Department of Geography and the Environment

Main Departmental Office
Environmental Education, Science and Technology Building, Room 210

Mailing address:
1155 Union Circle #305279
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-2091

Steve Wolverton, Chair

Students in the Department of Geography & the Environment successfully prepare for active careers in diverse employment settings in business, government, research and teaching. The Master of Science (MS) degree with a major in geography allows students to develop their education and training in both physical and human geography, as well as geospatial technology, through a broad curriculum, research and teaching experience. Students may also pursue internship opportunities with local corporations, water and land use agencies, and health care systems, as well as city, state and federal governments and agencies. The MS degree prepares graduates for mid to upper level entry positions as well as for pursuit of a doctoral degree in geography or a related discipline. The master’s degree is also earned by many students who teach or plan to teach at the primary or secondary level.

Research

Faculty in the Department of Geography & the Environment are engaged in research activities that cover a broad range of topics in physical and human geography and geospatial technology. This diversity of research reflects the composition of our faculty. The department collaborates fully with numerous departments on interdisciplinary projects.

Research areas include medical geography and health care delivery systems; groundwater monitoring and remediation; water resources management; globalization, development and cities; urban/economic geography; geographic information systems (GIS); remote sensing and digital image processing; meteorology and climate; environmental modeling; ecosystems management; coastal and fluvial geomorphology; soils geomorphology; Quaternary geology and paleoenvironments; historical ecology, island biogeography, zooarchaeology, cultural ecology, and natural hazard assessment. Students have participated in our faculty’s research activities in numerous countries.

Support for research has included grants from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Texas Natural Resources Information Service, NASA, USGS, National Geographic Society and Leakey Foundation.

The Geospatial Analytics Lab is housed in the Environmental Education, Science and Technology Building (EESAT). This lab provides instructional and research support in the areas of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), computer cartography, spatial analysis and environmental modeling. The facility serves undergraduate and graduate students majoring in geography and in environmental science.

The department also has research labs used by students and faculty in water resources, historical ecology, geomorphology, and ecosystem geography.

Admission requirements

Application for admission to the Toulouse Graduate School is made through the graduate school and the department. Concurrently, a letter of intent and related materials should be sent directly to the Department of Geography and the Environment. This letter should briefly summarize the applicant’s background, specific interests in the field of geography and future career plans. Three letters of recommendation are also required.

Applicants normally should have an equivalent of an undergraduate major in geography from an accredited university with an overall undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.8 or a 3.0 during the last 60 undergraduate semester hours. The undergraduate degree program should include basic geographic concepts and methods. Students whose undergraduate major is not geography may be required to take undergraduate leveling courses. Total leveling course requirements will not exceed 9 semester credit hours. In addition, the student’s GRE score may be evaluated as part of the admission process. For more information, visit www.geography.unt.edu.

Financial assistance

The Department of Geography and the Environment extends some form of financial assistance to the majority of its graduate students. Our substantial enrollments in undergraduate introductory classes in geography, geology and archaeology support several teaching assistants. In addition, we offer students research assistantships and departmental scholarships. Many of these forms of assistance qualify students for an out-of-state tuition waiver, significantly reducing the student’s education costs. The department also works closely with the office of student financial assistance and UNT-International to help students gain scholarships, student loans and other forms of assistance.

Programs

Master’s Degree

Graduate Academic Certificate

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) certificate

Courses

Archaeology

ARCH 5620 - Topics in Archaeology

Geography

Geology

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