper or one or more papers (i.e., articles) of publishable quality before an examining committee.  The difference between a thesis and a professional paper is that while the thesis is directed toward advances in the discipline, the professional paper may be directed toward advances in the profession.  A professional paper may also consist of one or more papers of publishable quality intended for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
  • Non-thesis (Portfolio) track:  Requires the successful completion of a portfolio and written and oral comprehensive examinations described in the addendum of the "PDF of Graduate Degree Requirements" downloadable through the link above.

There is no minimum number of thesis credits that must be taken for any of the tracks.

Graduate School Requirements:  Of the minimum number of credits required for the M.S. degree, at least 20 semester credits (including those earned for the thesis or professional paper), will be in your major discipline, and at least 50% must be at the 500 or 600 level (excluding a combined total of 10 semester credits for thesis and research).  Students must be continuously registered for a minimum of 3 credits per semester, including the final term during which they complete all degree requirements. Please see Graduate School Policies on Credit Requirements and Continuous Registration.

M.S. Geography Degree with No Concentration

The M.S. Geography degree with no Concentration offers the most flexibility and is appropriate for students who are focused on human or physical geography as well as those who have interests in human-environment interactions, climate change, land-use and environmental planning, community resilience, cartography, GIS, and geospatial analysis.  In the General Geography M.S., students may tailor their program to their individual interests once they complete the core requirements (≥10 credits).  The core requirements include:

  • FORS 594 – Forestry Graduate Research Seminar (students must register the first fall in residence, 1cr.);
  • An appropriate Graduate Research Design Course (e.g. GPHY 504/505, NRSM 500, GEO 508, WILD 540, etc.);
  • An appropriate Graduate Research Methods Course (such as quantitative methods (e.g., STAT 451 or STAT 452, GPHY 482, FORS 538, or SOCI 563), qualitative methods (e.g., SOCI 561, EVST 555, etc.), historical methods, survey methods (e.g., ECNS 486), GIS courses in Geography, advanced computer methods, or others approved by the graduate committee) 3 cr);
  • At least 3 additional credits of Graduate Seminar (these may be from GPHY 525, GPHY 560, GPHY 580 or other Seminar courses, 3 cr).

A minimum of 30 credits are required for the thesis and professional paper options, 36 for the non-thesis option.  Choices in the core and of remaining credits will be selected in consultation with the graduate committee to support the research program and student's career goals.  Coursework must be approved by the committee no later than the second semester in residence, but earlier if possible.

M.S. Geography Degree with a Concentration in Cartography and GIS

The M.S. degree in Geography with an Concentration in Cartography and GIS is appropriate for those whose work is focused on spatial mapping and analysis.  Beyond the core requirements specified for the General MS (≥10 credits), an additional 16 credits are required (19 if the Methods course is not a GIS class), and electives as needed to complete the 34 to 40 credits for the degree.  These include:

Required Concentration Courses (7 credits):

  • GPHY 487-3 Remote Sensing and Raster GIS
  • GPHY 489-1 Laboratory (coreq with GPHY 487)
  • GPHY 488-3 GIS Applications

Concentration Elective Courses (at least 9 credits):

  • GPHY 468-3 Community and Regional Analysis
  • GPHY 469-1 Laboratory (coreq with GPHY 468)
  • GPHY 481-3 Advanced Cartographic Design
  • GPHY 485-3 Internet GIS
  • GPHY 489-1 Laboratory (coreq with GPHY 485)
  • GPHY 587-3 Digital Image Analysis and Modeling
  • GPHY 589-1 Laboratory (coreq with GPHY 587)
  • GPHY 588-3 Spatial Analysis & Modeling
  • GPHY 589-1 Laboratory (coreq with GPHY 588)
  • GPHY 598-3 Internship
  • FORS 505-3 Sampling Methods
  • FORS 551-4 Digital Image Processing
  • WILD 562-3 Wildlife Habitat Modeling

A minimum of 34 credits are required for the thesis and professional paper options, 40 for the non-thesis option.  Remaining credits will be selected in consultation with the graduate committee to support the research program and student's career goals.

M.S. Degree in Geography with a Concentration in Community and Environmental Planning

The M.S. degree in Geography with an Concentration in Community and Environmental Planning is appropriate for those interested in working in community planning, hazard mitigation, and land-use planning.  Beyond the core requirements specified for the General MS (10 credits), an additional 23 credits are required. These include:

Required Concentration Courses (19 credits):

  • GPHY 465-3 Planning Principles and Processes
  • GPHY 466-3 Environmental Planning
  • GPHY 468-3 Community and Regional Analysis
  • GPHY 469-1 Laboratory with Gphy 468
  • GPHY 560-3 Seminar in Planning
  • GPHY 561-3 Land Use Law
  • GPHY 564-3 Planning Design

Concentration Electives Courses (4 cr.):

  • GPHY 433 - 3 Community Resilience
  • GPHY 598-R3 Internship (maximum 6 cr.)
  • GPHY 562-2 Land Use Planning Clinic

See Catalog listings for Policy, Planning, Anthropology, Communication Studies, Environmental Studies, Forestry, Geography, Law, Native American Studies, Political Science, and other relevant courses and programs.

