M. A. Program

M.A. PROGRAM AND DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Graduate application packet (Adobe Acrobat format)

Admission to the M.A. Program
Conditional Admission for Coursework Deficiencies
Conditional Admission for Low Grades
Additional Criteria for International Applicants
Required Hours and Courses
Transfer Credits
S/U and Pass/No Pass Graded Courses
D Grades
Grade Point Average
Evaluation of M.A. Students
Selecting the Advisor and Advisory/Thesis Committee
Departmental Approval of Cominittee
Advisory Committee Meeting
Chaniges in Committee Membership
Admission to Candidacy
Procedures Regarding Thesis Defense
Attendance and Participation at Thesis Defense
Presentation of the Thesis to the Graduate College
Time Limits
Withdrawal and Readmission
See also: Graduate Assistantships, Master's Information from the Graduate College, and Graduate College Forms

Admission to the M.A. Program. Admission requires submission of application forms to the University Admissions Office as well to the Department. A departmental admission form is available online. Requirements normally include:
- a B.A. or its equivalent from an accredited college or university;
- an undergraduate grade-point average of at least 3.0 on a four-point scale, or its equivalent, as documented by university transcripts;
- at least three letters of recommendation, preferably from former instructors; and
- a statement of goals and professional interests that can serve as the basis for a determination that the Department has faculty available and qualified to supervise a thesis in the student's field of interest.
The Department encourages the submission of results from the Graduate Record Examination as additional evidence of promise, but they are not required for admission and no minimum score is required.
Conditional Admission for Coursework Deficiencies. At the discretion of the Graduate Liaison, students without a preparation in geography equivalent to that contained in an undergraduate geography major at OU may be admitted to the M.A. program conditionally, on the basis of coursework deficiencies. If the student has no background in Geography, these coursework deficiencies shall total, in addition to the 30 hours required for the M.A. degree, five additional letter-graded courses in geography, of which at least one course must be in human geography, one course must be in physical geography, and not more than two courses shall be in geotechniques. Deficiency courses may not be used to satisfy degree requirements. Deficiency courses must also be completed with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and must be completed before the student has completed more than 18 credit-hours of graduate-level coursework. Students should consult with the Graduate Liaison to select the most appropriate courses. The liaison is responsible for final selection of deficiency courses for each student and for putting a list of deficiency courses approved for each student admitted conditionally.
Conditional Admission for Low Grades. Conditional admission may also be required for students who have completed geography degrees but whose grades are marginal; in such cases, the Graduate Liaison shall notify the student in writing of the GPA that will be required for a specified number of credit hours before the student will be admitted to unconditional graduate status.
Additional Criteria for International Applicants. In addition to the admissions criteria listed above, foreign applicants for whom English is a second language must demonstrate proficiency in English by achieving a TOEFL score of 575 or better.
Required Hours and Courses. The M.A. degree requires the successful completion of thirty semester hours of graduate work, of which no more than twelve (nine in Geography) can come from 3000 or 4000 graduate-level courses; 3000-level courses in Geography cannot be applied to the degree. Required courses include Contemporary Geographic Thought (Geography 6973), three 3-hour Geography seminars or graduate courses not offered for undergraduate credit, and a field course (either Geography 5610 or 5650). In addition to the course requirements outlined above, each student will complete a thesis, for which not less than four nor more than six hours of thesis-research credit (Geography 5980) shall be applied to the degree.
Transfer Credits. . A total of eight hours of graduate credit earned at another accredited university may be applied to the M.A. degree, provided that the credits are not more than six years old at the time the student is admitted or readmitted to the Graduate College and provided they carry a grade of B or better and are approved for transfer by the Department and the Graduate College.
S/U and Pass/No Pass Graded Courses. Excluding thesis research (Geography 5980), not more than one-half of the course work for the M.A. degree may be S/U graded; no credit from Pass/No Pass courses may be applied to the degree.
D Grades. No credit from any course in which a student has earned a "D" can be applied to a graduate degree.
Grade Point Average. Students must achieve a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0, and must additionally achieve that same GPA in all graduate courses and in all Geography courses applied to the M.A. degree.
Evaluation of M.A. Students. Student progress is evaluated annually by the faculty, and a letter summarizing that evaluation will be sent to the student. Regardless of his or her GPA, a student who receives a less than satisfactory evaluation shall be considered on probation and will be evaluated again in the following semester. If the student is judged unsatisfactory on this second evaluation, the Graduate College in consultation with the Department will either deny the student further enrollment or will continue the student on probation for an additional semester. A student who receives a third unsatisfactory evaluation will be denied further enrollment by the Graduate College. Letters of evaluation that report unsatisfactory progress shall in all cases specify the nature of the deficiency, which often has to do with progress on the thesis; in all cases the letter shall also specify what must be done to avert further unsatisfactory reports.
