Doctoral Degree Program

The PhD is a different kind of degree than the master’s degree. A doctoral candidate in geography must be capable of making original contributions to knowledge and scholarship. It is unlikely that a person will make such contributions unless he or she concentrates on a narrow and clearly defined field of study. We require, however, that doctoral candidates know more of geography than their particular specialties; thus, any aspirant for a doctorate must obtain master’s training or its equivalent before being admitted to doctoral candidacy. In short, admission to doctoral candidacy is official recognition that a student’s general foundation in the breadth of geography is satisfactory. Students then devote their attention to developing depth in chosen specialties.

Penn State Geography has three paths for PhD students:

1. A five-year PhD with MS degree, which is available to students who enter Penn State Geography’s graduate program without a master’s degree. These students are on an accelerated schedule and earn an MS along the way to the PhD. Students can opt out of the five-year PhD at any time and choose to finish the MS only. This pathway receives five years of departmental support.

2. A four-year PhD, which is available to those students who have already received a master’s degree in another program either at Penn State or at another university. This pathway receives four years of departmental support.

3. An MS-to-PhD, which is available to Penn State Geography MS students who decide either to continue into the PhD program after they have started their master’s program, or to return for the PhD after having graduated with the MS. Students on this path are not accelerated and therefore will usually require two years to earn the master’s and four years to earn the doctorate. Although this is typically a six-year pathway, like the five-year PhD, this pathway receives a total of five years of departmental support (i.e., two for the MS and three for the PhD).

The doctoral section of this handbook is split into two sections: one for the five-year PhD with MS degree, and one for both the four-year PhD and MS-to-PhD students. Make sure you are using the section that applies to you.

The general requirements for a doctoral degree in geography are more rigorous than those for a master’s degree. At the same time the greater flexibility of the doctoral program allows advanced students to pursue programs of study tailored to their special interests and needs.

All students admitted to the doctoral program will have an entry interview, including students who have a Penn State Geography master’s degree. Students will formally select their permanent Adviser by the Friday before Thanksgiving of their first semester.

Graduate School Requirements

The Graduate Degree Programs Bulletin of the Graduate School is an important source of information. Please read it thoroughly: http://www.psu.edu/bulletins/whitebook

Language and Communication Skills Requirements

The method of satisfying the communication skills requirement of the Department and the Graduate School will be jointly determined by the doctoral committee and the candidate as soon as possible after passing the candidacy examination. Progress on these requirements will be evaluated at the proposal meeting for those students who defend the proposal before taking the comprehensive examination. For those students who elect to take the examination first, the doctoral committee must convene a special meeting to make sure the student has met the Graduate School’s Language and Communication Skills requirement before the student takes the comprehensive examination.

Five-Year PhD with MS Degree

Courses and Registration

A student on the five-year PhD path may elect—with approval of his or her Adviser—one of two options for satisfying the MS degree requirements:

(1) The MS thesis option, which requires completion of at least 30 graduate credits and a thesis during the first four semesters of study

(2) The MS paper option, which requires completion of 35 graduate credits and a research paper during the first four semesters of study; the master’s research paper must be submitted to a scholarly journal upon completion of the MS

Students who enter the program without a background in geography or with deficiencies in several systematic fields should expect to accumulate more than the minimum credit requirements in either option. To satisfy Graduate School requirements for the MS degree, students must take at least:

12 credits of course work at 400- and 500-levels
18 credits of 500-, 600-, and/or 800-level work
6 credits of 600/610

In addition to these general requirements of the Graduate School, the Department of Geography requires all incoming graduate students to take GEOG 500 (3 credits), GEOG 502 (3 credits), and GEOG 590 (1 credit in fall and 1 credit in spring) in their first year. Five-year PhD candidates also are required to register and complete work in at least two graduate-level seminars (500-level) among those offered by the Department of Geography. At least one of the two seminar’s must be outside the field in which the student is working, e.g., if a student is specializing in human geography, then at least one of the courses must be in physical geography, geographic information science, or human-environment geography. Both seminars should carry at least three credits and result in a substantive paper. GEOG 500 and 502 do not meet this requirement. This two-seminar requirement should be satisfied during the first four semesters of residence.

Required coursework must be completed before earning the MS degree. Although there are no other formal course or seminar requirements for the doctorate, five-year PhD students are encouraged to take advanced courses in their area of study. Most students take both courses and seminars as part of their doctoral program, especially in preparation for comprehensive exams.

Students should register for research (600-level) credits when: preparing for candidacy and comprehensive exams; or writing or researching their MS projects (thesis or paper) or PhD dissertations. Before the comprehensive exams, many people choose to register only for GEOG 600 (on campus) or GEOG 610 (off-campus). After the comprehensives and while researching and writing their dissertations, students must register for GEOG 601 (on-campus) or GEOG 611 (off-campus), which have a special PhD dissertation preparation rate that is a fraction of the normal tuition (currently it is 23 percent of the normal tuition). Post-comprehensive PhD students are discouraged from taking courses that are not required for their degrees because they currently cost the Department approximately $700 per three credits; students must therefore seek permission from the Graduate Program Officer to take any course except 601/611 after passing the comprehensive exam. PhD students must take at least 12 credits of GEOG 600/601/610/611 before graduating. No more than 18 credits of 600-level work can be assigned a letter grade (6 credits as an MS student and 12 credits as a PhD student). The remainder must be graded on an “R” research basis. Almost all full-time PhD students accumulate an excess of R-grade 600/601 credits. For grading purposes, please register in increments of 3 credits for GEOG 600/610. For example, a single semester’s transcript may look like this:

Course                             Credits                              Grade
GEOG 600                             3                                       A
GEOG 600                             3                                       A
GEOG 600                             3                                       R

Master’s Program Committee

Students must select a master’s Adviser (1. SELECTION OF ADVISER FORM) by the Friday before Thanksgiving of their first semester. The student then completes the master’s program committee by selecting two additional faculty members during the spring semester (3. APPOINTMENT OF MASTER’S COMMITTEE FORM). The master’s program committee consists of an Adviser and a second and third reader. Unlike the MS-only degree program, all three members of the MS committee in the five-year PhD program must be members of the Geography Graduate Faculty. Geography faculty presence is necessary as there is no formal application to the PhD program. It is possible to have a fourth outside member. The student will work with this committee throughout the master’s portion of the five-year PhD program and the committee will guide and monitor performance. The master’s program committee will be appointed by the Graduate Program Officer with approval of a formal written statement, prepared jointly by the student and Adviser, that outlines (a) the nature of the program of work and study, and (b) the expected role of the committee members throughout the MS portion of the program. Changes to the master’s program committee can be made subject to the approval of the Graduate Program Officer, who will consult with existing committee members before making the requested changes. Requests must be made in writing to the Graduate Program Officer.

