Geography, MA

The MA Program in Geography is hosted by the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies.

Master of Arts in Geography

The Master of Arts program in Geography is open to students from both major streams of the discipline (human and physical), and serves the region’s growing demand for advanced study in the discipline. The program is designed:

To provide an opportunity for Geography degree graduates to undertake Masters level study and research in Geography at a Maritime Provinces university.
To provide an opportunity for students to undertake Masters level study and research focused on the geography of the Maritime Provinces.
To fully utilize and enhance the research capabilities of faculty members within the Saint Mary’s University Department of Geography and Environmental Studies.
To fully utilize the research facilities currently existing within the Saint Mary’s University Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and its cognate disciplines.

The degree combines both coursework and thesis, but the primary focus will be on the production of an original research thesis. Thesis work is weighted at 12 credit-hours, with additional required courses and elective courses at 6 credit-hours each.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, the normal qualification for entry will be an honors B.A. or B.Sc. degree in Geography, or an honors degree in a cognate discipline with substantial course content relevant to geography, or a degree which the department deems to be equivalent (to include, at minimum, a cumulative grade point average of at least B). At the discretion of the department, a student may be admitted to the program subject to the satisfactory completion of prescribed qualifying work.

Financial Support

Full-time students admitted to the program may be eligible for funding administered by Saint Mary’s University. Funding recommendations are made by the program All successful applicants are automatically considered for graduate funding. Students are encouraged to apply for external scholarships.

Note: Students not registered in any course work but working on their Program/Thesis must register in Program Continuation (Prog Registration/Continuation (FGSR 9000)) for every semester (including summer) in which they are in their graduate program.

See the FGSR Program Requirements in the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar and below.

The Graduate Program Coordinator will work with all Master’s students from the earliest stages of their participation in the graduate program to determine the area of a thesis topic and to select a thesis supervisor. The thesis supervisor will be the Graduate Faculty Advisor for the duration of a given student’s participation in the program.

For the Master of Arts in Geography, all students must complete an acceptable thesis. It is not possible to satisfy the requirement for a thesis by means of extra course work. Detailed requirements for the degree are:

Earn at least twenty-four (24) credit hours made up from:

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
GEOG 6000	History and Philosophy of Geographic Thought ²	3
GEOG 6001	Research Design and Implementation ²	3
GEOG 6002	Thesis Research I ²	6
GEOG 6003	Thesis Research II ³	6
At least six credit-hours in other 6000/5000 level Geography courses ¹		6
Total Credit Hours		24

1: Which may include Graduate Practicum (GEOG 6004), 3 credit-hours.
²: GEOG 6000, GEOG 6001, GEOG 6002, and electives are taken in the first year.
³: GEOG 6003 is taken in the second year.

Note: 5000 level Geography courses at Saint Mary’s University may be offered concurrently with a similarly-titled undergraduate course. Students taking such a course for graduate credit are expected to do more work and to a higher standard. The extra work and standard required will be contained in a memorandum from the instructor and approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator.
In the case where a Saint Mary’s University graduate has already taken the undergraduate version of a course, that student will not be allowed to take the 5000 level version of the course.
Students are limited to only one 3-credit 5000 level course.

Students are required to meet the following thesis requirements:

Produce a thesis which shows both originality and the analytical/critical skills of research and interpretation;
Form a Supervisory Committee which will consist of a Thesis Supervisor and one faculty member.
Prepare a thesis proposal to be submitted to and approved by the Supervisory Committee and the Graduate Program Coordinator prior to commencement of the research;
Present the thesis publicly, and
Satisfactorily defend the thesis before an Examining Committee consisting of the Supervisory Committee, The Graduate program Coordinator, and one outside reader chosen by the Thesis Committee in consultation with the Coordinator and the Student. In instances where the Graduate Program Coordinator is a member of the Thesis Committee, the Coordinator will appoint a representative on the Examining Committee.

For the minimum and maximum time-for-completion of the MA in Geography, see the table associated with FGSR Academic Regulation 19 in this Academic Calendar.