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Kansas State University

 

Get a Competitive Edge with a degree in Geography

 

The Department of Geography has a strong research and teaching reputation and ranks highly among the social, physical, and biological sciences sciences at Kansas State University. All of the faculty members are active in publishing their research and in seeking funding to support their research programs. Collaborative research involving teams of students and faculty is frequently undertaken. The benefits of the undergraduate and graduate programs at K-State include a balanced curriculum, a broad-based approach to research and other forms of scholarship, and a commitment to fieldwork as a component of geographic inquiry. The department strives to maintain an informal, friendly atmosphere with the opportunity to work closely with faculty members and visiting research scientists.

Our students are frequent, and successful, competitors for a variety of national scholarships and academic programs. Geography student scholars have been recognized by agencies such as the Association of American Geographers, National Science Foundation, NASA, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of Defense.  Kansas State University geography students have earned a total of 17 GTU Buzzard Scholarships, the most of any university in the United States.

 

Degree Options

 

Undergraduate students may pursue a traditional major in geography in the form of either a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree.  Students may also earn a geography minor, choose the geography pre-planning option, or seek an Undergraduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

At the graduate level, the Department of Geography also confers the Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees.  Drawing upon the research interests and experience of the faculty, the department's core areas of geographic inquiry are illustrated in the figure below.  Much of the research conducted by faculty and graduate students incorporates more than one of these themes. 

At the master's level, students receive training in the fundamentals of geographic thought and research in preparation for either a professional career or advanced study.    Master's students in geography may choose one of the three programs leading to the M.A. degree. The thesis option requires 30 hours of graduate credit, including 6 hours of credit for a thesis.  The report option is a non-thesis program designed for students who have a specific professional goal in mind and who do not intend to continue for a doctoral degree.  The report option for teachers is for students who intend to pursue, or continue, careers in public school or junior college teaching. A Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science (GIScience) is also available, which can be earned as a stand-alone certificate or in conjunction with either a master's or doctoral degree.

At the Ph.D. level, students are encouraged to pursue original research that fits with the core areas of the department and complements the rural and land grant tradition of Kansas State University.  The coctoral degree is designed to develop and enhance a student's knowledge and ability to conduct original independent research that makes a scholarly contribution to the student's areas of specialization. The Ph.D. program fosters (1) an understanding of scientific inquiry, (2) knowledge of the structure of the geographic discipline, its history, issues, methods, and trends, (3) proficiency in appropriate analytical and technical skills, and (4) competency in communicating the results of research.

Please click on one of the tabs located at the top of this page to learn more about our undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as scholarships awarded annually to students by the alumni, friends, and faculty of the Department of Geography.

Learning Resources

 

The department is centrally located on campus near Hale Library, most classrooms, the K-State Student Union, and the forthcoming university GIScience Commons. The university's library system is amply stocked with research resources for most geographical studies.  Department resources include the Geographic Information Systems Spatial Analysis Laboratory (GISSAL), the Remote Sensing Research Laboratory, hyperspectral radiometers, GPS receivers, a GIS/Remote Sensing Computer Teaching Laboratory, photogrammetric instrumentation, a Geowall 3D visualization system, and an extensive library of satellite images of Kansas.  K-State Geography also boasts one of the most complete map collections of Paraguay of any university in the United States.  Software tools for research include a campus site license from the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) and widely used statistical and remote sensing programs such as ERDAS Imagine and ENVI.

Collaborative Research Opportunities

 

Other valuable K-State research resources include the Konza Prairie Biological Station (a National Science Foundation Long-Term Ecological Research site), National Agricultural Biosecurity Center (NABC), Statistical Laboratory, Kansas Population Center, Kansas Center for Agriculture and the Environment (KCARE), Great Plains/Rocky Mountain Hazardous Substance Research Laboratory, Food Safety and Security Program, University Computing Laboratories and K-State InfoCommons, Center for Engagement and Community Development, and K-State Research and Extension.