Geography

M.A, M.Sc, Ph.D

The Department of Geography at Queen’s University offers a comprehensive graduate program in Human Geography, Earth Systems Science, and Geographic Information Systems, based on innovative research and strong collaboration between faculty and graduate students. Our graduate students engage in research of scientific and social significance. Those interested in climate change, for example, may work on the basic science of climate change, the impact of climate change on northern indigenous peoples, or the relationship between global climate change and health.

Many of our students work on questions of international significance, including development projects in Latin America or Africa, or the relationship between international migration and human rights. Our specialized Earth System Science labs include GIS and remote-sensing labs equipped with a wide range of the latest software and hardware, and facilities with the latest field equipment and laboratory instrumentation required for studying climatology, sedimentology and the biogeochemistry of environmental change, among other topics. In human geography, we provide strong support for fieldwork that engages topics of public interest from the community to the national or international scale.

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"Coming all the way from British Columbia, I wasn’t sure what to expect at Queen’s. What I found was a phenomenal community and a stimulating environment where I could engage in rigorous study and still find support for my passions for volunteering and creative work. Queen’s was the reason I was able to apply successfully to become a Fulbright Fellow after graduation."

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Degrees Offered / Length of Program

• M.A.:2 years
  
• M.Sc.:2 years
  
• Ph.D.: 4 years

Method of Completion

• Master’s Degrees:All students complete GPHY 857, a professional development seminar, on a pass/fail basis,in addition to 4 half courses and a thesis.
  
• Ph.D.: 3 courses including a PhD professional development seminar, qualifying exam, dissertation and oral defence

Degree Level Expectations & Learning Outcomes

M.A. & MSc. - view this information as a PDF (317KB)

PhD - view this information as a PDF (317KB)

Travel Opportunities

Supervisors and Fields of Study

We encourage you to review our areas of specialty and contact a potential supervisor before you apply.

• Work, Identity, and Place
  Labour geographies; labour market restructuring and regulation; international divisions of labour; labour migration; knowledge, creativity and skills; employment equity; entrepreneurship; gender divisions of labour.

• Globalization, Development, Economies and Sustainability
  Effects of globalization neo-liberalism and the new economy; development economies and restructuring; industrial geographies; commodity chains and cultural economy; economy and governance; innovation; transnational economies; political economies of cities; global change and health; international political economy.
• Bodies, Health, and Health Care
  The human and social body; socio/historical constructions of bodies; bodies and nature; access to health care; gender and health; emotional geographies; aging; demographic change; critical disability studies; food, nutrition, and food security; health and environment; environmental justice.
• Citizenship, Identity, Justice and Governance
  Immigration; race and racism; feminist geographies; citizenship participation and social justice; social movements; identity, multiculturalism, and cosmopolitanism; urban citizenship; indigenous social justice (historical and contemporary); access to services; urban governance; urban land use planning and change; housing.
• Post-colonialism, Indigenous Peoples and Place
  Historical and contemporary: practices of representation; indigenous places; literary geographies; colonial and postcolonial discourses; emotional geographies of place; cultural politics of race, class, and gender; geographies of nature and science.
• Earth System Science
  The broad emphasis in the field of Earth System Science is on developing an integrative understanding of the Earth as a physical system of interrelated phenomena. The focus is on the interaction and linkages between the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere and on physical, chemical, and biological processes operating at a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Measurement, integration, and modelling of earth system elements to understand these linkages are key foci of research and graduate training activities. Field measurements and sample collection are matched with laboratory and data analysis, and modelling.
• Geographic Information Science
  Faculty examine the theoretical, technical and applied aspects of cartography, geographic information systems, remote sensing and image processing, and modeling of human and natural systems.

Employment Opportunities

Our graduates have gone on to jobs in: government, academia, Statistics Canada, Geological Survey of Canada, and industry (as policy analysts and research scientists).

Funding Information

Basic funding package (Queen’s Graduate Award and teaching assistantship):

Students may also apply for external awards including OGS, NSERC Fellowships, SSHRC Fellowships and CIHR awards, as well as internal awards. Entering graduate students who win federal government tri-council awards are automatically provided a $5,000 top-up award by Queen’s.

 

Academic Prerequisites

• Master’s: Honours Bachelors degree or equivalent with minimum high 2nd class standing.
• Ph.D.: Master’s degree

We consider your transcripts from all courses.

Other Requirements

Statement of Research Interest, CV (to be sent directly to Geography)

Test Requirements

For international students, if required, a TOEFL total score of at least 600 (paper-based) or TOEFL iBT minimum scores of: writing (24/30); speaking (22/30); reading (22/30); listening (20/30), for a total of 88/120. Applicants must have the minimum score in each test as well as the minimum overall score.

 

Program Profiles

• Alexandra Pedersen- researching the rights of indigenous Maya communities...
• Queen's/Syracruse geography exchange...
• Anthony Bassutti - merging science and social science...
• Nathaniel Lewis - exploring the ways that sexuality affects migration...
• Emilie Cameron- Governor General gold medal recipient...
• Sarah de Leeuw (alumnist) - it's all about time with this student....
• Melanie Bedore - concerned with accessiblity of food within Canadaina communiteis...