There are three degree choices for students at the master’s level:

  • Master of Arts (MA) for students interested in human and cultural geography
  • Master of Science (MS) for students interested in physical geography or GIS
  • Joint Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Library Information Science (MLIS) for students interested in library or archival work

Many of our graduate students hold a a bachelor’s degree in geography, but we also consider applications from students with a bachelor’s degree in related fields such as urban planning, data science, economics, and other social sciences. We also are proud of our diverse student body within geography with many international graduate students in the geography department.

Options abound within each degree including choosing a non-thesis track if there are no plans to continue on to a higher degree beyond the master’s degree. Most students will need to pass a final oral exam or complete required field work. The academics section of this website outlines the requirements for the different programs.

The MA and MS are typically completed in two years while the MA/MLIS is typically completed in three to three and half years.

Some of our master’s alumni go on to pursue a doctoral degree while others enter or advance their career in public policy, GIS, research, urban planning, conservation, library or archival work, surveying, or cartography.

We are a smaller program, and our students enjoy small classes and a tight knit community. Social gatherings, colloquia and regular guest speakers bring our graduate student body together frequently.

For more information about the program, including requirements, visit its academic page at the link below.

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.

For more information about admissions please contact the Graduate Advisor:

  • Professor, Geography

UWM Land Acknowledgement: We acknowledge in Milwaukee that we are on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk and Menominee homeland along the southwest shores of Michigami, North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes, where the Milwaukee, Menominee and Kinnickinnic rivers meet and the people of Wisconsin’s sovereign Anishinaabe, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oneida and Mohican nations remain present.   |   To learn more, visit the Electa Quinney Institute website.