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The Graduate School of Geography offers a major, minor and electives for undergraduates and a Ph.D. program. Qualified Clark undergraduates can take advantage of an accelerated fifth year program that leads to a B.A./M.A. in Geographic Information Science. An M.A. in Geographic Information Science for Development and Environment is available through a shared program with the Department of International Development, Community and Environment. |
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Open Letter To Applicants from Current Ph.D. Students
Dear prospective students,
Welcome to the on-line home of the Clark University Graduate School of Geography. We, the current Ph.D. students, hope you will see why we think Clark is an excellent place to be a geographer.
Clark prides itself on the quality of its faculty and the curriculum they offer. Ph.D. students have the opportunity to work closely with scholars who have done groundbreaking work in a variety of areas of the discipline. Most faculty are easy to get in touch with in their offices, by phone, or by e-mail. They expect the highest quality of work from us, but they don’t expect us to do it alone.
Many of us feel that the greatest strength of the Clark geography program is our fellow students. The universal funding enables Clark students to form a stimulating and supportive community both inside and outside the classroom. The Mezzanine in the Geography Building is the focal point of graduate student academic life. You’ll often find your fellow students gathered there to read, work on projects, or discuss ideas. Ph.D. students have access to computers in the Mezzanine, many student offices, and the J.K. Wright computer lab. We also get together frequently at students’ homes or local bars and restaurants to relax and socialize. Each year we hold Field Camp, a weekend getaway when students and faculty can get to know each other and experience the beauty of late summer in New England. Clark students are often active in the wider community, whether it’s just partying with grad students from another department, or getting involved in an on- or off-campus organization like a student musical group or the Worcester Global Action Network.
Clark’s graduate student body is drawn from a diversity of places and backgrounds. Your classmates can include Kenyans, Colombians, or even a Worcester native. Student interests range widely over the discipline – from social theory to uncertainty management in GIS, from soil erosion to urban culture. Students at Clark frequently bridge the boundaries of traditional subdisciplines, bringing fresh perspectives to the important questions being asked by the academy today.
If you don’t have a background in geography, don’t worry. Geography is a broad field, incorporating many different ways of looking at space, place, and human-environment interactions. Many of us earned our bachelor’s or master’s degree in another discipline – from biology to English, economics to urban planning. Two required courses in the first year are designed to give everyone a common background on the history and latest developments in geography. GEOG 368 covers the development of Western geography, while GEOG 318 surveys the different methods of research and explanation in geography.
Clark students have the opportunity to participate in the running of the department and the school through the Clark University Geographical Society, aka CUGS. CUGS meets approximately monthly to address issues relevant to the graduate student body. Each of the departmental committees, such as the admissions committee and committees selecting new professors, has one or more CUGS representatives. There is also a Graduate Student Council, in which each department gets two votes, that works on projects relevant to all Clark graduate students, such as health insurance options and a yearly interdepartmental research conference.
We hope the information on this website is helpful and persuasive as you make decisions about your academic future. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with any of the faculty, staff, or students to talk about geography at Clark.
--The Clark University Geographical Society
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Academic Catalog & Requirements
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Additional Resources
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