Finding the right graduate program is challenging. Some of you might even question if graduate school is right for you? For some, it can be more of a burden than a benefit. It can take years to complete and with diminishing rewards. For others, it provides the opportunity to think in depth about a topic, analytically, and in search of unique insights.

Depending on all these factors and more, it is important to be in communication with faculty, staff, and university representatives about applying to a master’s or a PhD program. Here is a link to our department’s “Graduate Overview.” As someone who has thought about these issues a lot, I am happy to share my latest takes on the topic. If you are interested in our program and/or working with me as a mentor, feel free to email me directly.  

I am not able to sponsor students every admission cycle, and a lot depends on the applicant pool from year to year, but I am willing to have a conversation about your interests.

Generally, the earlier in the process you reach out to me, the more I can invest in your case. Our application deadlines are in early January, so sometime in the fall semester before the deadline should be fine. Depending on the week you email me and what I have happening in other classes, I might be slow at responding. But I’ll do my best to write back. Don’t interpret a non-response as a lack of interest on my part.

I prefer to advise students who are working in areas I know. This is for your benefit as well as mine. I feel comfortable advising students working on topics in critical development studies, political ecology, political geography, Indigenous geography, energy transition, and water. I can’t advise people working in physical geography, quantitative methods, or anything dealing with GIS. We do have excellent faculty in the department who work on those things, and I may be able to offer you recommendations.

I hope this helps, good luck!