Concentrations & Degree Requirements

Graduate Program

Graduate Advisor
Chris Duvall
duvall@unm.edu

Graduate applicants direct correspondence to Graduate Advisor.

Program Application Deadlines:

Fall:

February 1st, with consideration of financial aid

Degree and Certificate Offered

Master of Science in Geography (M.S.)
Concentrations: Environmental Studies (human/environmental interaction), Geographic Information Science (GIS, GPS and remote sensing)
Graduate Certificate in Law, Environment, and Geography (GCERT)

Master of Science in Geography

A Master’s degree is offered under both Plan I and Plan II as described in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog. Any student planning to go on for a Ph.D. is strongly urged to take Plan I and write a thesis. A minor may be taken under either plan with the approval of the Geography and Environmental Studies Department’s Graduate Advisory Committee. In place of a minor, approved courses in related fields may be substituted.

Minimum requirements for the M.S. in Geography degree are as follows:

		Credit Hours
GEOG 501	History and Methods in Geography	3
GEOG 502	Approaches to Geographic Research	3
Plan I	Concentration in Environmental Studies
	(Additional courses)
GEOG 514	Natural Resources Management Seminar or
GEOG 515	Cultural and Political Ecology or
GEOG 516	Seminar: Globalization or
GEOG 517	Law and Geography	3
	Two additional courses from the Environmental Studies List: *445, 514, 515, 516, 517, 561, 562, 563, 564, 566, 567	6
	One course from the GIScience List: *481L, 525, 580L, 581L, 582L, 583L, 584L, 585L, 586L, 587L, 588L	3-4
	Two elective courses	6
	Thesis	6
	Total	30-31
Plan I	Concentration in Geographic Information Science
	(Additional courses)
GEOG 525	Seminar: Geographic Information Science	3
	Three courses from the GIScience List: *481L, 580L, 581L, 582L, 583L, 584L, 585L, 586L, 587L, 588L	9-11
	One course from the Environmental Studies List: *445, 514, 515, 516, 517, 561, 562, 563, 564, 566, 567	3
	One elective course	3
	Thesis	6
	Total	30-32
Plan II	Concentration in Environmental Studies
	(Additional courses)
GEOG 514	Natural Resources Management Seminar or
GEOG 515	Cultural and Political Ecology or
GEOG 516	Seminar: Globalization or
GEOG 517	Law and Geography	3
	Three additional courses from the Environmental Studies List: *445, 514, 515, 516, 517, 561, 562, 563, 564, 566, 567	9
	One course from the GIScience List: *481L, 580L, 581L, 582L, 583L, 584L, 585L, 586L, 587L, 588L	3-4
GEOG 597	Master's Project	3
	Three elective courses	9
	Total	33-34
Plan II	Concentration in Geographic Information Science
	(Additional courses)
GEOG 525	Seminar: Geographic Information Science	3
	Four courses from the GIScience List: *481L, 580L, 581L, 582L, 583L, 584L, 585L, 586L, 587L, 588L	12-14
	Two courses from the Environmental Studies List: *445, 514, 515, 516, 517, 561, 562, 563, 564, 566, 567	6
GEOG 597	Master's Project	3
	One elective course	3
	Total	33-35

Candidates under Plan I are examined orally on their thesis. Candidates under Plan II are examined orally on the advanced research project assigned in GEOG 597 by his or her graduate committee from the two areas listed below.

Environmental Studies (human/environmental interaction)
Geographic Information Science (GIS, GPS and remote sensing)

A graduate student who elects to pursue a Master’s degree in geography should have either an undergraduate degree in geography (or related field) or be prepared to make up deficiencies as determined by the Geography and Environmental Studies Department’s Graduate Advisory Committee. Students must select an advisor who helps them design their programs and guide them through their tenure in the department. All programs are subject to approval by the Graduate Advisory Committee. Students must earn grades of B (3.0 GPA) or better in all courses on their plan of study, including those at the undergraduate level. GRE scores are required for application to the M.S. program.

