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Departmental Information
- Date Founded: 1941
- Graduate Program Founded: 1947
- Degrees Offered: B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., Ph.D.
- Chair:
Dr. Michael W. Binford - Department Graduate Secretary:
Desiree Price
Student Coordinators
- Dr. Corene Matyas, Graduate Coordinator
matyas@ufl.edu (e-mail, graduate coordinator) OR - Dr. Joann Mossa, Undergraduate Coordinator
mossa@ufl.edu (e-mail, undergraduate coordinator)
Programs and Research Facilities
Medical geography.
This cluster conducts research on health and health care issues using
geographical approaches, GIS, and Remote Sensing technologies. Focused topics
involve: spatial analysis on malaria and invasive species, modeling
transmission of zoonoses (diseases affecting animals and humans) in wildlife and livestock, modeling disease patterns and diffusion
processes, and health intervention policies. Faculty in this cluster include:
Blackburn and Mao.
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, Goldman, Smith, and Southworth. Emeritus faculty involved include: Dr. Cesar Caviedes
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 Niņo events; management and restoration of wetlands; and predicting energy generation from hydroelectric projects. Faculty involved in this cluster include: Mossa, Waylen and Matyas. Emeritus faculty involved include: Dr. Cesar Caviedes.
Economic 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, and Keys .
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 Golant. Emeritus faculty include: Dr. Ary J. Lamme III.
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, 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 10 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 in August; we do not accept students to begin in the Spring semester that begins in January. Applicants for the M.A./M.S. 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 come with waivers for tution plus health insurance. Stipends begin at about $15,000 for the nine month academic year. Teaching assistantships are also available and pay about $2,400 for a one of the two summer semesters, plus tuition waiver. 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, so please contact faculty directly if you would like to be considered for this funding. 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 January 30.
The department has access to other fellowships as well: The Graduate School Fellowship ($20,000 per year for 4 years), 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 ($18,500/two semesters + summer stipend). Applications for these awards must be submitted by January 15.
A large number of fellowships and other financial aid programs from outside the university have supported many of our students in the past. Many of these are described and have links to the sponsor on the UF Graduate School's Financial Aid Bulletin Board.
Applications materials for admission and financial support along with requests for housing information may be obtained online. Requests for a Graduate Catalog should be directed to the Graduate School, Grinter Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611.
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