The Physical Geography and Climatic Studies (Formerly known as ACS) specialization, which also includes Climatology, offers graduate students the opportunity to earn a Master's degree (MA) and/or Doctorate (PhD) in Geography. Requirements for each program are outlined below.
** Note: The application process for an M.S. or PhD in Atmospheric Science is separate from the application process for Geography.
Please be aware that requirements are subject to change. Graduate students also should consult their advisor and the Department of Geography Graduate Handbook to ensure the appropriate requirements are met. In addition to the requirements, the topics of graduate seminars are subject to change with each semester and each instructor. However, the assigned course number will remain the same.
General Admission Requirements
Students admitted to the Atmospheric & Climatic Studies track should fulfill the following general requirements:
- Bachelor's Degree in Geography or a closely allied field is required for entrance into the Master's program;
- Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree are needed for entrance into the PhD program.
- Students should have completed a college level calculus series and be competent in at least one computer programming language (e.g. FORTRAN, C).
For more information on admission requirements please visit our Prospective Graduate Student webpage
Master's Degree Requirements
The attached 
Graduate handbook, reveals course requirements for students in the ACS specialization. Also, below is a sample curriculum for our students to potentially follow:
Doctorate (Ph.D.) Requirements
The attached Graduate handbook is a general advising sheet for Post-Master's students in the Department of Geography. Current Graduate Students should work with their advisor on forming a curriculum that satisfies the degree requirements, while meeting their individual needs.
[pdf] - Some links on this page are to .pdf files. If you need these files in a more accessible format, please contact geog_webmaster@osu.edu. PDF files require the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader software to open them. If you do not have Reader, you may use the following link to Adobe to download it for free at: Adobe Acrobat Reader.