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Degree &
Certificate
Programs

Geography B.S.
Extended Geography; Geographic Education; Geographic Information Management (GIS);
Remote Sensing

Public Planning B.S.
Land Use Planning;
Environmental Planning; Tourism & Recreation Planning; GIS & Planning; American Indian Planning

Parks & Recreation Management
B.S. & Certificate

MA in Rural Geography

MS in Applied Geographic Infomation Science

GIS Graduate Certificate

Park Ranger Training Program

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Graduate Degree in Rural Geography
Northern Arizona University
Department of Geography, Planning and Recreation

Click below for these two special opportunities for graduate study in our department

!!New - ONLINE MASTER OF ADMINISTRATION DEGREE PROGRAM
IN COMMUNITY PLANNING - New!!

and

!!New - MS IN APPLIED GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE - New!!

and

GIS GRADUATE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

Master of Arts in Rural Geography

The Department of Geography, Planning and Recreation at Northern Arizona University offers a graduate program in Rural Geography. The Master of Arts in Rural Geography provides an advanced degree for geographers who will work in the area of rural, environmental, and small town analysis. The strength of the program and the faculty are in the areas of:

• Rural, small town and Native American planning and development
• Natural resource development in rural areas
• Climate and geomorphology of arid lands and mountain regions
• Geographic and public planning education
• Recreation and tourism geography
• Area studies: West and Southwest U.S., Colorado Plateau, East and Southeast Asia

There is a growing need for professionals with skills that are particularly applicable to the needs of small towns, rural and natural areas, and Native American reservations. Graduates of the program will be able to fill positions in city, county, state, and regional planning and economic development agencies, and federal agencies such as the Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, National Parks Service, and U.S. Forest Service. The program also provides a solid background for students considering advanced professional or doctoral degrees.

Four Emphasis Areas are offerd in the Rural Geography M.A. Program

• Human Geography
• Physical Geography
• Community Planning

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Special Programs: The Department has close working relationships with local city and county planning agencies and Native American reservations in Arizona. Opportunities for paid internship positions with these agencies are often possible. Opportunities also exist for cooperative projects with the USGS facilities located in Flagstaff and the numerous National Park Service facilities located throughout northern Arizona. An outside minor is required as part of the M.A. in Rural Geography program. The following graduate programs at Northern Arizona University are particularly suited for minor coursework: Liberal Studies, Anthropology, Biology, Education, Forestry, Geology, Political Science and Public Administration, Quaternary Studies, and Sociology. In addition, Public Planning courses that are taught within the Department of Geography, Planning and Recreation can be applied to the student's minor. An interdisciplinary geographic information systems minor/concentration is available for rural geography graduate students.

Application Forms

Download & Print NAU Rural Geography Department Application Forms

For the NAU Graduate College Online Application Form (For NAU Graduate College general information - click here)

• Both Department and Graduate College forms must be submitted to complete the application process.
• Graduate Assistant Benefits

Coursework Pre-requisites

Mininmum coursework pre-requisites for admission to the MA in Rural Geography program include:

• Undergraduate Degree with a Major or Minor in Geography; OR
  
• Undergraduate Degree with a Major in another discipline, PLUS
  • a Physical geography class
  • a Human/regional/introductory geography class
  • aTechnical geography class
    
• An undergraduate statistics class within three years prior to first semester in Rural Geography
  
• An undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4 point scale

• A combined GRE Score of 1000 on the Verbal and Math sections
  

  Students with deficiencies in any of the areas above will be admitted on a provisional basis until the deficiencies are satisfied, which must be done within the first year of graduate study at NAU. In addition to the student's coursework, the department evaluates applicants based on a combination of undergraduate grades, GRE scores, Letters of recommendation, the student's Statement of purpose/objectives, and past experience and accomplishments.

Teaching and Research Assistantships

TA and RA funding is limited. Students are encouraged to apply by February 15 to be considered for assistantship support for the following Fall semester. Students are also encouraged to apply for work-study aid through the NAU Office of Student Financial Aid.

RURAL GEOGRAPHY GRADUATE COURSES

GGR 522 Remote Sensing Techniques I (4). Introductory principles of electromagnetic radiation and analysis techniques of visible and near infrared photography and imagery. 3 hrs. lecture, 3 hrs. lab. Prerequisites: GGR 250 and MAT 112 or permission of instructor. Fall.

GGR 523 Remote Sensing Techniques II (4). Analysis techniques of non-visible remotely sensed radar and thermal imagery. 3 hrs. lecture, 3 hrs. lab. Prerequisites:

GGR 524 Remote Sensing Techniques III (2). Instrumentation and procedures required for gathering and interpreting remotely sensed data in the field. 1 hour lecture, 3 hrs. lab. Prerequisite: GGR 522. Spring.

GGR 525 Geographic Information Systems (4). Use of GIS in natural resources; input, storage, structure, errors, analysis and modeling of spatial data. Crosslisted with FOR 525. 3 hrs. lecture, 3 hrs. lab. Prerequisite: GGR 230 or FOR 211, or instructor's consent. Fall, Spring

GGR 533 Survey of G.I.S. (3). Fundamentals of vector and raster geographic information systems. Prerequisite: GGR 331 or permission of instructor. Fall, odd years.

