Non-Thesis Option
Non-thesis projects are problem-focused and contribute original analysis of a question or questions derived from the academic literature in a sub-field of geography. Students develop non-thesis project ideas under an advisor’s guidance. While projects may take different forms depending on the area of specialization, faculty committees ensure that non-thesis projects meet the general criteria established by the department. In most cases, graduate students will make a choice early in their programs regarding their culminating project. Non-thesis students will take research or project credits beginning in the second semester of their program and are strongly encouraged to complete their practicum or capstone proposal before the end of the second semester. Students must have their practicum or capstone proposal presented and defended no later than the end of the 5th week of their third semester.
Option 1: Geography Practicum
The practicum option is organized around a professional or research engagement pursued in collaboration with a community, government, or private sector partner organization. Students take primary responsibility for identifying the partner organization, though faculty may be able to facilitate connections with partner organizations in some cases.
Students pursuing the practicum develop a proposal consisting of an annotated bibliography and a proposed set of activities and deliverables associated with their practicum experience. The development of specific practicum objectives and deliverables is an important part of the project development process. Proposed activities, analyses, and deliverables for the practicum must be clearly linked to questions derived from geography scholarship as well as the partner organization’s need for evidence-based assessment and solutions. A completed project entails specific deliverables for the partner organization as well as a substantive project report on this work appended to an annotated bibliography, thereby fulfilling the written requirement.
The practicum project committee consists of a practicum faculty advisor, two additional faculty members, and a Representative from the partner organization. Following an oral presentation and submission of a written project, the committee evaluates the written work, requests revisions to the document, and makes a decision to pass or fail the project. The non-faculty committee member serves in a non-voting advisory role to the committee chair to ensure that the partner organization believes that the student has met expectations as established in the practicum proposal.
The practicum project presentation must take place a minimum of two weeks before the final day of classes in the semester during which the student has applied for graduation. Based on feedback from the committee, the final revisions to the practicum document must be submitted to the committee chair by Tuesday of the final week of classes.
Option 2: Capstone Research Project
The capstone research project entails original research that is grounded in contemporary geography scholarship and demonstrates mastery of geographic methods or techniques. The format for many projects will encompass the major components of a thesis, though the scope of the capstone research project is narrower than that which would be required for a thesis project. Capstone projects may entail novel analyses of secondary data or systematic reviews of existing research, use of qualitative or quantitative methods and techniques to collect, analyze, and visualize data, or the design and development of new decision-making models and/or software to support geographic analysis.
Some scholarship and creative activities may be best communicated in alternative formats. Alternatives to the standard research paper format must be approved by the committee, ensuring that alternative formats meet the level of scholarly engagement required to demonstrate mastery of sub-field domains.
The capstone research project committee consists of three faculty, two of whom must be from the Department of Geography. Oral proposal and final paper presentations are required, following which the student will undertake revisions suggested by the committee before final approval is granted.
The capstone project presentation must take place a minimum of two weeks before the final day of classes in the semester during which the student has applied for graduation. Based on feedback from the committee, the final revisions to the capstone document must be submitted to the committee chair by Tuesday of the final week of classes.
Students choosing the non-thesis capstone research project are required to complete 20 rather than the 12 credit hours of elective courses required of other students. For MS students pursuing the capstone research project option, three of the five required elective courses must be selected from the physical/environmental/geo-techniques geography courses listed in Table 1 above.