The master’s program committee is charged with meeting with the student and with advising and evaluating the research proposal. The master’s program committee will meet formally with the student at least two times. The first meeting is to defend the master’s proposal and assess the student’s efforts to address remedial requirements from the entry interview; unlike the MS-only program, assessment of the student’s efforts to address communication requirements takes place around the time of the comprehensive examination. This meeting should take place near the end of the student’s first spring semester. The purpose of the second meeting is to go over the research accomplished by the student during the summer and to chart the course for the remainder of the MS portion of the student’s program; it should take place by October 15 of the student’s second fall semester.

All three committee members must approve the final thesis or paper at a formal master’s project defense, at which point there are three options for the committee: (1) to approve the MS degree and approve continuation into the PhD program; (2) to approve the MS degree but not to approve continuation into the PhD program; (3) not to approve the MS degree at this time, but to give the opportunity to revise and re-defend for subsequent approval for the MS only. Note that it is likely that if the committee approves the MS degree, it will still require students to undertake revisions before signing off on the thesis or paper. Those revisions must be completed and submitted to the Department Head two weeks before the first day of orientation week in August (i.e., three weeks before the beginning of the fall semester). The Department Head must sign off on the thesis or paper no later than the first day of orientation week.

Master’s Proposal

Thesis Proposal

Students must submit a written thesis proposal to their master’s committee by September 1 of their second year and defend it before their committee no later than October 1. The Department strongly recommends that master’s students schedule an earlier defense, especially those students planning to do fieldwork or other thesis research during their first summer (which is everybody). Defending the proposal after doing the research could result in the master’s program committee negating the summer’s work. Consequently, the Department recommends completing the proposal defense by mid-May.

The written proposal should meet normal scholarly standards for presentation and should not exceed 20 pages. The proposal is evaluated by the master’s program committee in a formal defense. Committee members must have at least 10 days to evaluate the proposal before the defense date. The committee will assess the feasibility of the proposed research and the student’s preparation to undertake the necessary work. The committee will approve the proposal and/or recommend changes to the topic itself or request additional preparation. If necessary, the committee can request that the student resubmit the research proposal, for editorial changes, content changes, or both. The committee can also request an additional defense of the revised proposal. At the time of the proposal defense, the Adviser will confirm progress on (1) remedial work specified at the entry interview and (2) communication requirements. The Adviser submits a written report (4. ADVISER’S REPORT ON MASTER’S PROPOSAL DEFENSE FORM) of the evaluation to the Graduate Staff Assistant within one week of the proposal defense along with a copy of the proposal accepted by the committee for the student’s file.

Paper Proposal

Master’s paper proposals are due September 1 of the student’s second year. The paper proposal will be submitted to the master’s committee and should not exceed twenty pages in length. The proposal will include an explanation of the characteristics of the paper that establish its quality as suitable for scholarly publication. It must also identify the journal to which the paper will be submitted for publication and defend this choice. This proposal will be submitted to the committee by September 1 and defended by October 1. As in the case of the thesis option, students are urged to defend their paper proposals by mid-May. The committee will meet with the student after the committee members have had at least ten days to evaluate the proposal.

The proposal for the paper option will be defended in a meeting with the student’s committee. The committee will assess the feasibility of the proposed research and the student’s preparation to undertake the necessary work. The committee will approve the proposal and/or recommend changes to the topic itself or request additional preparation. If necessary, the committee can request that the student resubmit the research proposal, for editorial changes, content changes, or both. The committee can also request an additional defense of the revised proposal. At the proposal defense, the student and his or her committee must agree on a journal to which the student will submit the paper for publication. At the time of the proposal defense, the Adviser will confirm progress on remedial work specified at the entry interview. The Adviser submits a written report (7. ADVISER’S REPORT ON PAPER SUBMISSION: FIVE-YEAR PH.D. PROGRAM, PAPER OPTION FORM) to the Graduate Staff Assistant within one week of the proposal defense along with a copy of the proposal accepted by the committee for the student’s file.

Completing Master’s Research

Thesis option

The subject, content, and organization of the thesis are matters to be settled between the student and his or her Adviser and master’s committee. The aim of the thesis should be to solve a meaningful geographic problem or group of problems. The thesis must be more than an organized compilation of facts or a series of lengthy descriptions.

The completed thesis must be: (1) formally defended in front of the student’s three-person master’s committee and approved by that committee; (2) approved by the Department Head; and (3) approved by the Graduate School. The latest date for the thesis defense is 15 May of the second year in the five-year PhD program. Advisers submit the form, “Adviser’s Report on Master’s Defense” (6. ADVISER’S REPORT ON MASTER’S DEFENSE: 5-YEAR PH.D. PROGRAM FORM) upon completion of the defense. The Department Head will review and sign the thesis only after the student has successfully defended the thesis and obtained signatures from the three master’s committee members. The Department Head requires at least two weeks to review and sign the thesis; consult with the Department Head well in advance of submitting the thesis to him/her to make sure he/she is available. Before preparing the thesis in its final form, consult the Graduate School’s Thesis Guide (available at http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/current/thesis.html), which provides detailed information on the PDF option and how material is to be printed and bound. Do not use a previous thesis as a model for format.

A bound copy of the finished work must be filed with the department. This copy does not need to be printed on cotton paper (though it is appreciated).

Continuing students will not be allowed to enter the PhD program without having submitted a thesis copy to the Geography Department. The absolute deadline for completing the master’s degree (i.e., obtaining approval of the Department Head) is the first day of the semester of entry to the PhD program (i.e., one week before classes begin in mid-August).

Paper option

The subject, content, and organization of the master’s paper are matters to be settled between the student and his or her Adviser and master’s committee. The aim of the paper should be to solve a meaningful geographic problem. The paper must be more than an organized compilation of facts or a series of lengthy descriptions and must be suitable for submission to a refereed journal. The paper must be submitted for publication upon successful defense of the paper (see form at end of section).

The completed paper must be: (1) formally defended in front of the student’s three-person master’s committee and approved by that committee; (2) approved by the Department Head; and (3) approved by the Graduate School. The latest date for the paper defense is 15 May of the second year in the five-year PhD program. Advisers submit the form, “Adviser’s Report on Master’s Defense” (6. ADVISER’S REPORT ON MASTER’S DEFENSE: 5-YEAR PH.D. PROGRAM FORM) upon completion of the defense. The Department Head will review and sign-off on the paper only after the student has successfully defended it and obtained signatures from the three master’s committee members. The Department Head will inform the Graduate School that the work is acceptable. The Department Head requires at least two weeks to review and sign the paper; consult with the Department Head well in advance of submitting the paper to him/her to make sure he/she is available.
A bound copy of the finished work must be filed with the department. This copy does not need to be printed on cotton paper (though it is appreciated). Although this is not a thesis, before binding, consult the Graduate School’s Thesis Guide (available at http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/current/thesis.html), which provides detailed information on how material is to be printed and bound. Do not use a previous thesis or paper as a model for format.

