CSU Geography Graduate

What better place to advance your studies of Geography than in Chicago, the nation's third largest metropolis and the geographic core of the nation's economy. The city offers a wide variety of research and career opportunities. Major libraries, research collections, and foundations call Chicago home, while a diversified economy provides job opportunities in a wide number of areas.

Chicago State University -- conveniently situated 10 miles south of the Loop on the city's far South Side -- is at the center of a diverse and changing environment that poses a number of questions for geographers to answer. What are the long-term effects of industry on the nearby Lake Calumet wetlands? What role does the Calumet industrial region play in the nation's drive towards a service oriented economy? Can the local development needs of predominantly African American and Hispanic communities be met with equality and fairness? How can teachers best bring global perspectives to local classrooms?

Geographers at Chicago State University have a great deal of experience working to answer these questions, and as a comprehensive Geography department, they ask many more about the region, nation, and world. The department's Frederick Blum Neighborhood Assistance Center serves as the focus for many of these efforts. The Calumet Environmental Resource Center (CERC) serves as a unique information clearinghouse of environmental and economic development resources pertaining to the Calumet region of southeast Chicago and northwest Indiana. The department is housed in the Daniel Hale Williams Science Center. The GIS laboratory with its Linux and Windows-based systems provide user access to state-of-the-art applications including ArcGIS, ERDAS Imagine, and SPSS. Several datasets are also housed in the laboratory for student use including satellite imagery for the past three decades and census data. Access to geocoding software and Trimble and Garmin Global Positioning Systems (GPS) equipment is also available for student projects. The University is also a US Geological Survey Map Depository, with emphasis on the Midwest and the 1:100,000 series topographic maps.

A very active student organization, the Geographical Society sponsors field trips and subsidizes attendance at annual Association of American Geographers meetings.

The campus is highly accessible by automobile, bus , and elevated commuter railroad. Chicago State University's new Residence Hall houses both graduate and undergraduate students. In addition, the city of Chicago has a range of housing by styles and cost.

The Department works closely with students in developing research assistantships and internship opportunities. International students must complete a CSU declaration and certification of financial support form and provide an official copy of TOEFL scores if English is not the native language. For more details, contact Chicago State University's Graduate Studies Office at (773)995-2404.

Some examples of recent employment by graduates of CSU's Geography Department include:

A minimum of 18 Credit Hours in undergraduate Geography, including required courses in Physical Geography and Urban Geography. Two seminar papers must be approved by the student's faculty committee.

30 graduate Credit Hours, including a course in Geographic Measurement Techniques, a seminar in Economic Development, a course in regional geography and seven other courses.

Students may also pursue graduate level Professional Development Sequences in Geographic Techniques and Community Economic Development.

M.A. in Geography with Geographic Information Systems Concentration Requirements:

The M.A. in Geography with Geographic Information Systems Concentration prepares students to become advanced GIS/Remote Sensing professionals or prepares them to continue on for a Ph.D. in these rapidly growing fields.