Department of Geography Graduate Study
Introduction
Students completing the geography graduate program at New Mexico State University earn the Master of Applied Geography degree. This can prepare them for immediate employment in such career areas as resource management, land use planning, remote sensing, and Geography Information Systems (GIS) applications. Some graduates choose instead to pursue doctoral studies at prestigious universities.
"We strongly advise that a basic statistics course be taken prior to entry into the program and have a familiarity with personal computers including: Windows 2000\XP, spreadsheets, database management, and word processing."
The Curriculum
Because students have divergent needs and career goals, their course work is individually tailored to create an optimal program. Graduate students may specialize ina number of areas, including remote sensing, GIS, geomorphology, land use planning, biogeography, landscape ecology, or resource management. The application of computer techniques to address significant research questions often forms the core of graduate studies. In addition, field work is highly emphasized.
The following NMSU undergraduate courses or their equivalents are required of all applicants:
- GEOG 111 Introduction to Physical Geography
- GEOG 120 Survey of Geography
- GEOG 281 Map Use and Analysis
Students may substitute up to 9 hours of comparable courses taken at other institutions. Alternatively, they may enter the program and remove these deficiencieswithin the first year.
Required Courses in the Graduate Program
- GEOG 501 Research Design and History of Geographic Thought
- GEOG 585 Advanced Spatial Analysis
A total of 30 graduate credits are required, including 6 thesis credits. Students who choose the non-thesis option take an additional 6 credits of course work.
Application Process:
You need to apply to both the NMSU Graduate School and the Geography Department. You may request paper forms from the NMSU Geography Department by sending an e-mail inquiry to the Department Graduate Advisor. To obtain the application forms directly, download the appropriate PDF's using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Geography Graduate Program Application Forms
Graduate School Application Forms
If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, download from
the Adobe website. 
The NMSU Geography Department would like to hear from you. We welcome your comments