Current Students

Department Handbook

The 2023-2024 Geography Graduate Handbook will be your guide through the Geography and Atmospheric Sciences program. This handbook lays out basic policies and clarifies departmental norms and requirements. The document was written with you, a current student in mind.  You will need Adobe Acrobat to view this file.  If you have any specific questions about something you feel is not covered in the Handbook then please contact either the Graduate Program Coordinator or the Graduate Studies Committee Chair.

The Department Handbook is distinct from the Graduate School Handbook. However, it is designed to complement the Graduate School Handbook. This means that that the Department Handbook does not contradict Graduate School Rules and Policies mentioned in the Graduate School Handbook, while at the same time establishing rules and regulations that are unique to the Department of Geography.

Curriculum and Enrollment

The program requirements for each degree can be found by clicking on your specialty field at the top of this page in the far right corner and then clicking on the Graduate Curriculum tab on your specialty page.
Enrollment is based upon your appointment, your status (pre-candidacy or post-candidacy), and the term (Autumn, Spring, and May/Summer). Please see sections 4.1.1 and 4.1.2 of the Department Handbook for more information.

Forms

During your time at Ohio State you will occasionally be asked to submit official forms to the Graduate School. These forms range from Course Enrollment Forms (if you are trying to enroll in a class past the first Friday of the Semester) to Applications to Graduate. These forms are available via GradForms

Additionally, there is a Department Documents page. This page has straightforward information on departmental policies and procedures.

Independent Study

During your time here, you can register for Independent Study hours frequently. In order to initiate the enrollment process, which requires faculty approval, you will need to submit an online request outlining your goals for the semester. The stated goals will be used to determine satisfactory progress at the end of the semester. The form will workflow to the faculty member you wish to study with and then to the GPC for registration. You can find the this link to the Independent Study Registration Form to submit your request.

Outside Funding

As stated in the Graduate Handbook, students who exhaust the funding available to them from the department will be expected to compete for outside funding. However, even if you have years of Departmental funding left you should consider applying for funding that is external to both the Department and to the University in order to fund fieldwork as well as to show future employers a successful history of acquiring funding. The Office of Research has created a comprehensive wiki of funding opportunities including the SPIN Funding Opportunity Database.

 

[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.