Continuing students will not be allowed to enter the PhD program without having submitted a copy of the paper to the Geography Department for its archives. The absolute deadline for completing the master’s degree (i.e., obtaining approval of the Department Head) is the first day of the semester of entry to the PhD program (i.e., one week before classes begin in mid-August).

The expectation is for continuing five-year PhD students to submit the paper for publication soon after the Department Head has approved it. It is strongly recommended that the paper be submitted before classes resume in fall. Adviser’s confirm that student’s submitted the paper with the form, “Adviser’s Report on Paper Submission.” (7. ADVISER’S REPORT ON PAPER SUBMISSION: FIVE-YEAR PH.D. PROGRAM, PAPER OPTION FORM)

Presentation of Master’s Research

At the end of the spring semester of their second year, all five-year PhD students are required to present their master’s research in poster format at the Department’s annual awards reception. Students will be notified about specific format requirements, but in general this event will be similar to an AAG poster session where presenters stay by their posters and respond to questions by faculty and grads.

Doctoral Candidacy Committee and Examination

Function of the candidacy exam

The doctoral candidacy exam is a requirement of the Graduate School, and the unit administering the exam determines its function, format, and timing. In the Geography Department, PhD students advance to candidacy when they demonstrate the intellectual capacity to think analytically and critically in their field of expertise and to understand and apply ideas from other fields of geography to their research domain. The format of the exam and the composition of the examining committee both assist students in demonstrating this intellectual capacity and enable the examining committee to assess this capacity.

Format of the examining committee and candidacy exam

A committee of three, formally appointed by the Graduate Program Officer, will administer the doctoral candidacy exam to students admitted to the PhD program. Students must select the examining committee from those members of the Department who hold Graduate Faculty status. Organizing the candidacy exam involves a four-step process.

First, students will write a research statement of no more than one and one half (1.5) pages in length. The research statement describes students’ intended doctoral research path and its relationship to all of the broad research fields in geography: human geography, physical geography, nature-society geography, and geographic information science. The research statement can also include discussion of a place or region in which students have interest, but place or region cannot substitute for a substantive research focus.

Second, students will assemble the candidacy committee, which will consist of the Adviser and faculty members from two other broad research fields of geography. For example, if the Adviser is a human geographer, then the other committee members must be from two of the other three broad fields of geography practiced in the Department (in this case, physical geography, nature-society/human-environment geography, and geographic information science). Students must meet with potential candidacy committee members, share their research statement, and identify a theme around which all three examiners will direct their questions. Exam themes can vary considerably, but should reflect student interests described in the statement and yet accommodate the expertise (for instance, biogeography or cartography) of the faculty members serving on the candidacy committee. This step will take time to address, so five-year PhD students should start assembling their candidacy committees before Spring Break of their second year to insure completion of the committee by the end of the spring semester. By the last day of classes before spring break, five-year PhD students submit the form with only the names of the provisional candidacy committee to the Graduate Program Officer for approval.(8. PROVISIONAL DOCTORAL CANDIDACY COMMITTEE FORM)

Please note: it is possible, but unlikely that the three members of the master’s committee can serve as the three members of the candidacy committee because they must be from three distinct fields of geography. One object of the candidacy exam is to assess the student’s breadth of knowledge across the discipline; master’s committees tend to be focused more on assessing the student’s mastery of research skills and therefore to have members who are more likely to be in just one field of geography.

Third, students will prepare the form, “Appointment of Doctoral Candidacy Committee,” (9. APPOINTMENT OF DOCTORAL CANDIDACY COMMITTEE FORM) and present it to the Graduate Program Officer at least two months before the candidacy examination date. The form includes the 1.5–page research statement, the names of the three candidacy committee members, and a description of the theme in six words or less. Once the Graduate Program Officer confirms and signs off on the candidacy committee, a period of two months must elapse before the student takes the exam. During that time, students will visit with their committee members to discuss the exam theme and likely directions of questioning.

Fourth, no less than three weeks before the candidacy exam, students must file the form, “Schedule Doctoral Candidacy Examination” (10. SCHEDULE DOCTORAL CANDIDACY EXAMINATION FORM) with the Graduate Staff Assistant. Please note that this is a Graduate School requirement with no flexibility. Failure to submit this form to the Graduate Staff Assistant will result in the delay of the examination.

The candidacy exam is an oral, closed examination. Questions and answers do not require memorization of facts, but instead require students to think analytically and critically by understanding and articulating responses to the questions asked by the committee. The exam requires approximately two hours and has six possible outcomes, as shown on the Graduate School form, “Adviser’s Report on Doctoral Candidacy.” (11. ADVISER’S REPORT ON DOCTORAL CANDIDACY FORM) Students must provide this form to their Adviser no later than the time of the examination.

Timing of the candidacy exam

For five-year PhD students, the doctoral candidacy exam must take place after the MS thesis or paper defense, but as soon after that defense as possible. The reason for this requirement is that students must complete their master’s degree before they can take the candidacy exam. Five-year PhD students must establish the candidacy committee by spring break of the second year. They must submit their candidacy plan two months before the date of the exam. For five-year PhD students, the exam must be completed by 15 October of the third year in the program. In other words, five-year PhD students who complete their MS degree at the mid-August deadline must submit their candidacy plan to the Graduate Program Officer immediately.

Doctoral Committee

Each five-year PhD student’s doctoral committee should be established after the student has passed the candidacy exam and no later than the end of the fifth semester of residence (Fall semester of Year 3), unless the student has taken but not passed his or her candidacy examination by that time. In that case, the doctoral committee is to be appointed no later than the end of the semester in which the candidacy examination is passed and three weeks before the proposal defense or comprehensive examination, whichever comes first. It is unwise to wait that late to appoint the doctoral committee.

The doctoral committee consists of at least four members from Penn State, with one (typically known as the “outside member” or the “external member”) from another unit that has no budgetary affiliation with Geography. It is possible to have additional special committee members from outside Penn State. Members of the doctoral committee are formally appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School on the recommendation of the Graduate Program Officer. All committee members must be members of the Graduate Faculty at Penn State, except for special committee members from outside the university.

The doctoral committee is responsible for all facets of the doctoral program (i.e., the plan of study, the timing of exams and the proposal, and the timing of the dissertation). The committee evaluates performance on examinations, evaluates the dissertation proposal, and supervises the dissertation. Each student’s doctoral program should be formulated in consultation with his or her doctoral committee. The committee should meet no later than six months after passage of the candidacy examination to approve the student’s doctoral program. The program may be modified as necessary, providing the committee approves.

