Masters | PhD | Admissions | Forms | Advisement | Financial

Admissions

• Spring Semester: November 1st
• Fall Semester  (for funding consideration):  February 1st
• Fall Semester (without funding consideration):  April 1st

Thank you for your interest in the geography graduate programs of study in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina. The most convenient way to apply for admission is to complete the Electronic Graduate School Application. Please note that, in addition to the Graduate School requirements, the Geography Department requires a 1-2 page personal career letter, making clear to us why you wish to study with us. This letter can be e-mailed directly to the Graduate Program Director (hodgsonm@sc.edu) or his assistant, Mr. Capers Stokes (stokesc@sc.edu). All applicants must also complete the Department's Graduate Application Summary Form.

To be considered for admission with financial aid for the fall semester, all of your application materials must be received by the preceding February 1st. To be considered for admission without financial aid for the fall semester, all of your application materials must be received by the preceding April 1st. To be considered for admission with or without financial aid for the spring semester, all of your application materials must be received by the preceding November 1st.

Master's Admission | Ph.D. Admissions | Field Excursion

Master's Program Admission Requirements:

The Graduate Admissions Committee requires six pieces of information from each applicant.

1. A completed application form with payment of admissions fee,
2. An official transcript of all college/university courses attempted,
3. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required,
4. TOEFL (or IELTS) scores if English is not the applicant's primary language,
5. Two letters of recommendation from instructors in substantive subject-matter courses,
6. A letter of career objectives (i.e., a letter which states why the applicant wants to enter a graduate program in Geography and how this would fit into the applicant's career plans), and
7. A Graduate Application Summary Form.

Send all information (items #1 - #7) to:

The Graduate School
University of South Carolina
901 Sumter Street - Suite 303
Columbia, SC 29208

Although the Graduate Admissions Committee assesses the entire file as a unit, it does follow certain guidelines with regard to specific aspects of the application. An undergraduate grade point average of approximately 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and a combined verbal and quantitative score of 1000 on the GRE are considered minimal by the Committee. The Committee requires a file to be complete before it will review it, and, because the GRE score often is delayed in its arrival, the applicant should schedule this examination as soon as possible. GRE and TOEFL scores should be based on tests taken as recently as possible and certainly within the past three years.

Up to twelve hours of graduate course work from another institution of approved graduate standing may be applied to degree requirements (nine hours if these courses were part of a Master's degree program at that University) if they were earned within the six-year period allowed for the Master's degree (there is no option for revalidation of such courses) and are approved by the advisor, Graduate Program Director, and Dean of the Graduate School.

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Ph.D. Program Admission Requirements:

Applicants are required to submit the following:

1. a completed application form,
2. official transcripts of all previous college and university study,
3. at least two letters of recommendation from faculty members who know the student well,
4. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required,
5. TOEFL (or IELTS) scores if English is not the applicant's primary language,
6. a written statement defining career objectives relating directly to the program emphases, and
7. a Graduate Application Summary Form

Send all information (items #1 - #7) to:

The Graduate School
University of South Carolina
901 Sumter Street - Suite 303
Columbia, SC 29208

Normally, a minimum grade point ratio of 3.5 in graduate-level courses (on a scale of 4.0), a minimum Graduate Record Examination score of 1100 (verbal + quantitative), and a Masters degree in Geography (or the equivalent) are required. All applications to the Ph.D. program are processed by the Department's Graduate Admissions Committee.

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Field Excursion
All incoming graduate students are expected to participate in the field excursion scheduled just prior to the beginning of registration for fall classes. Those students entering the program in the spring semester are expected to participate the following fall. The excursion is directed by Geography faculty, and its purposes are to introduce students to the geography of South Carolina, provide opportunity for students to work together on a research project that involves field work, and allow students to meet and get to know each other and participating faculty before the semester begins. Additional information about the excursion is sent to incoming students during the summer prior to their matriculation.

For additional requirements for the Ph.D. degree and for individual course descriptions the student should consult the Graduate Studies Bulletin.

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