Please click here for information regarding M.A. Degree Requirements.
Forming M.A. Committee
Students should work to determine the faculty member most appropriate to serve as the Chair their committee. Ideally, this decision will be made by the end of the first quarter of the first year, but certainly no later than the middle of the second quarter of the first year. One to three additional members may serve on the student’s committee. Both the Chair and one other committee member must be on the Geography Graduate Faculty.
The student’s committee is responsible for ensuring that the student meets all the requirements for the degree. More importantly, the committee provides the student guidance in developing and executing an original research project. Ordinarily, the student works most closely with the committee Chair, who oversees the initial drafts of the thesis or research papers. The committee is also responsible for conducting the student’s final oral examination.
Final Examination for the Master's Degree
To schedule a final examination, the student must first determine availability from Supervisory Committee members to arrive at a mutually agreed upon date and time. The student then reserves an appropriate room through the Director of Academic Services. Finally, the student submits a Master’s Degree Request (application to graduate).
Students must defend by the last day of the quarter (i.e., last day of the Final Examination Weekand be enrolled in at least two credits (e.g., GEOG 700). The student is responsible for giving the complete, near-to-final draft of the thesis to committee members far enough in advance to ensure adequate time for review.
The Director of Academic Services will give the student’s Committee Signature Form to the Supervisory Committee Chair. The Supervisory Committee should sign the Committee Signature Form at the conclusion of the Final Examination. Results of the Final Examination must be reported to the UW Graduate School by the last day of finals week by returning the signed Committee Signature Form to the student’s permanent file and reporting the exam results to the Director of Academic Services. A minimum of two committee members, including the chair, must be present for the final exam to take place; any absent members of the Supervisory Committee must certify the results (i.e., send an email to the Director of Academic Services with her/his recommendation). If the exam is not satisfactory, the committee may recommend to the Dean of the UW Graduate School that the student be allowed to take another examination after an interval of study.
In addition to the signed Committee Signature Form (to be kept in the student’s permanent departmental file), the student must also get signatures on the Master’s Supervisory Committee Approval Form. This form must be signed after all committee members have seen the final version of the MA thesis or research papers, and submitted to the Graduate School by the end of the quarter the student wishes to graduate, simultaneously with the electronic submission of the MA thesis or research papers. Information about the thesis-filing process can be found on the Graduate School website.
As noted, enrollment for at least two credits (e.g., GEOG 700) is required during the quarter in which a student takes the Final Examination (i.e., defends), submits the Master’s Supervisory Committee Approval Form, submits the thesis or research papers to the Graduate School, and graduates. The only exception is when a student needs a limited amount of additional time after the last day of the quarter to submit the thesis or research papers to the UW Graduate School. Students who submit their thesis or research papers within fourteen (14) days after the last day of the quarter in which they defended do not have to enroll in two credits if they meet the Graduate Registration Waiver Fee eligibility requirements and submit the thesis and waiver fee by the applicable deadline.
Admission to Ph.D. Program
Students in the M.A. Program in the Department of Geography at the University of Washington who wish to enroll in the Ph.D. Program must ensure delivery of the following materials to the Director of Academic Services for consideration by the Graduate Admissions Committee:
- A letter from the student requesting admission to the Ph.D. Program that describes progress on the M.A., the date or expected date of completion of the M.A., and a statement of purpose for the Ph.D (no more than 3 pages).
- A letter of support from a UW Geography faculty member willing to serve as Chair of the Doctoral Supervisory Committee.
- A letter from the student’ s M.A. Chair describing progress and completion or expected completion of the M.A (if the M.A. Chair is the same as the Doctoral Chair this information can be combined in one letter from the Doctoral Chair - see number 2 above).
- One additional letter of reference from a UW Geography faculty member willing to serve as a committee member.
These materials must be delivered by January 10 of the second academic year of a student’s M.A. Program for admission into the Ph.D. Program in the following Fall Quarter.
Students who do not complete the M.A. degree by the end of the first Fall Quarter of their expected entrance to the Ph.D. program must reapply to the department, using the process described above, in the quarter they defend the M.A.