Students must complete the Selection of Doctoral Committee form (9. APPOINTMENT OF DOCTORAL CANDIDACY COMMITTEE FORM) and return it to the Graduate Staff Assistant immediately after the first meeting with the committee and well before scheduling the comprehensive exam or proposal defense. Once the form has been completed, the Graduate Staff Assistant will create the Committee Appointment Signature Form. The student is required to sign this form and will have each of the committee members sign the form as well. Once all the signatures have been obtained, it is returned to the Graduate Staff Assistant who will obtain the Graduate Program Officer’s signature and will then forward it to the Graduate School. This form needs to be forwarded to the Graduate School well before the student schedules the Comprehensive Exam because the Graduate School checks whether committee members are authorized to serve in their roles.

The Graduate School requires all doctoral committees to meet at least once per year. The comprehensive exam serves as the meeting in the year in which it takes place, usually year 3. Unless the student is away doing fieldwork, the committee meetings in years 4 and 5 should take place in the fall semester before October 15. Permission to hold this meeting later in the academic year must be given by the Graduate Program Officer.

Order of the Dissertation Proposal and Comprehensive Examination

The order of the dissertation proposal and comprehensive examination is to be determined by the graduate candidate and her/his Adviser. The comprehensive examination cannot be scheduled until the student has met the Graduate School’s Language and Communication Skills requirement. When the dissertation proposal precedes the comprehensive examination, the doctoral committee determines whether this requirement has been met at the proposal meeting and the Adviser documents the committee’s agreement on the proposal meeting report form (13. ADVISER’S REPORT ON DISSERTATION PROPOSAL MEETING FORM). At that meeting, the committee also determines the dates of the written and oral portions of the comprehensive exam and confirms the order of questioning. When the comprehensive examination precedes the proposal meeting, then the doctoral committee must hold a special meeting to make sure the student has met the Graduate School’s Language and Communication Skills requirement. At that meeting, the committee also determines the dates of the written and oral portions of the comprehensive exam and confirms the order of questioning.

The Department recommends that the dissertation proposal and comprehensive examination closely coincide in time, with three weeks being the typical time between these milestones. In those cases in which the dissertation proposal precedes the comprehensive examination, however, there should be no less than two weeks between acceptance of the proposal and beginning of the written portion of the exam. In those cases in which the student and Adviser determine that the proposal should follow the comprehensive exam, the proposal defense should take place by May of their third year. However, if there are sound scholarly or practical reasons to delay defense of the thesis proposal, students can defend it no later than 15 October of the fourth year (i.e., the seventh semester) with signed permission of the Graduate Program Officer. Holding the proposal defense after the summer is not to the student’s advantage because any summer field or laboratory research will not have the formal approval of the doctoral committee.

Dissertation Proposal

If the proposal meeting precedes the comprehensive examination, the committee must confirm that the student has met the Graduate School’s Language and Communication Skills requirement at the proposal meeting, which the Adviser acknowledges as part of the proposal meeting report. The committee should also determine the dates of the written and oral portions of the comprehensive exam and confirm the order of questioning at the proposal meeting.
If there is a change in dissertation topic or if there is a major revision of the original proposal (e.g., a change from a quantitative to qualitative research design), another formal meeting of the dissertation committee must be held to approve such changes. Consult with the Graduate Program Officer if in doubt about the need for additional committee meetings to revise the proposal.

Comprehensive Examination

As mandated by the Graduate School, this exam must be formally scheduled (14. SCHEDULE DOCTORAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS FORM). Scheduling can take place when a doctoral candidate has met the Graduate School’s Language and Communication Skills requirement. The comprehensive examination must be completed by May of the student’s third year; in those cases in which the student and Adviser determine that the proposal should follow the Comprehensive Examination, the proposal meeting must take place before 15 October of the fourth year (i.e., the seventh semester), although the Department strongly recommends that the proposal meeting takes place no later than the end of May of the third year. A student’s eligibility for financial support for the fourth year is dependent upon successful completion of the comprehensive exam.

The exam is officially scheduled by the Dean of the Graduate School upon recommendation of the student’s doctoral committee through the Graduate Program Officer. The departmental Graduate Staff Assistant will assist in submitting the form for requesting Graduate School scheduling of this exam (14. SCHEDULE DOCTORAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS FORM). The Graduate School requires three weeks notice for scheduling the oral portion of the exam; the Graduate School does not make exceptions except in extraordinary circumstances. To give the Graduate Staff Assistant time to file the necessary paperwork, the Schedule Doctoral Comprehensive Examination form is due four weeks before the oral exam date. Failure to meet this deadline will result in delay of the exam.

Questions on the comprehensive exam are given by at least four faculty members and address at least two substantive areas of study. Each student should meet individually with members of his or her doctoral committee to discuss the general question areas and identify specific preparation at least one semester before planning to take the comprehensive exam. In general, for five-year PhD students, these individual meetings should take place soon after the candidacy exam and the identification of the doctoral committee members.

The examination is administered in two parts, written and oral. The written examination period lasts four days, with each day allotted to a question or questions from an individual committee member (i.e., a four-member committee produces a four-day exam). The student and committee can organize the written examination for Monday-Thursday or Tuesday-Friday (i.e., four consecutive days); for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (i.e., two days on, one day off, and two days on); or Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday (i.e., two days on, the weekend off, and two days on). Following the writing period—usually about a week to ten days later—the candidate meets with the entire committee for an oral examination, which lasts about three hours and is closed.

A favorable vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the doctoral committee is required for passing the comprehensive exam. If a candidate fails the exam, the committee can fail the student outright or can choose to give the student the opportunity to take the exam again. If it allows the student to retake the exam, the committee must determine (1) if the student needs to retake portions of the exam or the entire exam, and (2) how long the student has to prepare for re-examination. A candidate who passes and who has already had the doctoral proposal accepted by the committee may devote full time to the dissertation from that point forward; a candidate who has not had the dissertation proposal meeting must meet with the committee and gain acceptance of the proposal.

Students are encouraged not to take further course work except for GEOG 601/611, thesis research, and required courses. Any courses taken after the comprehensive exam require formal permission of the Graduate Program Officer. Students who take other courses without seeking this permission will be responsible for paying the roughly $700 fee charged by the University.

Residency Requirements

There is no minimum number of required credits or semesters of study, but over some twelve-month period during the interval between admission to the PhD program and completion of the PhD program, the candidate must spend at least two semesters (which may include the semester in which the candidacy exam is taken) as a registered full-time student. Note that summer session is not normally counted as a semester. For example, students who take their candidacy exam in the fall semester can complete the residence requirement by registering for nine credits in the fall semester and for nine credits in the following spring semester. The Graduate School requires that continuous fall/spring registrations be kept current until graduation and not be paid in arrears at some later date. See the Graduate Degree Programs Bulletin for more detail.