A minimum of 33 credits are required for the thesis and professional paper options, 39 for the non-thesis option.  Remaining credits will be selected in consultation with the graduate committee to support the research program and student's career goals.

Application Procedures


To apply to a graduate program in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation (FCFC), applicants should first identify an area of study in which they are interested.  In addition, it is recommended that applicants reach out to individual faculty members to discuss potential available opportunities for graduate study in that area.

To complete your application: 

  • Fill out UM Graduate School application and pay fee.
  • Submit the following to the online application portal, unless otherwise noted:
    • A statement of interest that describes the intended area of study.  The statement of interest should include the name(s) of at least one FCFC faculty member whose research interests most closely align with the applicant’s, and briefly describe how/why.  When relevant, applicants should note whether they have spoken with any faculty in FCFC about graduate work, and especially if any faculty have invited application.
    • A resume or Curriculum Vitae.
    • E-mail addresses for three (3) references who have agreed to provide letters of recommendation.  (Please be sure to check the box to indicate that your references receive the automated email from CollegeNet.)
    • Unofficial transcripts uploaded into CollegeNet or by email to request@cfc.umt.edu.
    • Official English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores if English is not your first language.

The GRE will no longer be required as part of our application materials.

Additional application information:

  • The statement of interest (approx. 2 pages) should outline the applicant’s desired area of study and must include the name(s) of at least one faculty member whose interests align with the applicant, and/or the names of any faculty members the applicant has contacted regarding graduate study opportunities, or who have encouraged the applicant to apply.
  • Applicants must provide transcripts of all previous college work.  Unofficial transcripts can be submitted for application review.  Accepted applicants will be asked to provide an official transcript showing all degrees received.  Applicants already enrolled in or who have received a degree from UM do not need to submit a transcript.
  • Applicants may email electronic transcripts to request@cfc.umt.edu or mail physical copies to the W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation, Attn: Grad Applications, 32 Campus Drive, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812.
  • The W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation does not require a writing sample as part of the application process, but in some cases, individual faculty may request a writing sample for evaluation.
  • Applicants can check application status by logging into the CollegeNet account created prior to submission.

We do not accept applications by fax.  Please note that it typically takes four to six weeks from the date of the TOEFL examination for the scores to be reported.  We will check application files periodically and inform applicants of missing files.  We will not take action on incomplete application files.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

January 31 for admission to the fall semester of that same calendar year.

August 31 for admission to the spring semester of the following calendar year.

ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

The W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds who seek an intellectually challenging education.  All students must be familiar with the requirements and procedures established by the Graduate School for their particular graduate degree. These requirements are available at the UM Graduate School.

Preliminary decisions regarding acceptance will be made by the FCFC Graduate Committee using the following minimum criteria:

  • Minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 in undergraduate work for M.S. programs and 3.5 in graduate work for PhD programs.
  • For applicants whose native language is not English, the applicant must have a minimum TOEFL score of 79 or an IELTS score of 6.5.

Applicants who do not meet these minimums may still be considered for provisional admission if other aspects of the application show substantial professional experience or other qualifications.

Final decisions regarding acceptance will be made by individual faculty members using the following criteria:

Applicants who meet the minimum criteria will be further evaluated by faculty members based on all or some of the following criteria:  1) references; 2) previous experience, including relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities; 3) writing proficiency; 4) overall GPA versus GPA during the most recent two years or in specific coursework; 5) results of an on campus and/or remote interview.  In some cases, admission decisions may also be based on the availability of funding.  Finally, applicants will not be accepted without the approval of a faculty member who agrees to serve as the major professor.  Lack of faculty endorsement is the primary reason applicants are not accepted.  We strongly suggest all applicants directly contact one or more faculty members before submitting a graduate application.

Accepted applicants must enroll in the semester stated in their acceptance letter or in the subsequent semester.  Outside of this enrollment window, admission may be deferred for one year with approval from the major professor.  Accepted applicants seeking deferral should contact the Graduate School for all required deferment paperwork.  There is a $20 deferment fee.  Accepted applicants who do not have an approved deferral or not start their degree work within the acceptance timeframe must reapply for admission.