GGR 545 Arid Lands (3). Comparative analysis of the world's dry lands. Fee required.

GGR 546 Arizona and the Southwest (3). Regional analysis of the southwestern United States.

GGR 547 Mountain and Highland Geography (3). Geographic treatment of earth's high elevation and high relief landscapes. Topics include the physical environment of, and human interaction with, mountains. Prerequisites: any introductory course in natural science and in social science. Fall, alternate years

GGR 574 Rural Economic Geography (3). Examines the relationships between economic theory and rural spatial patterns, including agriculture, small towns, resources, and environmental issues. Fee required.

GGR 576 Geography of Tourism and Recreation (3). Geographic perspectives and methodological techniques in tourism and recreation, emphasizing location models and landscape impacts of leisure activities. Fee required.

GGR 582 Quantitative Techniques in Geography (3). Statistical methods related to the specific problems of geographic data distributed in two and three dimensions. Prerequisite: STA 570 or instructor's consent.

GGR 599 Contemporary Developments (1-3). Topics vary.

GGR 608 Fieldwork Experience (1-12). Supervised field experience in an appropriate agency, organization, or situation. Fee required.

GGR 642 Rural Spatial Patterns (3). Spatial characteristics, relationships, and systems that are unique to the rural environment. Fee required.

GGR 655 Advanced Physical Geography (3). Landforms, climate hydrology, soils, vegetatin, and animal life with emphasis on the interaction of these phenomena in the rural setting. Prerequisite: GGR 250 or instructor's consent. Fee required.

GGR 681 Geographic Thought and Method (3). History and philosophical evolution of the discipline of geography, including paradigms, approaches, and research methods.

GGR 685 Graduate Research (1-6).

GGR 687 Professional Development Seminar (1).

GGR 689 Professional Practicum (1-9) for non-thesis option

GGR 697 Independent Study (1-3).

GGR 698 Seminar in Rural Geography (3). Opportunity to present and analyze topics in rural and small town geography.

GGR 699 Thesis (1-9) for thesis option

Rural Geography Planning Courses - Offered in the Dept. of Geography, Planning and Recreation

PL 501 Communities and Public Planning (3). Provides background in public planning: its concepts, actions, and current situations, especially related to communities. Fall

PL 506 Planning Analysis and Presentations (3). Use and evaluation of computer spreadsheet and database applications and modeling for public planning analysis; presentation of analysis in graphic, text and oral formats. 3 hr. lecture. Prerequisites: CIS 120 and 120L and either MAT 110 or 125.

PL 531 Map Analysis and Site Planning (4). Interpretation, analysis and planning of land use and cadastral maps, subdivision designs, and parcel development plans. Using CADD to create maps and development plans. 3 hr lecture, 3 hrs. lab. Prerequisites: MAT 110 or 125, and PL 401 or PL 501 or instructor's consent.

PL 543 Urban Transportation Planning (3). Examines techniques and methodology of transportation planning applications, emphasizing interrelationship of land use and trips. Lab overviews different methodological approaches, with detailed study of travel demand forecasting models. Crosslisted with CENE 543. 2 hrs. lecture, 3 hrs. lab. Prerequisites: a 300- or 400-level course in civil engineering or public planning, or instructor's consent. Fall

PL 599 Contemporary Developments (1-3). Examines recent trends and investigations in a selected area of a particular field of study. Letter grade only

PL 685 Graduate Research (1-6).

PL 689 Professional Practicum (1-9) for non-thesis option

PL 697 Independent Study (1-3).

PL 699 Thesis (1-9) for thesis option

OTHER GEOGRAPHY and PLANNING COURSES that may be applied to the graduate degree (maximum of 2 classes and 8 credit hours)

GGR 447 Geography Area Studies (3). The geography of selected areas, such as a continent or a country. May be repeated for credit for different areas.

GGR 453 Quaternary Environments (3). Multidisciplinary methods of studying Quaternary environments with an emphasis on the timing, magnitude and causes of climatic change.

GGR 459 Proseminar in Physical Geography (3). Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor. May be repeated for credit. Six hours maximum.

GGR 479 Proseminar in Cultural Geography (3). Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor. May be repeated for credit. Six hours maximum.

GGR 480 Field Analysis (4). Geographic analyses of small areas. Prerequisites: GGR 250, 270. Writing-intensive course. Fall.

PL 402 Environmental Impact Statements (2). Requirements and implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act, with emphasis on writing environmental assessments and impact statements. Prerequisite: PL 302 or POS 459.

PL 405 Planning Studio (4). Emphasizes the synthesis and practice of public planning through applied projects. 2 hrs. lecture, 4 hrs. lab. May be repeated for up to 8 hours of credit. Prerequisites: PL 431 and senior status. Fee required. Spring

PL 407 Planning on Public Lands (2). History and process of planning as it applied to various public lands in the United States. Prerequisite: PL 302 or instructor's consent. PL 408 Fieldwork Experience (3-12). Supervised field experience in an appropriate agency or organization. You must complete at lest 6 hours and no more than 12 hours for the major. May not exceed 12 hours of credit. Fee required.

NAU Graduate Certificate Program in GIS

Links for Current NAU Graduate Students

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