Top Geography Doctoral Programs

The Penn State Department of Geography was ranked as the top Department of Geography in the United States by the National Research Council (NRC), conducted in 1995. It offers B.S., B.A., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Geography. US News & World Report ranked Penn State at 16th for Best National Doctoral Universities among public universities in America's Best Colleges 2005.

The Department of Geography at Minnesota was ranked in the Top 3 nationally. The Department offers three graduate degree programs:

• MA in Geography
  
• PhD in Geography
  
• Master of Geographic Information Science (MGIS)

University of California–Santa Barbara (UCSB) Geography is highly regarded as one of the largest and highest ranked Departments of Geography in the world. The National Research Council placed it at 4th position in the country. The phds.org ranked it the No. 1 “large, prestigious program” among Departments of Geography in the USA. Michael Goodchild, UC Santa Barbara professor of geography, is the winner of the 2007 Lauréat Prix International de Géographie Vautrin Lud, the Nobel Prize of Geography.

Ranking of Top Geography Doctoral Programs in the US:

1. Pennsylvania State University

2. U of Wisconsin

3. U of Minnesota

4. University of California–Santa Barbara

5. Ohio State U

6. UC Berkeley

6. Syracuse U

8. UCLA

9. Clark U

10. U of Washington

Source: National Council Research Report 1995

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Top Geosciences Doctoral Programs

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US University Rankings by Department