Graduate School Time Limit

The Graduate School allows eight years for completion of the doctoral degree, from the time of candidacy (i.e., passing the candidacy exam) to conclusion of the doctoral defense, with six years allowed between passing the comprehensive exam and the doctoral defense. If more than six years elapse between the comprehensive and doctoral defense exams, a second comprehensive exam must be administered (see Graduate Degree Programs Bulletin).

Doctoral Dissertation

The doctoral dissertation must represent a significant contribution to knowledge. It must be presented in a scholarly manner, reveal an ability by the candidate to do independent research of high quality, and indicate considerable experience in using a variety of research techniques. It should also demonstrate the candidate’s ability to express her- or himself precisely, concisely, and in an interesting manner.

The content and mode of presentation of a dissertation are decided by the candidate in consultation with the Adviser and the doctoral committee. As noted previously, the candidate will present a formal dissertation proposal to his or her committee for approval before initiating research on the proposed topic.

The Graduate School enforces a variety of detailed regulations about the format of finished dissertations. To avoid last minute frustrations, candidates must familiarize themselves with the regulations in the Thesis Guide, available at the Graduate School office in Kern Building or at http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/current/thesis.html. Do not use a previous dissertation as a model format.

Doctoral Defense––The Final Oral Examination

This examination is conducted by the candidate’s doctoral committee. It is officially scheduled and announced by the Dean of the Graduate School. Two weeks’ notice is required by the Graduate School to schedule this exam. To give the Graduate Staff Assistant time to file this paperwork, the Schedule Doctoral Defense Examination form (17. SCHEDULE DOCTORAL DEFENSE EXAMINATION FORM) is due three weeks before the date of the exam. This examination is largely concerned with the doctoral dissertation itself, but questions may range over the candidate’s entire field of specialization and study. The dissertation must be presented to the committee in final form (complete with figures, tables, appendices, etc.) at least two weeks before the examination.

The first part of the doctoral defense is open to the public and candidates are responsible for distributing an announcement of the time, place, and title by e-mail to the department community at least one week prior to the exam. The second part of the exam is closed to the public and consists of the candidate and doctoral committee.

The examination is graded on a pass-fail basis. A favorable vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the doctoral committee is required for passing. If a candidate fails, it is the committee’s responsibility to determine whether, and when, the student may repeat the defense. If a candidate passes, it is normal for the committee to require revisions, which can range from minor (e.g., typographical and spelling errors) to major (reworking an analysis or rewriting one or more chapters). The committee typically will sign the signature page at the defense when requiring only minor revisions, but usually will not sign until satisfied by major revisions. If major revisions are required, the committee will determine at the dissertation defense whether they will meet again with the student.

The dissertation must be in final form with a signature page signed by the entire committee before submitting it for the Department Head’s approval no less than two weeks before the deadline for final submission.

A PDF version of the complete dissertation must be filed in the Graduate School office by the announced deadline before the Commencement at which the candidate expects to receive the degree. The Adviser accompanies the PhD student on stage at commencement, so schedule coordination is essential. One bound copy of the dissertation must be filed with the department.

Example Program for a Five-year PhD Student

with Half-time TA or RA Funding

YEAR 1

Fall
□ Attend Geography orientation the entire week before classes start; TAs attend TA workshop given by Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence
□ Attend entry interview with entry committee on last day of orientation;
Student’s Summary and Adviser’s Report to Grad Staff Assistant
□ Register for GEOG 500, 590, and additional credits before classes begin
□ Select Adviser by Friday before Thanksgiving; gold form to Grad Staff Assistant
□TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; form to be provided near end of fall semester; completed form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

Spring
□ Register for GEOG 502, 590, and additional credits before classes begin
□ Complete annual progress report by January 31
□ Select two additional faculty members to complete master’s program committee; green form to Graduate Staff Assistant
□ Meet with committee to defend thesis/paper proposal; pink evaluation form with proposal copy attached to Grad Staff Assistant
□ TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; form to be provided near end of spring semester; completed form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

Summer
□ Conduct MS thesis or MS paper research
□ RAs meet with supervisor at end of summer to discuss performance; provided form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

YEAR 2

Fall
□ Register for 9 to 12 credits before classes begin; most or all of these credits can be GEOG 600/610
□ Meet with committee by October 15, discuss summer’s research, and plan crucial dates for MS thesis or MS paper completion
□ TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; form to be provided near end of fall semester; completed form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

Spring
□ Register for 9 to 12 credits; most or all of these credits can be GEOG 600/610
□ Activate intent to graduate with MS by middle of January
□ Complete annual progress report by January 31
□ Select other two candidacy committee members by last day before spring break; gold Provisional Doctoral Candidacy Committee form
□ Submit draft of thesis or MS paper to Adviser and to Graduate School for format review by early March
□ Defend thesis or MS paper; Adviser submits Adviser’s Report on Master’s Defense form; student submits signed thesis or paper to Department Head to read and sign by end of March/start of April (two weeks before Grad School deadline).
□ Submit “Appointment of Doctoral Candidacy Committee” form; blue form to Graduate Program Officer two months before candidacy exam
□ Submit final thesis or MS paper to Grad School in middle of April
□ Present MS research to department at poster session
□ Submit bound copy of thesis or MS paper to department
□ Submit paper to journal for possible publication; Adviser submits Adviser’s Report on Paper Submission form
□ TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; form to be provided near end of spring semester; completed form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

Summer

□ Take candidacy exam; candidacy committee evaluates performance and also confirms progress on communications skills requirement; Adviser reports on green form; Grad Staff Assistant submits Grad School form
□ Select doctoral committee; orange form to Grad Staff Assistant
□ Conduct pilot dissertation research
□ RAs meet with supervisor at end of summer to discuss performance; provided form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

YEAR 3

Fall
□ Register for 9 to 12 credits before classes begin
□ Meet with doctoral committee to update them on summer work and to confirm program plans
□ Discuss comprehensive exam topics with each committee member and prepare for exam
□ TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; form to be provided near end of fall semester; completed form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

Spring
□ Register for 9 to 12 credits before classes begin
□ Complete annual progress report by Jan. 31
□ Present dissertation proposal to doctoral committee in formal meeting (before comprehensive exam; note: student and Adviser can choose to have doctoral proposal meeting after comprehensive exam); Adviser reports on pink form to the Grad Staff Assistant with proposal copy attached to be placed in student’s file
□ Schedule comprehensive exam; yellow form to Grad Staff Assistant three weeks before exam; Grad Staff Assistant submits form to Grad School
□ Take comprehensive exam (4 days writing with oral exam one week to 10 days later); Grad School evaluation form to Grad Staff Assistant
□ TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; form to be provided near end of spring semester; completed form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

