Admissions | Geography Master’s

PSU’s geography master’s program prepares you for careers in research or administration in government and industry, urban and regional planning, and in secondary education and community college teaching, or as preparation for a doctoral program. 

The program requirements are few and flexible, and students work closely with their advisors to design a course of study tailored to their interests. Many incoming graduate students enter the program with a degree in a field other than geography; we welcome applications from students regardless of major.

Faculty research and teaching interests encompass a wide range of subjects, approaches, and regions. Our students are similarly diverse in the research they choose as the basis for their master’s degrees. We teach and conduct research across a broad range of subjects, with particular strengths in the study of water, climate, the urban-rural interface, mountains, society-environment studies, and GIS. Prospective students are encouraged to contact individual faculty to discuss their interests and research opportunities in the process of identifying a prospective advisor.

How to Apply

• New Students: New students who have not yet applied to PSU must first apply to PSU.
• Current PSU Graduate Students: If you are currently enrolled in a PSU graduate program, you do not need to submit the online university application. Instead, fill out a GO-19 Request for Change of Program form and submit it with the departmental application materials.

Application Materials

Below is the list of the information and materials you will need to provide as part of your application. We recommend preparing these materials in advance of submitting your application.

• Potential Advisor: Prospective students are strongly encouraged to contact the faculty member(s) whose interests match the student's academic and professional interests before completing their application. Final acceptance into the program requires the consent of a faculty member to advise them during the graduate program. The faculty page of our website includes descriptions of each faculty member's research and teaching interests.
• Essay: In 2-3 pages please tell us why you are interested in graduate work in the PSU Geography Department, what you understand the field to be and where your greatest interests within geography lie, who among the faculty you would like to work with, and whether you have communicated with them.
• References: Submit contact information for at least three individuals who can comment on your academic performance or attest to your skills as they pertain to your selected program of study. Portland State University will contact your references and provide them with instructions for submitting recommendation forms.
• Copies of transcripts from each college or university attended
• Proof of English Language Proficiency (if applicable)