The Department of Geography and Environmental Management (GEM) at the University of Waterloo offers a vibrant and stimulating graduate research environment at both master's and PhD levels. We are the most research-active unit in the Faculty of Environment and our approach to graduate studies reflects our keen interest in training high quality students in theoretical and applied aspects of geographical knowledge.
Our graduate program is offered mostly through the Waterloo-Laurier Graduate Program in Geography, which is a partnership between GEM and the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. The joint program makes us one of the largest geography graduate programs in North America and provides a wide range of topics for students to explore and conduct research. We adhere to the important ideals of research-led teaching at the graduate level and our students are often drawn in to ongoing nationally and internationally recognized research projects.
Students are funded by Canadian Tri-Council scholarships (NSERC, SSHRC), provincial scholarships (OGS) or by a combination of teaching assistantships and research assistantships. Graduates have gone on to work in areas such as academia, federal and provincial agencies, international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the teaching profession.
The Masters Research Thesis degree is built around our four recognized themes of:
Normally completed in two years, the Research Thesis track allows students to explore a chosen topic and complete a thesis that typically contains significant elements of publishable quality.
The Masters Research Paper degree is also built around the four recognized themes.
The Research Paper track allows students to explore a broad range of topics in human geography, physical geography and geomatics, often within an applied context. Designed for students who are interested in updating their knowledge of current themes in geographical research through coursework, this track is normally completed in one year.
The PhD program is designed for students seeking to engage in traditional leading edge research in geographical knowledge. This degree program normally takes three years to complete or longer.
For further information, please contact the Chris Fletcher (Associate Chair, Graduate Studies) or the Alan Anthony (Graduate Program Administrator).
