The graduate program in Geography, University of Missouri-Columbia

Application

Deadline for 2009-2010 assistantship consideration: February 1, 2009 details)

Applying to the M.A. program in Geography is a two-step process. Applicants must apply to the University of Missouri Graduate School, and complete a supplementary Departmental application.

• Graduate school application The primary application is submitted on-line through the Graduate School. The Department of Geography has access to this information after you have completed this submission.
• Departmental application You must also complete the Department's supplementary application.
• Letters of recommendation Three people familiar with your academic qualifications should use the on-line recommendation form available through the Apply Yourself System, or if preferred, mail the letter directly to the Director of Graduate Studies, using the form available at the link above.

Questions? Contact Mike Urban, Acting Director of Graduate Studies for Fall 2008

Admission requirements

The Geography Department bases admission decisions in large part on the applicant's 1) record of scholarship as an undergraduate, 2) GRE scores, 3) letters of recommendation, 4) statement of purpose, and 5) compatibility of scholarly interests with those of the faculty. In general, the minimum undergraduate GPA should exceed 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), and combined verbal and quantitative GRE scores should exceed 1000. International students must submit TOEFFL scores that demonstrate a strong command of the English language.

Deadlines

To be considered for either a teaching or research assistantship, your fully completed University and Departmental applications (including letters of reference) must be received by February 1, 2009. Allocation of assistantships will be announced soon after this date.

Applications received after this time may be considered for admission to the program, but are unlikely to be considered for funding, and are less likely to be granted admission than those received by the deadline. In any case, all applications for the upcoming academic year should be received by April 1. Occasionally new students may be accepted for a Winter semester start date, but this is typically discouraged, due to the fact that the sequence of first-year required courses (Geography 8750 and 8760) begins in Fall semester.