About PhD Program,
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is the highest degree offered at LSU. It recognizes and demands mastery of one or more subfields of the discipline. Doctoral students go far beyond the level required for lesser degrees, and their work is expected to be of such quality that it could grace the pages of scholarly books and journals. Although doctoral students are expected to exhibit the intellectual breadth required of an academic position, the Ph.D. is primarily a research degree, and doctoral students should expect to spend little time sitting in undergraduate lecture courses in geography, save those needed to remedy deficiencies.
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is the highest degree offered at LSU. It recognizes and demands mastery of one or more subfields of the discipline. Doctoral students go far beyond the level required for lesser degrees, and their work is expected to be of such quality that it could grace the pages of scholarly books and journals. Although doctoral students are expected to exhibit the intellectual breadth required of an academic position, the Ph.D. is primarily a research degree, and doctoral students should expect to spend little time sitting in undergraduate lecture courses in anthropology, save those needed to remedy deficiencies.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
Requirements for the M.S. degree in geography and M.A. in anthropology include a minimum of 30 credit hours, including 6 credits for a thesis. A master’s degree is typically attained within two years if students attend as full time status.
Requirements for the Ph.D. in Geography and Ph.D. in Anthropology include a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree or 30 hours beyond the master’s degree. Students at minimum take Intro to Grad Studies, Research Methods, a 7000 level seminar, a 7000 level course, a 4000 or 7000 level course, and 9 hours of dissertation research; and student must select either an external minor or nine credit hours in approved cognate fields (including 7000 level seminar).
PhD Funding Coverage,
G&A currently funds approximately 20 students through departmental teaching assistantships. The department has a deadline of January 25 for applicants to be considered for departmental funding for the fall. All applicants who express interest in funding and submit complete applications by the deadline will be considered for funding. We seek highly qualified students who will contribute to expanding the diversity of the disciplines of Geography and Anthropology. Additional graduate assistantships are funded through research grants by the NSF, NOAA, BOEM EDA, and others. Please reach out to faculty directly to inquire about this type of funding. Others are funded by allied units within the university.
Huel Perkins Fellowships support recruitment of highly qualified Ph.D. students from communities underrepresented in their field.
The Pruitt Fellowship supports the advancement of women in the Master’s and Ph.D. programs.
The Robert C West and R J Russell Grad Student Awards support graduate students research (travel) on a competitive basis with grant competitions twice a year.
Application Requirement,
- Statement of Purpose
- We highly encourageapplicants to reach out to a faculty member they are interested in working with. Details about faculty members with contact information can be found here. Please list the faculty member(s) in your statement of purpose.
- It is not expected that you will have a specific research idea in mind; however, we encourage you to explain the reasons why you wish to attend LSU, along with your general research interests. Specific research ideas are also welcome.
- All Transcripts
- 3 letters of recommendation
- An applicant whose native language is not English and/or who has been educated outside of the U.S. in a country or province where English is not the only official language must demonstrate proof of English proficiency by submitting either a TOEFL, an IELTS, or PTEscore before the application is evaluated for admission. Depending on the country, and any imposed sanctions, international applicants are able to take the TOEFL iBT Home Edition exam.
The Department of Geography and Anthropology does not require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as part of your application package (as of January 2023).
We believe in letting every applicant showcase their academic and research success in whatever form that may take, such as research projects, competitions, exams, awards, experiences, etc. If an applicant feels the GRE provides key information not evident from other aspects of their application, they are welcome to submit official scores. We do not use GRE cutoffs or other quantitative rankings. We consider any submitted test scores as one aspect of academic achievement, and we take a holistic approach to evaluating any application received.
Application Deadline,
Jan 25, 2025
Application Fee,
The Graduate School application processing fee for domestic applicants is $50 and $70 for international applicants.
