Doctor of Philosophy in Geography - Space, Society, and the Built Environment

The Department of Geography and Geographic Information Science (GGIS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers a graduate program leading to both the M.A. and Ph.D degrees with specialization in Society, Space and Environments.The Society, Space and Environments program builds upon the foundations of human geography as an integrating social science to examine the interplay of socio-spatial processes involved in the shaping of the Earth's natural and built environments.Students must meet all GGIS requirements for the Ph.D in Geography including Geography 471 (Introduction to Contemporary Geographic Thought) and Geography 491 (Research in Geography), or their equivalent. Students must also complete a formal minor (16 credit hours) through course work in one or two related fields. Advanced course work in research methods, including qualitative or quantitative methodologies, is also required. The dissertation must be within the advising competence of the faculty in the program and is expected to be an original contribution to the field and to involve the examination of geographic processes using appropriate research methodology.

Admission to the Ph.D. is limited to those who have achieved distinction in previous undergraduate and graduate work (a 3.2 GPA on a 4 point scale is a generally accepted criterion) and who have demonstrated the determination and initiative required for doctoral success. Strong letters of recommendation are essential. IELTS (academic exam) - 7.5, TOEFL iBT -103