Shared-Credit Undergraduate/Graduate Degrees Program

The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and the Department of Economics offer a Shared-Credit Degrees Program. The Program enables completion a B.A. in Economics with one of three minors from Geography and Environmental Studies, and an M.S. in Geography in five years of study.

Program Requirements

I. General Requirements

The Shared-Credit Degrees Program is available UNM Economics students with junior-year academic standing.
Students must maintain a minimum 3.25 GPA in their Economics major in order to be accepted into the Shared-Credit Degrees Program.
Admission to the Program is conditional until the B.A. degree is awarded.
All other requirements for admission to UNM graduate studies must be met in order to qualify for and pursue the M.S. in Geography under the Shared-Credit Degrees Program.
In order to participate in the Program, students must follow the usual graduate admission process to the M.S. in Geography prior to the beginning of the fourth-year of undergraduate study.

II. Undergraduate Requirements in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies

Students must complete one of the three minors in Geography and Environmental Studies:
- Minor in Law, Environment, and Geography
  - • Required (10 credit hours): 101, 102, 105L, 364.
  - • Upper-Level Electives (at least 6 credit hours; more than 6 may be applied to General Electives): 461, 462, 463, 464, or 466.
  - • General Electives (6 credit hours): 195, **360, 365.
- Minor in Geographic Information Science
  - • Required (8 credit hours): 281, **381L.
  - • Upper-Level Electives (12 credit hours): 380L, *481L, 482L, 483L, 484L, 485L, 486L, 487L, 488L.
- Minor in General Geography
  - • Required (7 credit hours): 101, 102, and 105L.
  - • Upper-Level Electives (at least 6 credit hours; more than 6 may be applied to General Electives): 380L, 461, 462, 463, 464, 466, 482L, 483L, 484L, 485L, 486L, 487L, 488L.
  - • General Electives: 9 additional credit hours of Geography course work.
After the student is admitted to the Shared-Credit Degrees Program, GEOG 501 and 502 must be taken during the student’s fourth undergraduate year for undergraduate credit. In addition, another approved graduate course must be taken during the fourth undergraduate year. These credit hours are transcripted as undergraduate until the undergraduate degree is awarded, and full admission to the graduate portion of the program is granted.

III. Undergraduate Requirements in the Department of Economics

Completion of all B.A. (major in Economics) requirements, including all General Education, lower and upper-division, and Economics major course work.
Completion of at least 12 credit hours of 300- and 400-level course work that is complimentary to the M.S. in Geography, including:
- At least two of the following 400-level courses:
  - • ECON *407
  - • ECON *408 or ECON *409
  - • ECON *442
  - • ECON *466
- The remaining 6 credit hours may be completed from the following 300-level courses:
  - • ECON *341
  - • ECON 342
  - • ECON *343

IV. Graduate Requirements in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies

The beginning of undergraduate Year 4 marks the beginning of the time-to-degree for the graduate portion of the program.
After the student’s undergraduate degree is awarded and full admission to the graduate portion of the program is granted, GEOG 501 and 502, the three credit hours of approved graduate course work from the fourth undergraduate year, and another three credit hours of 400-level electives from the minor are then transferred to the graduate-level transcript towards the M.S. To be transferred to the graduate-level transcript, a 400-level elective must be available for graduate credit or offered as a 400/500-level course.
During Year 5 students in program must take 6 credit hours of thesis and 12 additional credit hours.
Additional credit hours must be from the student’s choice of the M.S. concentration in Environmental Studies or the M.S. concentration in Geographic Information.
All other requirements of the M.S. in Geography apply.

