Prospective Ph.D. Students

Why a Ph.D. at UMD?

The University of Maryland’s Department of Geographical Sciences (GEOG) offers a top-tier academic and research environment that makes it a leading choice for prospective students. The department is ranked #3 in remote sensing, according to 2023 Shanghai Ratings, and #6 in geosciences worldwide, according to 2022-23 U.S. News and World Report.

GEOG scientists are at the forefront of earth science and geospatial data science research with groundbreaking projects like NASA’s Carbon Monitoring System, GEDI, Harvest and Acres, along with global land surface and wildfire monitoring initiatives, among many others.

With a rapidly expanding faculty and substantial research funding, students have unique opportunities to collaborate on groundbreaking projects in earth system science, global climate change and sustainable development.

The department’s state-of-the-art facilities include advanced computer labs for geospatial data processing and analysis, offering students hands-on experience with innovative software tools and libraries. Additionally, Maryland’s proximity to federal agencies, research institutions, and international organizations, such as NASA, NOAA and the World Bank, provides unparalleled access to internships, research collaborations and employment post-graduation pathways.

UMD Geographical Sciences stands out for students passionate about contributing to impactful research and policy-driven solutions in a dynamic and resource-rich research and academic setting.

The specific geographic research specializations represented by the Faculty include:

Geospatial-Information Science and Remote Sensing: Collecting and interpreting geospatial data is central to everything we do as geographers, whether on computers or in the field. From local events to multi-scale processes, our faculty are developing and applying advanced remote sensing capabilities and GI Science that will help us to develop the next generation of GI technologies and understanding of the world’s geography. Our strengths include advanced computer modeling, scientific and geographic visualization, sensor calibration and design, image processing, geocomputing, spatial statistics, and semantic learning.
Human Dimensions of Global Change – Coupled Human and Natural Systems: The Department’s ultimate research goal is to advance an integrated understanding of the coupled Earth system including spatially distributed human processes. Our research addresses both fundamental and applied issues in coupled human and natural systems, such as population, socio-economic development, consumption and production, poverty, climate impacts and adaptation, vulnerability and mitigation, as well as the examination of policy options and trade-offs on sustainability. Our scientists investigate both the human socio-economic system and the climate system, and their linkages.
Land Cover and Land Use Change: Land cover and land-use change is a key interface between human and natural systems. Our scientists are world leaders in the remote sensing of land-cover changes. This information is actively combined with human socio-economic data to study past land cover and land use change and to inform advanced modeling of spatially-explicit future scenarios. These methods are actively being used to simultaneously address social, economic, carbon, climate, biodiversity and other aspects of land-use changes. We develop agricultural monitoring systems and look at societal impacts, adaptions and vulnerability to fire, droughts, floods, desertification, and other catastrophic events.
Carbon, Vegetation Dynamics and Landscape-Scale Processes: The department carries out a broad array of research focused on monitoring vegetation dynamics, with a particular focus on mapping and studying human and natural disturbances and their landscape-scale impacts, as well as changes to the earth surface as a result of climate variability. This research involves integration of field-based research with remotely-sensed observations to address key scientific uncertainties. Alterations to the global carbon cycle are changing atmospheric composition and climate with implications for human well-being and a particular focus of our research is on monitoring and modeling the terrestrial carbon cycle with unprecedented sophistication and resolution.

Application Requirements

Who Should Apply

The Department admits students to our doctoral program who have already completed a master's degree and well-qualified students who have only completed a bachelor’s degree. In all cases, admitted students are required to either possess or shall develop a strong foundation in the discipline of Geography. Ph.D. applicants must have a GPA of at least 3.3 and must provide a clear statement of goals and experience. Admission to the graduate program is not limited to students with a Geography-first degree. Those with a good GPA in degrees in related disciplines such as environmental, physical or biological science, anthropology, economics, history and social science are encouraged to apply but may be required to undertake additional background study not for credit. Some knowledge of data processing and statistics is necessary for all applicants. Ph.D. applicants' programs must draw on the research strengths of existing faculty members.

