Graduate Program
The faculty, with extensive world-wide experience (Latin America, the Caribbean, Southern and Eastern Asia, Europe, Africa, the American West, and the American South), is exceptionally qualified to direct graduate research in geography of the natural environment (especially biogeography, paleoclimatology, and geomorphology), spatial analysis (especially location analysis, environmental modeling, and geographic information science), and human geography (especially economic, urban, transportation, population, and cultural).
Graduate Student Handbook (2007-2008; in pdf format)
How to Apply for Admission
How to apply for admission to the Graduate School and to a graduate degree program in Geography
To apply for admission to a graduate degree program in geography is a two-stage process. First, you must be admitted into the Graduate School of the University. After the Graduate School certifies that you meet its requirements, you may then be considered for admission to a graduate degree program in geography. Normally these processes occur simultaneously, but to get them underway you should finish documentation as follows:
Submit to the Graduate Office, 218 Student Services Building:
- Application for Admission to the Graduate School (inside front cover of the Graduate Catalog, or enclosed in the Graduate Admissions Guide, or can be filled out and submitted online)
- The $35.00 application fee
- One official transcript (or statement of your University standing) submitted by the records officer of the University. If obtaining documentation in advance of receiving your degree presents problems, please let the department know so that we can ask the Graduate Office to mark your application for special handing.
- One official copy of your Graduate
Record Examination scores, submitted by the GRE Office at Princeton
directly to the University of Tennessee. They keep test records
for five years; thus, tests taken more than five years ago cannot
be used. (If you have not yet taken that exam, you should make
arrangements to do so as soon as possible).
- Foreign students must also submit TOEFL scores, and meet all other requirements as outlined in the Admission Guide for International Students
Submit to the Head, Department of Geography, 304 Burchfiel Geography Building
- Department application for admission to a graduate degree program in geography (available online)
- Letters of recommendation (or copies of the rating from enclosed in the Graduate Admission Guide) from at least three persons who are well-acquainted with your recent academic work. [Do not send letters of recommendation to the Office of Graduate Admissions]
- One official transcript (or statement of your University standing) submitted by the University
- Affirmative Action/Identification Information Form
Deadlines:
• If you are applying for admission for the FALL semester,
your application packages (university and departmental) must
be complete by April
15th.
• If you are applying for admission for the SPRING semester, your
application packages (university and departmental) must
be complete by October 15th.
• We do not normally admit new graduate students for summer term.
• To be assured consideration for first-round departmental funding
offers (Teaching Assistantships) for FALL semester, your
application packages (university and departmental) must be complete by January
10th. Applications for funding received after that date
will be
considered for funding opportunities that become available.
• Because funding offers are made on an annual basis, we do not normally
offer initial funding to students who enter the program
in spring or summer.
• Foreign applicants: special university deadlines apply because
of visa requirements. See the International Application
Guide available on the Graduate Admissions website [http://admissions.utk.edu/graduate/]
for current rules.
Note to Foreign Applicants:
The Department of Geography cannot act upon your application until the Office of Graduate Admissions has declared that you are eligible for admission to the University. The Office of Graduate Admissions will not process your application until it has received all required documentation and the required $35.00 application fee. The Department of Geography cannot pay this application fee for you.
Note to All Applicants:
If there is no record of your matriculation within approximately six months of the date for which you have been admitted to a graduate degree program, or if your application remains incomplete following the date of intent to matriculate, the Office of Graduate Admissions is likely to destroy your file. If you decide to change your matriculation date, therefore, you should inform the Office of Graduate Admissions, in writing, prior to the date originally noted on your application form.
Accepting/Declining An Assistantship:
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville adheres to the following resolution by the Council of Graduate Schools:
Acceptance of an offer of financial aid (such as graduate scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, or assistantship) for the next academic year by an actual or prospective graduate student completes an agreement which both the student and graduate school expect to honor. In those instances in which the student accepts the offer before April 15, and subsequently desires to withdraw, the student may submit in writing a resignation of the appointment at any time through April 15. However, an acceptance given or left in force after April 15 commits the student not to accept another offer without first obtaining written release from the institution to which a commitment has been made. Similarly, an offer by an institution after April 15 is conditional on presentation by the student of the written release from any previously accepted offer. It is further agreed by the institutions and organizations subscribing to the above Resolution that a copy of this Resolution should accompany every scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, and assistantship offer.
Online Application Forms & Information Request
For requests of application package, graduate catalog and housing information:
The Graduate School at UTK will mail out the graduate school application package (for US addresses only), graduate catalog (for US addresses only), international student application package (for international addresses only), and housing information upon requests. You can make the request through the UTK Graduate School's online service.
