The emphases of People, Society, and Environment at OSU are:

• Primary Data Collection and Field Based Research

• Spatial Analytic Methods and Modeling

• Environmental History and Change

• Human Ecology

• Political Ecology

• Political Economy of Nature

Drawing on the strengths of the research faculty, the areas and problems of research in the program include:

• Forest Management and Use

• Grasslands and Desertification

• Water Resources and Hydrology

• Spatial Epidemiology

• Fisheries and Ocean Commons

• Long-term Climate Change and Human History

• Household Economies and Rural Livelihoods

• Resource Conflicts

• Urban Ecosystems

• Environmental Regulation, Policy, and Law

• Conservation and Development

The diverse approaches to human-environment interactions in the program include analysis at a range of spatial and temporal scales, from recent and local political history to global and Quaternary climate transformations.  Regions and areas of research include:

• South Asia

• Latin America

• Europe

• Pacific Ocean

• Tropical and Polar Ice Fields

• North American Urban and Rural Settings

Our methods are both quantitative and qualitative.  The range of analytical tools includes:

• Textual and Discursive Analysis

• GIS-Based Spatial and Analytic Methods

• Econometrics

• Study/Survey design

• Spatial Statistics and Econometrics

• Subjectivity Analysis

• Climate Modeling

Research in the program includes data collection methods, such as:

• Remote Sensing

• Household Surveys

• Focus Groups

• Governmental Statistics

• Large-scale Pollimetrics (Phone Surveys)

• Archival and Historical Research

• Ice Core Analysis

• Participant Observation

The Department Core requirements (chapter 2 of the graduate manual) are designed to lay the foundations for research design, mapping and GIS, and quantitative an qualitative analysis.

A recommended course for those with a less comprehensive background in statistics is:

• Geography 683 Introduction to Geographic Analysis

Required courses (substitutions in consultation with GSC chair)

• Geography 607 Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems

• Geography 883.01 Application of Quantitative Methods in Geography

• Geography 883.02 Application of Quantitative Methods in Geography

In addition, students will complete 4 of the following courses:

• Geography 630 Conservation of Natural Resources

• Geography 635 Globalization and Environment

• Geography 670 Population Geography

• Geography 642 Geography of Development

• Geography 643 Newly Industrializing Countries

These are somewhat more specialized courses.  Note that if students have completed courses similar to any of the above seven courses at another institution, they would not be required to complete them here.  For those students engaged in foreign area research, language courses are strongly recommended in the first year of the program.  Students will also complete two 800-levgel seminars, selected in consultation with the advisor.  Recent seminars have included:

Political Ecology
Nature/Society Theory
Population and Environment
Landscape Change in the Americas
Political Economy and Environment

Ideal Sequence of M.A. Study:

Courses for the Ph.D. Program include:

1.  A course in Geographic Thought.  Geography 882.

2.  An Advanced Methods Course.  This can be fulfilled either through a Geography 983 course within the Department, or through an advanced methods course outside the Department, if approved by the Graduate Studies Committee.

Both of the above courses must be completed before the General Examination

3.  A course in Professional Development in Geography (Geography 889) in the first or second year of study.

4.  At least one 800-level seminar per year at the Ph.D. level.

During the first year this would involve enrollment in a seminar for the full 5 credits, with all course requirements being fulfilled.  After the General Examination, students could enroll in a seminar for fewer than 5 credits with an expected reduction in formal course requirements.  In this way the course requirements should not detract from progress toward the completion of the dissertation.  For those students engaged in foreign area research, language courses are strongly recommended in the first two years of the program.

Ideal Sequence of Ph.D. Study:

If you are interested in undertaking graduate work in Urban and Regional Systems, you may wish to request further details and application materials.