Requirements for the Ph.D. Program in Geographical Sciences:

Statement of Purpose: Why you're choosing UMD and the Department, who you'd like to work with in our program.
Unofficial Transcript(s) (the UMD Graduate School will ask you to send your official transcripts if you are offered admission).
Letters of Recommendation (3)
CV/Resume
TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (international graduate students): TOEFL, IBT 96 overall, 26 in reading, 24 in listening and writing, 22 in speaking; IELTS, 7 in overall, listening, reading, and writing and 6.5 in speaking. The University’s institutional score reporting code for the TOEFL is 5814. Click here for more information on the UMD English Requirements.
Publications/Presentations (submitted to the Upload Requirements section of the application)
Writing Sample (uploaded to the Upload Requirements section of the application)
Contacting Faculty: You will need a sponsor from the Department faculty for admission. You must select and contact a tenured or tenure track faculty member with interests that parallel your own. Plan to make an appointment for an interview in person or via Skype with at least one if you can. This is required as part of your application.

Closing date for the PhD application is Dec. 12, 2024. Applications are reviewed from January to April for Fall entry; there is no Spring entry. Prospective Ph.D. students can start their applications.

International Applicants:

The Department welcomes applications from international students. The University of Maryland's International Students Scholar Services group offers useful guides and contact information for international applicants. International applicants who are offered teaching assistantships must also pass an International Teaching Assistant Oral Evaluation by the University's Maryland English Institute (MEI).

Diversity Fellowships:

The Department of Geographical Sciences offers several fellowships that provide supplemental financial support for Ph.D. students. Read below to learn about each fellowship and how to apply.

BSOS Diversity Recruitment Supplements (DRS)

The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) values diversity and inclusion and believes science and science teams benefit from diverse groups of faculty and trainees who bring diverse interests, perspectives, interpretations of, and solutions to human problems. Therefore, BSOS offers recruitment fellowships designed to enhance the diversity of our doctoral student population. The diversity recruitment supplements (DRS) are intended to supplement a fellowship, assistantship, or other funding to an admitted student. The DRS can support summer funding, funding in other ways that might be useful for the success of the student. If admitted, your advisor will nominate you for the DRS.

Fellowships in Support of Diversity and Inclusion (FISDI) in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS)

Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents.

Students who wish to be considered must email diversity and inclusion essays to Leila De Floriani @email the application deadline.

Students awarded Fellowships in Support of Diversity and Inclusion will receive supplemental financial support. The amount, type of support, and timing of the disbursement of the support will be determined by the training department with the students' experiences, training goals, and departmental resources taken into consideration. However, the supplemental support is generally no less than a total of $10,000 over the course of the doctoral training period. This funding will be in addition to the base funding offered by the department. Students will also be recognized as BSOS Dean's Diversity and Inclusion Doctoral Scholars.

Diversity and Inclusion Essay:
First, the diversity and inclusion essay must detail how one or more of the following criteria applies to the applicant. Second, the applicant must respond to the essay prompt (below).

Member of a group historically underrepresented in the behavioral and social sciences (African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Mexican American, Puerto Rican, or other Hispanic. Permanent Residents whose ethnicities corresponds to one or more of these groups also meet this criteria).
Person with a disability as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. Qualified individuals with disabilities are those who, with reasonable accommodation for their disability, are capable of entering a research career after appropriate experience and training.
Person who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ community.
Any individual whose career will relate to, or emphasize sociocultural diversity and inclusion, serving diverse communities, or advancing/promoting/increasing diversity in behavioral and social sciences or STEM through research, teaching, mentoring, and/or service.

Diversity and Inclusion Essay Prompt:

Please describe either your interest in addressing issues related to sociocultural diversity and inclusion, your commitment to serving diverse communities, or your interest in advancing/promoting/increasing diversity in the behavioral and social sciences or STEM through your research, teaching, mentoring, and/or service. Please be sure to also describe your past and ongoing experiences in these areas, as well as your plans for using your doctoral training and your career to promote better social science and excellence through diversity and inclusion.

