The Clark Advantage

Established in 1921, the Graduate School of Geography at Clark is internationally renowned for innovative scholarship and is an acknowledged leader in the field. Consistently ranked as one of the top-ten graduate programs by the National Research Council, Clark Geography enables graduate students to train with top professionals and participate in a world-class research community. Furthermore, having awarded more Ph.D.s than any other geography program in the U.S., Clark Geography has a reputation for training future leaders in the field. Read more about Clark's tradition of pioneering geographic scholarship.

Our Close-Knit Community

The Graduate School seeks talented students with diverse backgrounds who can contribute to the atmosphere of innovation and collaboration that defines Clark Geography. The intimate atmosphere of a small urban university fosters close faculty-student relationships that are a key component of graduate study at Clark. The program offers a strong emphasis in both qualitative and quantitative analysis and the option to combine both in a research project.

Areas of Study

Our objective is to produce scholars and other professionals whose research and pedagogy are path-breaking. We intend our students to contribute significantly to research and application in one of four main foci:

Within these foci we encourage an education of excellence and innovation across a number of areas of specialization:

Tuition Remission for All Doctoral Students for Three Years

All incoming graduate students are guaranteed the same tuition remission and one-year academic year funding with two consective years guaranteed as long as progress to degree is satisfactory. This arrangement lends itself to a supportive graduate student body and fosters an exceptional level of extramural grants and fellowships among that body. Our graduate students have received grants and fellowships from a wide variety of institutions including the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Social Sciences Research Council and the Fulbright Foundation. Learn more

Requirements

The Ph.D. Program does not require applicants to earn an M.A. en route, nor do we accept students for the Master's degree alone. Incoming students range from those holding Master's degree in geography to those having little or no past experience in the field. The former might expect to complete the program in three or four years, whereas the latter should expect to take five years. Accepted students are expected to make up any deficiencies in their previous training. We accept students for fall admission only.

Requirements include 8 semesters of courses (including directed readings, research and thesis/dissertation work); satisfactory completion of doctoral evaluations; fulfillment of a skills requirement; and completion, acceptance, and successful defense of a dissertation. Also required are three years of residence. The normal course load is three courses per semester and must be maintained to retain residence status and tuition stipend. The usual sequence students follow is: coursework, doctoral exam, research proposal, and dissertation research, write up, and defense.

In the first year, students normally complete the two required courses, Geography 318: Explanation in Geography and Geography 368: The Development of Western Geographic Thought, and take additional PDW (Professional Development Workshops) and courses to help refine their interests.

For more information on the program timeline and the first, second and third years of the program and the dissertation.

Email Brenda Nikas-Hayes, Graduate Program Administrator with any questions.