Selecting the Advisor and Advisory/Thesis Committee. Selecting the Advisor and Advisory/Thesis Committee. During the first year of residence, the student should select a faculty advisor, who approves the student's field of study and indicates willingness to serve as chair of the student's advisory/thesis committee by signing a Departmental Advisory Memorandum, available within the Department. The student in consultation with the advisor should then nominate an advisory/thesis committee consisting of the advisor and two additional Graduate Faculty members whose specializations are appropriate to the student's field of study. A majority of the committee members shall be full-time or jointly appointed tenured or tenure-track faculty in the Department. Temporary faculty, adjunct faculty, and special members of the Graduate Faculty can only serve as chairs or constitute a majority of committee members upon approval by a majority of the full-time or jointly appointed tenured or tenure-track faculty of the Department and the Graduate College. Co-chairs are strongly discouraged as a matter of Department and Graduate College policy.
Departmental Approval of Cominittee. The Departmental Advisory Memorandum must be approved and signed by the Graduate Liaison, but the Graduate Liaison does not act unilaterally. Rather, the Liaison distributes all Memoranda to all faculty in the Department. Faculty members have 10 working days in which to report to the Liaison if they believe that one or more of the nominated members of a thesis committee are poorly suited to judge a thesis in the student's field of study. If any such reports are submitted, the Liaison shall bring the Memorandum to a regular faculty meeting for discussion. It may happen that at the end of that discussion a majority of faculty members agree that certain nominated committee members are unqualified to supervise work in the field in which the student intends to concentrate. If so, the student and the advisor must reconstitute the committee and file a new Departmental Advisory Memorandum with the Liaison for circulation and approval.
Advisory Committee Meeting. After Departmental approval of the Departmental Advisory Memorandum and preferably during the first year of residence, the student should schedule and hold an advisory committee meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to stipulate the courses to be applied to the degree and to determine the subject of the thesis. Note that when the student has been admitted to candidacy for the degree (see Paragraph 13) he or she will obtain a Thesis Title Card from the Graduate College as part of the packet available from the College at that time. The packet should be picked up at least two semesters prior to the anticipated defense date, and the completed card must be deposited in the Graduate College not less than fourteen days prior to the thesis defense.
Chaniges in Committee Membership. Normally the advisory committee becomes the student's thesis committee, but committee membership sometimes changes in the course of study. Any change in committee membership or in the thesis topic should be promptly reported to the Graduate Liaison and, if a thesis title card has already been submitted, to the Graduate College as well. This must be done by filing a new Thesis Title Card. All members of the original committee, as well as the new member or members and the Graduate Liaison, must sign the card, but with the approval of the Graduate Dean the Department Chair is authorized to sign on behalf and preferably with the approval of any member not in residence at the time of the change. Any change in membership must be fully approved by the Graduate College at least fourteen days prior to the thesis defense.
Admission to Candidacy. A student who has done satisfactory graduate work and has maintained an overall grade point average of at least 3.00 on all resident graduate level courses, on all courses undertaken (graduate and undergraduate), and on all graduate courses in Geography will normally be admitted to candidacy for a master's degree as soon as he or she has enrolled in sufficient hours to earn the degree. An Admission to Candidacy form must be filed in the Graduate College before the last day of advance registration for the semester in which the student expects to defend the thesis. To apply for admission to candidacy, a student must complete the Admission to Candidacy form, which is available at the Graduate College. The Graduate Liaison must sign this form, and students should allow sufficient time for the Liaison to review it. Further information is available in the thesis packet referred to in Paragraph 13.
Procedures Regarding Thesis Defense. Students should consult the Information for Master's Candidates (Thesis Option) for current and precise details about procedures at this stage; the form is part of the packet mentioned in the previous paragraph. In general, however, an Authority to proceed with the thesis defense is issued by the Graduate College when the student presents a draft or reading copy of the completed thesis to the Graduate College for review. This must be done according to a timetable published by the Graduate College and included in the packet. The student, in consultation with the committee, shall then determine a mutually agreeable time for the defense; students, however, will not normally be permitted to defend their theses during the summer term, during final examination periods, on holidays, or during times when the University is not in session. All members of the thesis committee and the student must be present at the defense, and the student's advisor shall, as chair of the committee, report the committee's decision to the Graduate Dean on the Authority form. If two or more unsatisfactory votes are cast, the defense is judged to be a failure. Only one attempt may be made to defend the thesis.
Attendance and Participation at Thesis Defense. The thesis defense is open to the public, and at least five days prior to the defense the student must therefore deliver an additional copy of the thesis to the Graduate Liaison, who will make it publicly available within the Department. With the approval of a majority of committee members, persons in the audience may ask questions during the defense.
Presentation of the Thesis to the Graduate College. For details on this matter, students should see Information for Master's Candidates, part of the packet referred to in paragraph 13.
Time Limits. A student registered in a M.A. program should normally complete all degree work within six calendar years after his or her first graduate enrollment at OU. In addition, not more that one quarter of the total hours applied to the degree, whether they are residence or transfer hours, can be more than six years old at the time of graduation.
Withdrawal and Readmission. Students who withdraw from the program and reapply at a later date must, after their readmission, satisfy the degree requirements in force at the time of readmission. Exceptions to this rule may be granted under the Graduate College's "stopout" policy, which students contemplating withdrawal should investigate carefully.

Page last modified 9/21/01