Geography - Master's
Why Pursue a Master's Degree in Geography?
A graduate degree in Geography provides students with coursework and experience beyond the undergraduate degree that will help them prepare for and choose the professional career path for which they are best suited. The M.S. degree in Geography at Southern Miss offers students an opportunity to specialize in sub-fields of their interest while also gaining valuable experience working with faculty members on research projects and conducting their own independent research for their thesis.
What Will I Learn?
Students in the M.S. program in Geography can take graduate-level courses in geographic information systems, environmental processes, human and cultural geography, sustainable development, and human-environment systems. Students who graduate with an M.S. in Geography from Southern Miss are well prepared for a wide range of professions. Alumni have gone on to pursue successful careers in academia, geographic information sciences, environmental analysis, and urban planning.
Geography faculty members at Southern Miss are active in a wide range of research areas, including biogeography; dendrochronology; GIS/RS; hazards, vulnerability, and resilience; sustainable development; and urban planning. Graduate students have the opportunity to work closely wit their faculty advisors and mentors on their research projects. Additional research opportunities exist in the allied programs such as Geology, Ecology and Environmental Science.
The Arthell Kelley Endowment provides yearly awards to graduate students in Geography who have demonstrated excellence in their courses and their thesis research. There are also opportunities for M.S. students to work with faculty members on their externally-funded research projects.
Graduate Faculty in Geography in Hattiesburg and Gulf Park
Students can pursue the M.S. degree at both the Hattiesburg and Gulf Park campuses of Southern Miss. Many graduate students take courses on both campuses, either in person or through interactive video connections. The Geography faculty at Southern Miss represent all of the major sub-fields within the discipline and provide expert-level guidance in a wide range of topics in human or physical geography and in the geographic information sciences.
Availability
| Degree Plan | Availability |
|---|---|
| Geography MS | Hattiesburg |
- Academic Research
- Sustainable Development and Planning
- Geographic Information Science
- Nicole Callais (M.S. Geography 2016)
Ph.D. Student at the University of Tennessee; Knoxville, Tennessee - Joseph Sam Miller (M.S. Geography 2015)
Epidemiologist, Mississippi Department of Health; Jackson, MS
- Andy Hilburn (M.S. Geography 2006)
Assistant Professor; Texas A&M International University; Laredo, Texas - Joslyn Zale (M.S. Geography 2010)
Compliance Coordinator; National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security; Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
- Jacob McKee (M.S. Geography 2011)
Research Scientist; Oak Ridge National Laboratories; Oak Ridge, Tennessee