Summer

□ Conduct dissertation research
□ RAs meet with supervisor at end of summer to discuss performance; provided form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

YEAR 4

Fall
□ Register for 9 to 12 credits before classes begin
□ Meet with doctoral committee before October 15 to discuss dissertation progress and plans
□ Continue research as necessary
□ TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; form to be provided near end of fall semester; completed form goes to Grad Staff Assistant
Spring
□ Register before classes begin
□ Continue research as necessary
□ TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; form to be provided near end of spring semester; completed form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

Summer
□ Continue research as necessary
□ RAs meet with supervisor at end of summer to discuss performance; provided form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

YEAR 5

Fall
□ Register before classes begin
□ Meet with doctoral committee before October 15 to discuss dissertation progress and plans
□ Continue research as necessary
□ Start writing dissertation
□ TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; form to be provided near end of fall semester; completed form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

Spring
□ Register for 9 to 12 credits before classes begin
□ Activate intent to graduate by middle of January
□ Complete annual progress report by Jan. 31
□ Finish writing dissertation
□ Submit partial draft of dissertation to graduate school for format review
□ Get agreement from Adviser and committee that dissertation defense may be scheduled (Adviser and usually all committee members have read drafts); schedule defense gray form to Grad Staff Assistant and Grad School
□ Present completely finished dissertation to committee two weeks before defense (all figures, appendices, etc.)
□ Announce defense one week before scheduled date (email to all grads and faculty)
□ Defend dissertation; Grad School evaluation form to Grad Staff Assistant
□ Make revisions and submit final dissertation with all signatures to Department Head to read and sign in first week of April
□ Submit final dissertation to Grad School in middle of April
□ Submit bound copy of dissertation to Department
□ Attend Graduate School commencement at end of finals week in May

Confirm Graduate School deadlines at: http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/calendar/gradcal.html

Four-Year PhD

The following guidelines apply to four-year PhD and MS-to-PhD students.

Courses and Registration

In their first year, new four-year PhD students must take GEOG 500 in fall, 502 in spring, and GEOG 590 in both semesters. Students continuing from the MS have met these requirements. Four-year PhD candidates also are required to register and complete work in at least two graduate-level seminars (500-level) among those offered by the Department of Geography. At least one of the two seminar’s must be outside the field in which the student is working, e.g., if a student is specializing in human geography, then at least one of the courses must be in physical geography, geographic information science, or human-environment geography. (Note: the spirit of this requirement is not met by a human geographer taking a nature-society course on feminist political ecology or by a physical geographer taking a geographic information course on remote sensing of ice and snow.) Both seminars should carry at least three credits and result in a substantive paper. GEOG 500 and 502 do not meet this requirement. This two-seminar requirement should be satisfied during the first four semesters of residence. Beyond these courses, there are no formal course or seminar requirements for the doctorate, although PhD students are encouraged to take advanced courses in their area of study. Most students take both courses and seminars as part of their doctoral program, especially in preparation for comprehensive exams.

Before the comprehensive exams, many people choose to register for GEOG 600 (on campus) or GEOG 610 (off-campus). After the comprehensives and while researching and writing their dissertations, students register for GEOG 601 (on-campus) or GEOG 611 (off-campus), which have a special PhD dissertation preparation rate that is a fraction of the normal tuition (currently it is 23 percent of the normal tuition). Post-comprehensive PhD students are discouraged from taking courses that are not required for their degrees because they currently cost the Department approximately $700 per three credits; students must therefore seek permission from the Graduate Program Officer to take any course except 601/611 after passing the comprehensive exam. PhD students must take at least 12 credits of GEOG 600/601/610/611, but no more than 12 credits of 600-level work can be assigned a letter grade. The remainder must be graded on an “R” research basis. Almost all full-time PhD students accumulate R-grade 600/601 credits. For grading purposes, please register in increments of 3 credits for GEOG 600/610. For example, a single semester’s transcript may look like this:

Course                                        Credits                                               Grade
GEOG 600                                        3                                                        A
GEOG 600                                        3                                                        A
GEOG 600                                        3                                                        R

Doctoral Candidacy Committee and Examination

Function of the candidacy exam

Format of the examining committee and candidacy exam

First, students will write a research statement of no more than one and one half (1.5) pages in length. The research statement describes students’ intended research path and its relationship to one or more of the broad research fields in geography: human geography, physical geography, nature-society geography, and geographic information science. The research statement can also include discussion of a place or region in which students have interest, but place or region cannot substitute for a substantive research focus.

Second, students will assemble the candidacy committee, which will consist of the Adviser and faculty members from two other broad research fields of geography. For example, if the Adviser is a human geographer, then the other committee members must be from two of the other three broad fields of geography practiced in the Department (in this case, physical geography, nature-society geography, and geographic information science). Students must meet with potential candidacy committee members, share their research statement, and identify a theme around which all three examiners will direct their questions. Exam themes can vary considerably, but should reflect student interests described in the statement and yet accommodate the expertise (for instance, biogeography or cartography) of the faculty serving on the committee. Examples of exam themes could include such diverse topics as mountaintop removal mining, local climate change impacts, or emergency response. This step will take time to address, so students should start assembling their committees no later than Thanksgiving of their first year to insure completion of the committee by the end of the fall semester. By the last day of classes in the fall semester, four-year PhD students submit the form (8. PROVISIONAL DOCTORAL CANDIDACY COMMITTEE FORM) with only the names of the provisional candidacy committee to the Graduate Program Officer for approval.

Third, students will prepare the form, “Appointment of Doctoral Candidacy Committee,” (9. APPOINTMENT OF DOCTORAL CANDIDACY COMMITTEE FORM) and present it to the Graduate Program Officer at least two months before the candidacy examination date. The form includes the 1.5-page research statement, the names of the three candidacy committee members, and a description of the theme in six words or less. Once the Graduate Program Officer confirms and signs off on the candidacy committee, a period of two months must elapse before the student takes the exam. During that time, students will visit with their committee members to discuss the exam theme and likely directions of questioning. For practical purposes, students should submit this form to the Graduate Program Officer by Spring Break of Year 1.

The candidacy exam is an oral, closed examination. Questions and answers do not require memorization of facts, but instead require students to think analytically and critically by understanding and articulating responses to the questions asked by the committee. The exam requires approximately two hours and has six possible outcomes, as shown on the Graduate School form, “Adviser’s Report on Doctoral Candidacy.” Students must provide this form to their Adviser no later than the time of the examination.

Timing of the candidacy exam

For four-year PhD students, the doctoral candidacy exam can take place any time during the first year of the PhD program, but students typically take the exam during spring semester. Students must establish the candidacy committee before the end of fall semester. Four-year PhD students must complete the exam by May of the first year in the program.

