Transfer from Masters to Doctoral Program

The following requirements must be met:

  1. The student must have at least a B+ average in his or her undergraduate program.
  2. The student must have completed GEOG*6090 and GEOG*6091 plus at least 2 courses (1.0 credits), 1 of which must be in Geography, with at least an A- average. The student must have submitted and presented a satisfactory Master's thesis proposal in GEOG*6091.
  3. The student's Advisory Committee must strongly support the transfer request. The Advisor must be willing to commit research funding to the student equivalent to the departmental requirement for accepting new PhD students.

If these requirements are met, then the following procedures guide the transfer process:

  1. The student submits the Application for Transfer to Another Program form (available on the Graduate Studies web site) to the Graduate Coordinator.
  2. The student also submits a written report of his or her progress in research to the Advisory Committee and to the Graduate Coordinator. This report should include a review of research conducted for the Master's thesis and any papers presented, published or submitted, research seminar title, etc.
  3. The Advisory Committee submits to the Graduate Coordinator a written evaluation commenting on the student's aptitude for doctoral level research and on the suitability of the Master's research project for expansion to a doctoral project. The student should be highly rated by the Advisory Committee.
  4. The Graduate Admissions Committee reviews the documents provided ("Application for Transfer" form, student's research progress report, and Advisory Committee's evaluation of student) and prepares a report of its recommendation. If the Admissions Committee does not support the transfer, then the student is informed of the decision and transfer does not proceed further. If the transfer is supported, then the Application for Transfer form is signed by the Department Chair and forwarded with the Department's recommendation (plus all supporting documentation) to Graduate Program Services. The student must pay the transfer fee at this time.
  5. The above procedures must be initiated in and completed before the end of semester 3.
  6. The Admissions and Progress Committee, on behalf of the Board of Graduate Studies, examines the documentation, including the official academic record, and, if appropriate, recommends admission to the PhD program without completing the Master's program.