In cooperation with the College of Community Engagement & Professions , the Department of Geography offers an MA/MLIS coordinated program to prepare students for positions as map librarians. Students in the program will pursue concurrently a Master of Arts in Geography degree program and a Master of Library and Information Science degree program, with an emphasis on Map Librarianship. Prerequisite to the award of either degree in this program is the simultaneous award of its counterpart degree.
The MA in Geography normally has a minimum requirement of 24 credits in geography. For the coordinated MA Geography/MLIS degree program, however, students can substitute 6 credits in L&I Sci courses for 6 credits of geography. This program, therefore, requires a total of 48 credits. Students must complete the 30 credits required for the MLIS degree and the 18 credits in Geography courses specified below.
- Geog 726 – Geographic Information Science, 4 credits
- Geog 747 – Spatial Analysis, 4 credits
- Geog 810 – Introduction to Techniques of Research and Presentation, 3 credits
- Geog 870 – Contemporary Geographic Approaches: (Subtitle), 3 credits
- Geog 900-level course, 3 credits
- Geog Any graduate course, 2 credits
Students are encouraged to take L&I Sci 683 – Cartographic Resources in Libraries (3 credit)s as one of the two L&I Sci courses that substitute for 6 credits of geography.
The Geography Department offers opportunities for fieldwork that may count toward these requirements. In addition to off-campus fieldwork, the American Geographical Society Collection at the UWM Golda Meir Library provides many unique opportunities for map librarianship fieldwork and is an appropriate site for an internship.
Graduates of the program are qualified to assume positions as curators and staff members in map collections of universities, governmental agencies, and industry. In cases where map collections are not of sufficient size to warrant separation as distinct collections, knowledge of how to store, classify, and retrieve maps will be a valuable set of skills that enhance the qualifications of the information professional.
For more information about the MLIS/MA coordinated program, see the UWM Academic Catalogue MLIS/Geography MA page. The current Geography Graduate Program Chair will serve the role of the Geography Program Advisor for the student.
Graduate Grievance Procedures
Federal law and UWM policy require programs and departments to have procedures for graduate students to appeal academic decisions such as grades or scholastic standing. These procedures ensure the protection of students’ rights. These pages serve as a reference on procedures for graduate student academic appeals.