PhD in Geography, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Geography graduate students and alumni celebrate one of the doctoral program's graduates - Dr. Liz Morrell, May 2018.
The PhD in Geography is our department’s core doctoral program reflecting the multi-disciplinary research and teaching expertise of our exceptional and award winning faculty. Graduate students engage in coursework from within and across three areas of focus: Urban and Regional Analysis, Earth and Environmental Systems, and Geographic Information Science. A broad range of elective courses build upon shared training in the theoretical and methodological foundations of Geography, advanced research approaches (quantitative and/or qualitative) and spatial technologies and analysis. Independent research follows yielding a dissertation that advances knowledge in Geography and its related disciplines.
Doctoral students in Geography at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte are members of a student-centered, well-resourced and collegial department comprised of social, physical and applied scientists. About half of our PhD students are supported through competitive Graduate Assistantships and our students are frequent recipients of the university’s most prestigious fellowships and national awards.
Our commitment to professional development translates into student involvement in faculty-led research and outreach teams; summer field work grants; financial support to present at national and international conferences; and preparation for teaching and research excellence both pre and post-graduation. Doctoral students in the program have established a tradition of engagement and leadership in the department, across campus, and within national and international professional associations such as the American Association of Geographers and its regional and specialty groups.
The program is structured to be completed within 4 years and our graduates find professional success across the occupational spectrum - as tenure-track professors, international researchers, community planners, analysts with local to national scale governments, post-doctoral fellows, applied scientists, spatial entrepreneurs, private sector consultants and more.
We are now accepting applications for Fall 2020 Admission. Applications received before February 15th 2020 will be given priority consideration for available assistantship and fellowship funding. Our program’s competitive graduate assistantships currently include a 9-month stipend of $18,500 plus tuition and health care support through a Graduate School GASP Award.
For further details about program admission and requirements, please refer to the UNC Charlotte Graduate School catalog.
Ready to apply? Please refer to the UNC Charlotte Graduate Admissions page.
What to know more? Please contact Dr. Heather Smith, Program Director heatsmit@uncc.edu
Alumni Dr. Paul McDaniel and students Tonderai Mushipe and Jaeho Ko connect at Race, Ethnicity and Place (REP) conference in Austin, TX, Fall 2018.