UC Santa Barbara
Department of Geography
UC Santa Barbara
Department of Geography
Graduates header image: grad students at work and play
Graduates Program Description Student Handbook
Graduate Study in Geography Registration The Master's Program Transfer and Continuation Into the Ph.D. Program Ph.D. Program Special Preparation for Careers in Teaching Fees and Tuition Financial Support Participation on Dept and Campus Committees Placement of Graduates Appendix Sample Forms Quick Filing Guide Guide to Filing Theses and Dissertations at UCSB
Master's Theses Ph.D. Dissertations Advising

UC Santa Barbara Geography / Graduates / Student Handbook

Graduate Study in Geography

Welcome to the graduate program of the Department of Geography at UCSB. The material within this Handbook will hopefully answer most of your questions about our graduate program. The first edition of the Handbook was written in 1989 at the suggestion of a grad student, and continued grad student input is both welcome and necessary to keep the handbook up to date.

This handbook has been prepared as carefully as possible. Please notify José Saleta, the Graduate Program Assistant (), if any information is unclear or missing. It is each student's responsibility to confirm the deadlines, requirements, and paperwork that apply to his/her degree program at each step in the graduate school process.

In this chapter:

» Mission

The mission of UCSB's Department of Geography is reflected by the department's Vision Statement.

» Areas of Emphasis

The Geography Department at UCSB offers specialized graduate training leading to the Master's and PhD degrees. Areas of concentration include:

Earth System Science (ESS)
This systematic area emphasizes the measurements, analysis, and modeling of hydrologic, atmospheric, oceanic, and terrestrial systems and the interactions between systems. A large proportion of the problems addressed by researchers in ESS involve three common elements: large regional issues; mathematical and computational modeling; and large, spatially indexed datasets.

Human-environment Relations (HER)
This systematic area covers the major components of Human Geography offered by the Department, including: human spatial behavior; spatial decision-making and decision support; urban and regional modeling, planning, and policy; human movement and transportation systems; resource and environmental management; environmental ethics; human response to the changing environment.

Modeling, Measurement and Computation (MMC)
This area is the investigation of those sets of techniques from the areas of analysis, statistics, and computation that are particularly well-suited to the modeling of the complex, geographic phenomena that are the subject of investigation in both ESS and HER. Important sub-areas include numerical modeling, spatial statistics, remote sensing, computational modeling, and database systems (including Geographic Information Systems), and visualization, all of which are increasingly dependent on knowledge of computational theory and practice.

» The Faculty

A full listing of Faculty and Affiliated Faculty, including areas of interest and contact information, can be found on the faculty page.

» The Graduate Advisor

The Graduate Advisor for 2009/2010 is Martin Raubal: .

Each department's Graduate Advisor is an official faculty representative of the Graduate Dean in matters affecting graduate students or graduate programs in the academic departments. The Graduate Advisor is an administrative appointment, made by the Vice Chancellor, separate from the department chairperson, the department, and the Academic Senate. The Graduate Advisor's signature is the only departmental signature, other than the chairperson's, recognized as official on forms and petitions presented by graduate students. It is the Graduate Advisor who evaluates and approves students' study lists, advises them on advancement to candidacy, and considers their petitions to change majors, to add or drop courses, to waive or substitute requirements, to take leaves of absence, etc. The departmental Graduate Advisor should not be confused with your thesis/dissertation advisor (the Chair of your thesis/dissertation committee).

» The Graduate Program Assistant

The Graduate Program Assistant for 2009/2010 is José Saleta: , 805-893-3663.

The Graduate Program Assistant (GPA) provides administrative and clerical support for the graduate program (and sometimes is just a sympathetic ear). Assisting in the coordination of the admissions process, the GPA is often the student's initial contact in the department. The GPA assists the graduate advisor in monitoring students' progress toward their degrees, and also provides information about departmental and Graduate Division policies and procedures. Faculty and students alike rely heavily on the GPA for information, but, ultimately, faculty must be responsible for academic planning.

» The Graduate Committee

The mission of the Department of Geography is to maintain an active and dynamic environment to help cultivate and build a strong geographic community. We would like to ensure that all graduate students have a positive experience while at UCSB. The Graduate Committee (GC) is a mix of Geography faculty members, plus the Graduate Program Assistant. The responsibilities of the GC include reviewing all graduate applications, making admission decisions, annual review of graduate student academic progress, and general problem solving for graduate matters. It provides a safe and confidential forum for solving problems during your time as a graduate student. Should a problem arise, please feel free to contact any of the individual members of the committee.

The Graduate Committee for 2009/2010 consists of:

NameemailPhoneOffice Location
Bodo Bookhagen893-35686708 Ellison Hall
David Lopez-Carr893-42195714 Ellison Hall
Joe McFadden893-69845703 Ellison Hall
Dan Montello893-85365711 Ellison Hall
Martin Raubal893-48395713 Ellison Hall
Dar Roberts893-22763611A Ellison Hall
Jose Saleta893-36631834 Ellison Hall
Mo Lovegreen893-36641841 Ellison Hall
Connie Padilla893-45851844 Ellison Hall
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