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Departmental Information
- Date Founded: 1941
- Graduate Program Founded: 1947
- Degrees Offered: B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., M.A.T., M.S.T., Ph.D.
- Chair:
Dr. Peter Waylen - Department Graduate Secretary:
Desiree Price - Department Office Manager:
Julia Williams
Student Coordinators
- Dr. Jane Southworth, Graduate Coordinator
jsouthwo@geog.ufl.edu (e-mail, graduate coordinator) OR - Dr. Joann Mossa, Undergraduate Coordinator
mossa@geog.ufl.edu (e-mail, undergraduate coordinator)
Programs and Research Facilities
Land use/land cover change in rural areas using remote sensing and GIS techniques as a means to help understand the dynamics of such changes. Research on land use/land cover change focuses on natural resource management issues, particularly for agriculture, and seeks to understand driving forces, both biophysical and socioeconomic, that are provoking landscape change. Such research links with concerns about globalization, conservation of biodiversity, climate change, and "sustainable" development, especially in the tropics. Faculty involved in this cluster include Binford, Caviedes, Goldman, Sloan, Smith, and Southworth.
Climate change, fluvial processes, and impacts of natural hazards. Research in this cluster has practical applications in agriculture; planning for natural hazards, such floods and El Niño events; management and restoration of wetlands; and predicting energy generation from hydroelectric projects. Faculty involved in this cluster include: Caviedes, Mossa, Waylen and Matyas.
Economic/business geography. This cluster conducts research on technological innovation and its diffusion; locational analysis, particularly in real estate planning; and entrepreneurial development, particularly in West Africa. Faculty involved in this cluster include Fik, McDade, Thrall, Keys and Silva.
Social/cultural geography. Research in this cluster focuses on population geography, gerontological studies focusing on understanding the availability of urban housing and service environments that improve the quality of life of low and high income elderly populations in the U.S. and Canada, and the cultural significance of landscapes. Faculty in this cluster include Comenetz, Golant and Lamme.
All the main research areas of the department are linked to other centers and programs across campus including LUECI (Land Use and Environmental Change Institute), the Center for Latin American Studies, the Center for African Studies, the Center for Gerontological Studies, the Jewish Studies Center, and various programs in IFAS (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences).
The Department has two computer teaching labs with a total of 40 computers
and associated peripherals and the Ryan Poehling Memorial Laboratory with
8 computers for use by graduate students in preparing their courses and
theses.
Academic Plan, Admission Requirements, and Financial Aid
The academic year consists of two semesters and two summer sessions. Admission to the Graduate School requires the completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, a B average or better (or its equivalent) during the junior and senior level undergraduate years, a minimum combined score of 1000 on the aptitude test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and three letters of recommendation. Foreign students whose first language is not English are required to obtain satisfactory scores (not less than 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). An application for admission to the Graduate School should be submitted no later than eight weeks before the proposed date of entry. The Fall semester begins at the University of Florida on August 22; the Spring semester begins on January 9. Applicants for the M.A. or Ph.D. degrees will be considered irrespective of their previous specialization in the physical and social sciences and humanities. Deficiencies in undergraduate coursework in geography may be corrected concurrently with registration in appropriate graduate level courses.
The Department of Geography and the University of Florida offer various types of financial support for qualified graduate students. Teaching assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis for the nine month academic year and for the two summer semesters. Waivers for out-of-state fees are often arranged. Stipends begin at about $6,000 for the nine month academic year and at about $1,400 for a summer semester. Research assistantships for the nine month academic year and the summer semesters are sometimes available from faculty members seeking assistance on their personal research projects. Research assistantship stipends are determined by the individual faculty member. NDEA Title VI Fellowships may be available for students interested in Latin American or African studies. Applications for teaching and research assistantships for the Fall Semester should be submitted no later than February 15.
The department has access to other fellowships as well: The Alumni Fellowship, The Presidential Fellowship plus The John Dunkle Scholarship & The Ryan Poehling Fellowship.
The University also awards on a competitive basis a number of fellowships and scholarships for which new geography graduate students are often eligible. For example, doctoral applicants with GRE's higher than 1400 and grade point averages (GPAs) of 3.5 or higher may qualify for the Presidential Graduate Research Fellowship ($14,000/two semesters); master's and doctoral applicants with undergraduate GPAs of 3.25 or higher or graduate GPAs of 3.5 or higher and GREs of 1250 or higher may qualify for the Graduate Council Fellowship ($8,000/two semesters); and female applicants with GREs of 1250 or higher and GPAs of 3.25 or higher may qualify for the Fellowship for Women ($5,000/two semesters). Applications for these awards must be submitted by January 15.
Applications materials for admission and financial support along with requests for housing information may be obtained from the Graduate Secretary, Department of Geography, 3141 Turlington Hall, University of Florida, PO Box 117315, Gainesville, Florida 32611-7315. Requests for a Graduate Catalog should be directed to the Graduate School, Grinter Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611.
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