The Graduate degree in geography is designed to provide students with a broad range of academic and professional options. Our program prepares students for either professional opportunities in applied geography and planning, Ph.D. work in geography and planning, or opportunities teaching geography at all educational levels including college. Our Program Coordinator is Dr. Pete Soule, please email him at soulept@appstate.edu with any program questions.

The Department of Geography and Planning also offers graduate certificates in GIScience and in Planning.

Program Highlights

• You have four options within the Geography MA program:
  • Thesis: requires 30 credit hours to complete
  • Non-Thesis General: requires 36 credit hours to complete
  • Non-Thesis Planning: requires 36 credit hours to complete
  • Graduate Minor: requires 9-12 credit hours
  • You can complete the Graduate Certificate program in Boone or Asheville by taking 18 hours of coursework.
• Graduate Assistantships 
   The department generally has a number of Graduate Assistantships available. Assistantships currently pay $9,000 for the year ($4,500 per semester). Assistants work 20 hours per week in the department usually with a faculty member helping on a research project, with classes, or in one of our labs. Specific assignments are made just prior to the start of the semester based on the student's skills, training, interests and the needs of the department. Provided that the student makes satisfactory progress in the program, these awards are usually renewed for a second year. Out-of-state tuition is waived on a competitive basis. University-wide and departmental scholarships are also available to highly qualified graduate students.    

Concentrations: General; Geographic Infomation Science; Planning

Location of instruction: On campus, Asheville

Required Entrance Exam: GRE (score must be no more than 5 years old)

Required Number of References to specify in the on-line form: 3

Supplemental Information: Resume (Required upload for application submission); letter addressing reasons why applicant wishes to enter the program, not to exceed two pages stating reasons why applicant wishes to enter the program (upload on the Additional Information page in the on-line application)

Deadlines for Application: A program not open for a particular term will be marked with an "x." Early screening dates are listed in parentheses. Applications that are not complete by the early screening date risk denial of admission due to no seats available. Increased enrollment may lead to a term being closed for new applications.

• Spring: x
• Summer Session 1: x
• Summer Session 2: x
• Fall : 7/1 (2/15 -  Early Screening Deadline)
• Fall Off-Campus: 6/1 (2/15 -  Early Screening Deadline)

Basic Conditions for Consideration of Admission:

Meeting or exceeding the conditions below does NOT guarantee admission. All applications for a given entry term will be weighed based upon the number of seats available and the quality of the complete application packages. With special permission from the Graduate School, a program may admit a limited number of students with exceptional circumstances who do not meet the graduate school minimums.

Graduate School: 3.0 GPA in the last earned degree and official scores from the appropriate admission test(s), OR 2.5 GPA in the last earned degree and official scores at the 25th percentile level from the appropriate admission test(s).

Admission to Geography: The faculty will give preference to applicants who meet or exceed the following: An undergraduate GPA at or above a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and at least one score on the GRE (V, Q , or A) at or above the 50th percentile.

Link to Bulletin Description

Link to Application

Tuition and Fees and Sources of Financial Support

Back to Prospective Student Information

• M.A. Degree Requirements
• The Office of the Registrar 
  Look up Geography and/or Planning classes by term. You can search past and current term course listings. 
• The Cratis D. Williams Graduate School Website
  For Graduate program and application information, deadlines, and course descriptions. We will begin early screening in February for Fall entrance.
• Certificates in GIS or Planning If you are a Graduate Student in another program, here at ASU.