Doctoral Committee

Each four-year PhD student’s doctoral committee should be established after the student has passed the candidacy exam and no later than the end of the second semester of residence, unless the student has taken but not passed his or her candidacy examination by that time. In that case, the doctoral committee is to be appointed no later than the end of the semester in which the candidacy examination is passed and three weeks before the proposal defense or comprehensive examination, whichever comes first. It is unwise to wait that late to appoint the doctoral committee.

The doctoral committee is responsible for all facets of the doctoral program (i.e., the plan of study, the timing of exams and the proposal, and the timing of the dissertation). The committee evaluates performance on examinations, evaluates the dissertation proposal, and supervises the dissertation. Each student’s doctoral program should be formulated in consultation with his or her doctoral committee. The committee should meet no later than six months after passage of the candidacy examination to approve the student’s doctoral program. The program may be modified as necessary, providing the committee approves.

The Graduate School requires all doctoral committees to meet at least once per year. The comprehensive exam serves as the meeting in year 2. Unless the student is away doing fieldwork, the committee meetings in years 3 and 4 should take place in the fall semester before October 15. (15. ADVISER’S REPORT ON FIRST POST-COMPS DOCTORAL COMMITTEE MEETING FORM). (16. ADVISER’S REPORT ON SECOND POST-COMPS DOCTORAL COMMITTEE MEETING FORM)

Order of the Dissertation Proposal and Comprehensive Examination

The order of the dissertation proposal and comprehensive examination is to be determined by the graduate candidate and her/his Adviser. The comprehensive examination cannot be scheduled until the student has met the Graduate School’s Language and Communication Skills requirement. When the dissertation proposal precedes the comprehensive examination, the doctoral committee determines whether this requirement has been met at the proposal meeting and the Adviser documents the committee’s agreement on the proposal meeting report form (see below). At that meeting, the committee also determines the dates of the written and oral portions of the comprehensive exam and confirms the order of questioning. When the comprehensive examination precedes the proposal meeting, then the doctoral committee must hold a special meeting to make sure the student has met the Graduate School’s Language and Communication Skills requirement. At that meeting, the committee also determines the dates of the written and oral portions of the comprehensive exam and confirms the order of questioning.

The Department recommends that the dissertation proposal and comprehensive examination closely coincide in time, with three weeks being the typical time between these milestones. In those cases in which the dissertation proposal precedes the comprehensive examination, however, there should be no less than two weeks between acceptance of the proposal and beginning of the written portion of the exam. In those cases in which the student and Adviser determine that the proposal should follow the comprehensive exam, the proposal defense should take place by May of their second year. However, if there are sound scholarly or practical reasons to delay defense of the thesis proposal, students can defend it no later than 15 October of the third year (i.e., the fifth semester) with signed permission of the the Graduate Program Officer. Holding the proposal defense after the summer is not to the student’s advantage because any summer field or laboratory research will not have the formal approval of the doctoral committee.

Dissertation Proposal

Before dissertation work can begin, the candidate for the degree must write a dissertation proposal in consultation with the Adviser and members of the doctoral committee. The proposal will be discussed at a dedicated proposal meeting. This meeting is not a formal defense mandated by the Graduate School, but it is formal in the sense that the Department requires a meticulous proposal and rigorous analysis of the theory, methods, research plan, and significance that form the basis of the proposal. The doctoral committee can require multiple revisions and additional meetings until they accept the dissertation proposal.
A proposal should include a statement of the research question, the methods to be used in the research, an analysis plan, and a statement of the significance of the work. The proposal should be approximately 20 double-spaced pages. The Adviser writes a brief report (13. ADVISER’S REPORT ON DISSERTATION PROPOSAL MEETING FORM) on the proposal meeting for the candidate’s file and attaches a copy of the accepted proposal to the report.
If the proposal meeting precedes the comprehensive examination, the committee must confirm that the student has met the Graduate School’s Language and Communication Skills requirement at the proposal meeting, which the Adviser acknowledges as part of the proposal meeting report. The committee should also determine the dates of the written and oral portions of the comprehensive exam and confirm the order of questioning at the proposal meeting.
If there is a change in dissertation topic or if there is a major revision of the original proposal (e.g., a change from a quantitative to qualitative research design), another formal meeting of the dissertation committee must be held to approve such changes. Consult with the Graduate Program Officer if in doubt about the need for additional committee meetings to revise the proposal.

Comprehensive Examination

As mandated by the Graduate School, this exam must be formally scheduled (14. SCHEDULE DOCTORAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS FORM). Scheduling can take place when a doctoral candidate has met the Graduate School’s Language and Communication Skills requirement. The comprehensive examination must be completed by May of the student’s second year; in those cases in which the student and Adviser determine that the proposal should follow the Comprehensive Examination, the proposal meeting must take place before 15 October of the third year (i.e., the fifth semester), although the Department strongly recommends that the proposal meeting takes place no later than the end of May of the second year. A student’s eligibility for financial support for the third year is dependent upon successful completion of the comprehensive exam. The exam is officially scheduled by the Dean of the Graduate School upon recommendation of the student’s doctoral committee through the Graduate Program Officer. The departmental Graduate Staff Assistant will assist in submitting the form for requesting Graduate School scheduling of this exam (form follows). The Graduate School requires three weeks notice for scheduling the oral portion of the exam; the Graduate School does not make exceptions except in extraordinary circumstances. To give the Graduate Staff Assistant time to file the necessary paperwork, the Schedule Doctoral Comprehensive Examination form is due four weeks before the oral exam date.

Questions on the comprehensive exam are given by at least four faculty members and address at least two substantive areas of study. Each student should meet individually with members of his or her doctoral committee to discuss the general question areas and identify specific preparation at least one semester before planning to take the comprehensive exam. In general, these individual meetings should take place early in the fall semester of the second year.

Students are encouraged not to take further course work except for GEOG 601/611, thesis research, and required courses. Any other courses require formal permission of the Graduate Program Officer. Students who take other courses without seeking this permission will be responsible for paying the roughly $700 fee charged by the University.

Residency Requirements

There is no minimum number of required credits or semesters of study, but over some twelve-month period during the interval between admission to the PhD program and completion of the PhD program, the candidate must spend at least two semesters (which may include the semester in which the candidacy exam is taken) as a registered full-time student. Note that summer session is not normally counted as a semester. For example, students who take their candidacy exam in the fall semester can complete the residence requirement by registering for nine credits in the fall semester and for nine credits in the following spring semester. The Graduate School requires that continuous fall/spring registrations be kept current until graduation and not be paid in arrears at some later date. See the Graduate Degree Programs Bulletin for more detail.