V. General Terms

The undergraduate degree in economics is awarded when all requirements are completed, and is not be contingent upon completion of the full Shared-Credit Degrees Program.
Standard Graduate Studies Leave of Absence policy and re-admission procedure apply to students in Shared-Credit Degrees Programs. However, upon re-admission the student is no longer eligible for the Shared-Credit Degrees Program and courses taken while an undergraduate are not applicable to a graduate degree.
Admission to the graduate portion of the program is provisional until the undergraduate degree is awarded.
Students who choose not to complete the graduate portion of the program are still awarded the undergraduate degree when all undergraduate requirements are met. Completed graduate level courses may be applied to either an undergraduate major or minor, as per existing policy.
Where the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies chooses not to advance a student to the graduate portion of the program, completed graduate level courses may be applied to either an undergraduate major or minor, as per existing policy.

Graduate Certificate in Law, Environment, and Geography

Certificate Director: John Carr

The graduate certificate in Law, Environment, and Geography seeks to provide students both tools and analytic frames for understanding the spatial and legal dimensions of environmental dynamics and challenges. While the law can be a powerful tool for addressing issues of environmental regulation and resource management, the ways we write and enforce our laws can substantially impact environmental dynamics. The spatial dimensions of these impacts, and the inherent spatiality of legal regulatory concerns are pressing concerns for environmental researchers and policy makers. By offering a curriculum that stresses these interconnections, the graduate certificate in Law, Environment, and Geography empowers students to ask critical questions about how human regulation and environmental dynamics play out in a variety of scales.

Admission Information

Requirements and Qualifications

Students must be either:

currently enrolled in one of the graduate programs in the School of Arts and Sciences, with a minimum GPA of 3.0; or
a recipient of a professional degree in geography, law, environmental science, or environmental management; or
graduate students currently enrolled in other programs. Individuals without a professional degree in geography, law, environmental science, or environmental management may be admitted by the Certificate Director upon demonstration of adequate preparation, skills, and aptitude.

Students who are not currently enrolled as degree-seeking graduate students at the University must apply to and be accepted for admissions by the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies.

Application Deadlines

Fall:	March 1
Spring:	November 1

Application Submission Requirements

These materials should demonstrate (1) serious initial investigation and/or interest in environmental law and/or regulatory issues, (2) strong academic credentials, (3) ability to write cogently, and (4) a clear and compelling set of goals.

A Curriculum Vitae.
A statement of intent outlining the applicant's goals in pursuing the certificate, proposed program of studies, and schedule for completion.
A writing sample of no more than five 8.5"x11" pages.
A current academic transcript.
Either GRE or LSAT scores from the previous five years.
Names and contact information for two people who can speak to the applicant's qualifications for the certificate program.

The Certificate Director may waive any of the above requirements if the application as a whole demonstrates that the student has the skills, background, and ability to successfully complete the graduate certificate.

Requirements

The Graduate Certificate in Law, Environment, and Geography requires 18 credit hours of upper-division course work. Topics must be approved by the Certificate Director in advance. All electives should be chosen in consultation with the Certificate Director. Only 3 hours of course work taken as credit/no credit may be applied towards the certificate.

		Credit Hours
	Required Geography Course	3
GEOG 517	Law and Geography
	Elective Geography Courses	9
	Select from:
GEOG 514	Natural Resources Management Seminar
GEOG 515	Cultural and Political Ecology
GEOG 561	Environmental Management
GEOG 562	Water Resources Management
GEOG 563	Public Lands Management
GEOG 564	Food and Natural Resources
	Elective Non-Geography Courses	6
	Select from:
AMST 520	T: Environment, Science and Technology
AMST 523	Environmentalism of the Poor
CRP 515	Natural Resources Field Methods
CRP 527	Watershed Management
CRP 532	Foundations of Natural Resources
ECON 542	Topics in Environmental, Resource, and Ecological Economics
ECON 545	Water Resources II - Models
ECON 546	Water Resources I - Contemporary Issues
HIST 633	US Environmental History
HIST 638	American Legal History Before 1877
LAW 547	Water Law
LAW 554	Indian Water Law
LAW 565	Natural Resources
LAW 575	Western Water Policy
LAW 578	Natural Resources: Indian Country
LAW 580	Environmental Law
LAW 593	T: Law
LAW 635	Land Use Regulation
	Total	18