The Department of Geography and Environmental Systems (GES) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is inviting applications for the PhD and MS program, to begin enrollment in Fall 2013. The Department is comprised of a multi-disciplinary group of faculty with an emphasis on examining the dynamic relationship between social and natural processes. Our Department recognizes that human-environment relationships encompass a wide range of political, cultural, chemical, biological, economic, and atmospheric phenomena, and we are committed to integrative research and graduate training that reflects the complexity of contemporary environmental issues. Our faculty currently have active research and teaching agendas related to all of these areas. We utilize a broad range of methodological techniques that include field and laboratory studies, modeling, GIS and remote sensing, spatial statistics, historical research, ethnography, interviews, and document analysis. Our research seeks to contribute to cutting edge debates across the natural and social sciences, as well as inform policy through our empirical findings. Our program of graduate study is designed to train graduate students who are able to accomplish these same goals. The Department offers graduate programs leading to the M.S and/or Ph.D degree. Both non-thesis and thesis M.S. options are available. The application deadline for Fall 2013 admission to our graduate program is February 1, 2013. Applications can be completed online through the UMBC Graduate School’s web page: http://www.umbc.edu/gradschool/admissions/apply.html
Below are answers to some questions you may have about the program. Detailed information can be found on the GES website: http://ges.umbc.edu/graduate/ Christopher Swan, Graduate Program Director Department of Geography & Environmental Systems Eugene P. (Sandy) Parker, Chair Department of Geography & Environmental Systems University of Maryland, Baltimore County 1000 Hilltop Circle 211 Sondheim Hall Baltimore, MD 21250 (410) 455-2002 -- Are my interests a good fit for faculty at UMBC? Our Department’s research and teaching interests encompass three primary areas, with a range of sub-themes. 1) Environmental Systems · Water Resources · Geomorphology · Ecosystem Science · Landscape Ecology · Atmospheric Science 2) Human Geography · Land Use Sustainability · Climate and Conservation Policy · Environmental Justice · Political Ecology · Historical Geography · Urban Environments 3) Geographic Information Science · Environmental Modeling · Land Use/Land Cover Change · Remote Sensing of the Environment -- What is graduate study at UMBC like? Graduate students at UMBC are a small, but collegial and dynamic group. All students receive training in a common set of core courses in which they are introduced to guiding theories of human geography, physical geography, and environmental science. In addition, students receive training on research methods techniques and the art of proposal writing. -- What kind of support do students receive? A number of teaching assistantships are available to qualified PhD students. These provide tuition remission, a monthly salary, and health insurance. Many students are also funded on faculty research grants, ranging from the NSF, NOAA, EPA, to US Forest Service. Students are also provided with office and lab space. -- What other opportunities are available? In addition to financial support, there are a number of opportunities for research collaborations through partnerships established with our Department. · A number of our faculty have established international research programs in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and China. · UMBC is the field headquarters of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, one of two NSF Urban Long-term Ecological Research Sites. · The Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education (CUERE) is located at UMBC. CUERE is focused on the environmental consequences of social and environmental transformations associated with urban development. · GES has a partnership with NASA’s Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center, and the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET). Both are government consortiums focusing on earth systems science and using remote sensing technologies to monitor the earth’s atmosphere and surface. · UMBC is also host to the U.S Geological Survey Water Science Center.