Formatting Instructions - Page Limit – 1 page. Times New Roman 12 font, 1-inch margins or 550 words.

UMD President's Fellowship In accordance with our core values, mission, and desire to create a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable campus environment, UMD’s President’s Fellowship is aimed at recruiting outstanding doctoral students. The goal is to increase doctoral program diversity by recruiting top doctoral students based on their demonstrated contributions to program diversity.

President’s Fellowships are multi-year enhancement awards to be added to full assistantship. The President’s Fellowship enhancement award may total up to $40,000 per student over the duration of the award.

The Department of Geographical Sciences submits nominees to the Graduate School, and the Graduate School reviews and awards fellowships.

Eligibility: Candidates must be incoming Ph.D. students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The fellowship will support students with exceptional qualifications and clear promise for outstanding performance in doctoral study and would contribute to program diversity and increase representation in programs where minorities are underrepresented.

Current GEOG President’s Fellows:

Tavis Mansfield (Fall 2022 Cohort)

Robyn Gausman-Burnett (Fall 2023 Cohort)

The Department of Geographical Sciences submits nominees to the Graduate School, and the Graduate School reviews and awards fellowships.

Eligibility: Candidates must be incoming Ph.D. students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The fellowship will support students with exceptional qualifications and clear promise for outstanding performance in doctoral study and would contribute to program diversity and increase representation in programs where minorities are underrepresented.

Current GEOG President’s Fellows:

Tavis Mansfield (Fall 2022 Cohort)

Robyn Gausman-Burnett (Fall 2023 Cohort)

Graduate Courses

Visit the academic catalog for the Department of Geographical Sciences course listings and availability.

Assistantships and Fellowships

Teaching Assistantships (TA) and Research Assistantships (RA) are available for Ph.D. students

Salary range: $26,172 (start) to $27,476 for 9.5 month assignments (of November 2022). Tuition remission is also included, worth up to $21,088 (10 credits per semester). Health care benefits are also included, with insurance subsidies worth approximately $6,677 (individual) and $15,965 (family) based on the insurance level selected. Hourly summer employment is available in some cases, and pays up to $31.22 per hour.
Assistant duties are 20 hours per week for a full time TA or RA. Renewal for a second year and subsequent years are contingent on the availability of funds, job performance and evaluation, meeting academic benchmarks outlined in the Department's Ph.D. Handbooks, and maintaining a 3.0 GPA or better.

Dean's FellowshipsThe Department selects and recommends applicants for College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Dean's Fellowships based on academic achievement. Dean's fellows typically receive $5,000 - $10,000 of stipend per academic year, and up to five credits of tuition remission per semester.

Flagships FellowshipsThe Department selects and recommends to the Graduate School candidates for the University of Maryland Flagship Fellowship during each application cycle. Flagship Fellowships are multi-year enhancement awards to be added to fellowship/assistantship offers made by graduate programs and may total $50,000 per student over the duration of the award. Each year, the Graduate School welcomes approximately 10 outstanding Flagship Fellows.

President's FellowshipsThe Department selects and recommends to the Graduate School candidates for the University of Maryland President's Fellowship during each application cycle. The goal is to increase doctoral program diversity by recruiting top doctoral students based on their demonstrated contributions to program diversity. President’s Fellowships are multi-year enhancement awards to be added to full assistantship and fellowship support offers normally made by graduate programs. The President’s Fellowship enhancement award may total up to $40,000 per student over the duration of the award.

Graduate School Fellowships and AwardsOnce you are enrolled in a UMD Graduate Program, you are eligible for several Graduate School Fellowships and Awards. The application process for these fellowships and awards typically spans from February to April each academic year. Your advisor and the Department's Graduate Director nominate several students each year to the Graduate School for award and fellowship consideration.

Graduate School Policies on Assistantship and Fellowship

Ph.D. Handbook and Academic Timelines

The Ph.D. Handbook is the Department's comprehensive resource for academic policies and procedures.

View our graduate student mentoring guidelines.