Online application forms:
- Graduate School's application form (This form is filled out and submitted online).
- Geography Department's application form: You can either fill out and submit this application form online OR download and print this application form in Adobe Acrobat PDF format (You can download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader).
- Affirmative Action/Identification Information Form (This form is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Please print a hard copy, fill it out, and mail it to the Geography Department.)
For further information write to:
Associate Professor Kenneth Orvis
Chair of Graduate Admissions Committee
Department of Geography
304 Burchfiel Geography Building
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-0925
Phone (865) 974-2418
Fax (865) 974-6025
E-mail: utkgeog@utk.edu.
The Master's Program
The Master's Degree emphasizes development of professional competence as a geographer, and offers opportunities to acquire substantial depth in a subfield. The degree requires a minimum of 30 hours of approved graduate credit. Required courses include Introduction to Geographical Research, Research Design and Field Methods, Quantitative Methods, a minimum of three hours in a research seminar, and participation in the departmental Colloquium. Students without a sound undergraduate background in geography may require additional credit hours. No more than six hours of thesis credit may be counted toward the degree. A final examination is required. Although a non-thesis degree option does exist, the thesis approach is strongly recommended for most students.
The Doctoral Program
The Ph.D. is granted to candidates who complete a dissertation that makes a significant and original contribution to geography. Additionally, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in conducting independent research. Completion of a Master's Degree is expected prior to full admission into a Ph.D. program. Course requirements are determined by the student's doctoral committee, but must include the basic graduate courses (Research Design, Geographic Concept and Method, Topics in Quantitative Methods), 12 hours of credit in related fields outside the department, several doctoral seminars, and participation in the departmental Colloquium. Competence in cartography, statistical methods, and other methodologies pertinent to the student's research specializations (including foreign languages, when appropriate) are also required. Admission to candidacy is granted following successful completion of written comprehensive examinations and an oral examination over the student's program and dissertation proposal.
Minor in Environmental Policy
The program is designed to give Master's level graduate students an opportunity to develop an interdisciplinary specialization in environmental policy. While administered through the Economics Department, the program is coordinated by a committee of representatives from the following participating departments: Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology; Civil and Environmental Engineering; Ecology; Economics; Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries; Geography; Management; Political Science; and Sociology.
Students may request admission to the minor following admission to the Master's program in one of the participating departments. Students in good standing in one of these programs may apply for admission to the minor in environmental policy. The coordinating committee will consider the admission of interested students. Applicants should have a background in both natural and social sciences evidenced by prior coursework or experience. One course in environmental studies from the student's Master's discipline and one course in quantitative methods are required. These requirements may be fulfilled before or after admission to the minor. All students admitted to the minor will be required to register for at least three hours of Economics 579, Environmental Policy Research Workshop, and to complete successfully the following:
- Ecology 520 or Plant and Soil Sciences 414 or Geography 433 or an equivalent course approved by the coordinating committee.
- Six hours of coursework outside the Master's discipline approved by the coordinating committee.
Academic Plan, Admission Requirements, & Financial Aid
The University of Tennessee operates on a semester system. General information on admission requirements may be obtained from the Director of Admissions, 218 Student Services Building, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0220. Students interested in graduate studies should write to the department.
Although new graduate students may begin during any term, the fall term is strongly recommended. A 3.0 (4.0 scale) or higher undergraduate grade point average is normally required for admission to a graduate degree program. Official transcripts of all previous college work, a minimum of three letters of recommendation, and Graduate Record Examination scores are required. No single criterion will dominate but the aggregate should provide strong evidence of ability and potential. Foreign students without degrees from an English speaking institution must submit TOEFL scores (minimum of 550 required for admission). Admission to the geography graduate program is subject to the availability of space and faculty advisors.
Several types of financial aid are available, including teaching and graduate assistantships that include stipend and tuition waiver. Research grants and contracts provide additional opportunities for support, and part-time research positions are often available through various campus research units and through the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Applications for fellowships may be obtained from the Director of Graduate Admissions, 218 Student Services Building, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0220. Additionally, University housing (furnished and unfurnished apartments) is available at modest prices.
Academic Common Market
An agreement among southern states for sharing graduate programs allows legal residents of some states to enroll in certain programs at UT Knoxville on an in-state tuition basis. The Ph.D. program in Geography is available to residents of the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Virginia, or West Virginia. The master's program is also available to residents of Texas. Additional information may be obtained from the Admissions Specialist in the Office of Graduate Admissions and Records.
Forms
Contact Information
Department of Geography
Burchfiel Geography Building Room 304
Knoxville, TN 37996-0925
Phone: 865-974-2418
Fax: 865-974-6025
Email: utkgeog@utk.edu