Graduate School Time Limit

Doctoral Dissertation

The Graduate School enforces a variety of detailed regulations about the format of finished dissertations. To avoid last minute frustrations, candidates must familiarize themselves with the regulations in the Thesis Guide, available at the Graduate School office in Kern Building or at http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/current/thesis.html. Do not use a previous dissertation as a model format.

Doctoral Defense––The Final Oral Examination

This examination is conducted by the candidate’s doctoral committee. It is officially scheduled and announced by the Dean of the Graduate School. Two weeks’ notice is required by the Graduate School to schedule this exam. To give the Graduate Staff Assistant time to file this paperwork, the Schedule Doctoral Defense Examination form (17. SCHEDULE DOCTORAL DEFENSE EXAMINATION FORM) is due three weeks before the date of the exam. This examination is largely concerned with the doctoral dissertation itself, but questions may range over the candidate’s entire field of specialization and study. The dissertation must be presented to the committee in final form (complete with figures, tables, appendices, etc.) at least two weeks before the examination.

Example Program for a Four-year PhD Student with Half-time TA or RA Funding

YEAR 1

Fall

□ Attend Geography orientation the entire week before classes start; TAs attend TA workshop given by Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence
□ Attend entry interview with entry committee on last day of orientation week; student’s Summary and Adviser’s Report to Grad Staff Assistant.
□ Register for GEOG 500, 590, and additional credits before classes begin
□ Select Adviser by Friday before Thanksgiving; gold form to Grad Staff Assistant
□ Select two other candidacy committee members by last day of classes; gold Provisional Doctoral Candidacy Committee form
□ TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; form to be provided near end of fall semester; completed form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

Spring
□ Register for GEOG 502, 590 and additional credits before classes begin
□ Complete annual progress report by January 31
□ Submit “Appointment of Doctoral Candidacy Committee” form; blue form to Graduate Program Officer two months before candidacy exam
□ Take candidacy exam; candidacy committee evaluates performance and also confirms progress on communications skills requirement; Adviser reports on green form; Grad Staff Assistant submits Grad School form
□ Select doctoral committee; orange form to Grad Staff Assistant
□ TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; form to be provided near end of spring semester; completed form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

Summer
□ Conduct pilot dissertation research
□ RAs meet with supervisor at end of summer to discuss performance; provided form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

YEAR 2

Fall
□ Register for 9 to 12 credits before classes begin; most or all of these credits can be GEOG 600/610
□ Meet with doctoral committee to confirm program plans
□ Discuss comprehensive exam topics with each committee member
□ TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; form to be provided near end of fall semester; completed form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

Late Fall or Spring
□ Present dissertation proposal to doctoral committee in formal meeting (before comprehensive exam; note: student and Adviser can choose to have doctoral proposal meeting after comprehensive exam); Adviser reports on pink form to the Grad Staff Assistant with proposal copy attached to be placed in student’s file

Spring
□ Register for 9 to 12 credits; most or all of these credits can be GEOG 600/610
□ Complete annual progress report by Jan. 31
□ Schedule comprehensive exam; yellow form to Grad Staff Assistant three weeks before exam; Grad Staff Assistant submits form to Grad School
□ Take comprehensive exam (4 days writing with oral exam one week to 10 days later); Grad School evaluation form to Grad Staff Assistant
□ TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; form to be provided near end of spring semester; completed form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

Summer

□ Conduct dissertation research
□ RAs meet with supervisor at end of summer to discuss performance; provided form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

YEAR 3

Fall
□ Register for 9 to 12 credits before classes begin
□ Meet with doctoral committee to discuss dissertation progress and plans
□ Continue research as necessary
□ TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; provided form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

Spring
□ Register for 9 to 12 credits before classes begin
□ Continue research as necessary
□ TAs and RAs meet with supervisor at end of semester to discuss performance; provided form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

Summer

□ Conduct dissertation research
□RAs meet with supervisor at end of summer to discuss performance; provided form goes to Grad Staff Assistant

YEAR 4

Spring
□ Register for 9 to 12 credits before classes begin
□ Activate intent to graduate by middle of January
□ Complete annual progress report by Jan. 31
□ Finish writing dissertation
□ Submit partial draft of dissertation to graduate school for format review
□ Get agreement from Adviser and committee that dissertation defense may be scheduled (Adviser and usually all committee members have read drafts); schedule defense gray form to Grad Staff Assistant and Grad School
□ Present completely finished dissertation to committee two weeks before defense (all figures, appendices, etc.)
□ Announce defense one week before scheduled date (email to all grads and faculty)
□ Defend dissertation; Grad School evaluation form to Grad Staff Assistant
□ Make revisions and submit final dissertation with all signatures to Department Head to read and sign in first week of April
□ Submit final dissertation to Grad School in middle of April
□ Submit bound copy of dissertation to Department
□ Attend Graduate School commencement at end of finals week in May

Confirm Graduate School deadlines at: http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/calendar/gradcal.html

GEOGRAPHY GRADUATE MINOR

A minor is a formal credential that appears on a graduate student’s transcript. The Geography Graduate Minor is for Penn State graduate students enrolled in programs other than Geography. For example, PhD students in Communications Arts and Sciences may seek to earn a Geography Minor, and both credentials would be reflected on the student’s final Penn State transcript and diploma. The requirements for award of a Geography Graduate Minor are:

PhD, 15 credits total:

(1) 6 credits: two 500-level Geography seminars
(2) 9 credits: Geography courses at 400, 500, and 800 levels, with no more than six credits at the 400 level and no more than six credits of GEOG 596 (independent study)
(3) At least one tenured/tenure-track Geography faculty member must be on the candidate’s doctoral committee

Master’s, 9 credits total:

(1) 6 credits: two 500-level Geography seminars
(2) 3 credits: One Geography course at 400, 500, or 800 level

Graduate Student Handbook 15–16 Version

Department of Geography (archive 2015–16 version)

Graduate School Requirements

Language and Communication Skills Requirements

Five-Year PhD with MS Degree

Courses and Registration

Master’s Program Committee

Master’s Proposal

Completing Master’s Research

Presentation of Master’s Research

Doctoral Candidacy Committee and Examination

Doctoral Committee

Order of the Dissertation Proposal and Comprehensive Examination

Dissertation Proposal

Comprehensive Examination

Residency Requirements

Graduate School Time Limit

Doctoral Dissertation

Doctoral Defense––The Final Oral Examination

Example Program for a Five-year PhD Student

Four-Year PhD

Courses and Registration

Doctoral Candidacy Committee and Examination

Doctoral Committee

Order of the Dissertation Proposal and Comprehensive Examination

Dissertation Proposal

Comprehensive Examination

Residency Requirements

Graduate School Time Limit

Doctoral Dissertation

Doctoral Defense––The Final Oral Examination

Example Program for a Four-year PhD Student with Half-time TA or RA Funding

GEOGRAPHY GRADUATE MINOR

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