Programs : Doctoral : Admissions
Application Deadline is February 1st for the Fall semester. (Applicants are generally not admitted for Spring semesters.)
Review procedures will begin early February, with admission notification beginning mid-March.
All applicants must submit admissions materials separately to SDSU Enrollment Services and to the SDSU Geography Department as specified below.
Enrollment Services Requirements
- University admission application
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
- GRE (and if applicable, TOEFL) test scores sent directly from ETS
(Institution Code: 4682)
The above materials should be sent to:
Enrollment Services
Graduate Admissions Document Processing Unit
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-7416
USA
Geography Department Requirements
- Geography department application
- Copies of transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (these do not need to be sent directly from the colleges - photocopies are acceptable)
- Copies of GRE (and if applicable, TOEFL) test scores. Photocopies are acceptable
- A statement of your geographic interests and professional goals, and the names of SDSU and UCSB Geography faculty who would be suitable program advisors
- A current resume or vitae
- Three letters of recommendation with a recommendation form in .pdf .doc or .docx format.
The above materials should be sent to:
Ph.D. Program Administrative Assistant
Department of Geography
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-4493
USA
or emailed to: geography_phd@mail.sdsu.edu
Admission Requirements to the Ph.D. Program in Geography
Applicants for admission to the doctoral program must meet the general requirements for admission to both universities. There are no inflexible requirements for entrance to graduate study in the program, but a strong background in geography or a related field is essential. A master’s degree is normally a prerequisite, but in unusual circumstances highly qualified candidates can be admitted without the master's. Admission requires acceptance by the respective graduate deans and by both departments. Those admitted to the program from non-geography majors may be required to take additional courses during their first year to remove deficiencies in their background. All students entering the program should have completed a lower and upper division statistics course and, as appropriate, mathematics and computer science courses for the specialty chosen. There is no formal foreign language requirement. However, students conducting research in non-English speaking countries may be required to develop appropriate language skills through formal coursework.
Admission Standards
- An undergraduate grade point average of 3.25 or higher for the last 60 semester units taken (90 quarter units), and/or a graduate grade point average of 3.50 or higher is required
- A minimum combined score of 1100 for tests prior to August 2011 or 307 for tests taken after August 2011 is expected on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE test. Both verbal and quantitative scores should exceed the 50th percentile
- Foreign students whose preparatory education was not in English should receive a minimum Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 600 paper based and 100 internet based
Application Review Process
Applications will be reviewed by the faculties of both departments. In addition to the above mentioned criteria, faculties will consider how the candidate's interests coincide with those of the program and with faculty expertise. Before an applicant is admitted to the program, at least one faculty member from each department must indicate an interest in working with the candidate. Normally, applicants are notified about admissions and funding decisions well before the April 15th letter of intent day.
For an application package and/or general inquiries contact Dr. Douglas Stow at stow@mail.sdsu.edu or write to:
Doctoral Program Adviser
Department of Geography
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-4493
USA
Phone: 619 594-5498
FAX: 619 594-4938
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