Our graduate courses are designed so that you may develop a general background in geographic theory, substantial depth in your areas of research specialization, and the technical and methodological skills necessary for research. A major portion of graduate coursework consists of seminars and individual research courses in which our students work closely with faculty members.

Our graduate program also includes a set of four core courses which students are generally required to complete in the early stages of their program.

1. "Research Problems in Geography I" (G500) introduces you to the history of the discipline, to the problems of carrying out research, and requires that students identify their own research area.
2. The second course in the core program, "Research Problems in Geography II" (G501), requires you to prepare a research proposal for advanced study.
3. The final courses in the core program are two of three methods courses. These courses include: 
   • "Applied Spatial Statistics" (G588)
   • “Qualitative Methods in Geography"  (G576)
   • “Geographic Information Systems” (G538) or “Environmental Remote    Sensing” (G535)

Also, Ph.D. students in Geography at IU are required to acquire expertise in a minor field outside of the department.

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