AAG

Systems (GIS), (3) Planning, (4) Environmental, (5) Elective Social
Studies Education. All five B.A. "tracks" provide comprehensive
backgrounds in geography as a field of study. Students are encouraged
to apply their knowledge and skills through directed internship
experiences prior to graduation.
Graduate: Graduate programs include the Master in Public
Administration (MPA) and the M.A. in Geography. The M.P.A. is an
interdisciplinary degree which has a concentration in Urban and
Regional Planning as well as six courses of instruction in specific
administration skills (e.g., computer applications, accounting, and
budgeting). There are two certificate programs.
The M.A. in Geography develops skills and expertise for problem
solving in such areas as land use planning, demographic research,
conservation of natural resources, urban environmental analysis,
economic development, and GIS. It is a 33-hour thesis or non-thesis
program. Internships are possible in both Masters programs.
The Certificate in Geographic Information Systems consists of six
courses that teach the use of technologies of Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). These
technologies are prominent workplace tools which are widely used in
public and private sectors today. All six courses can be counted
towards a Masters Degree program in Geography and Planning.
The Certificate in Urban and Regional Planning consists of six courses
that teach a variety of subject areas in planning including
transportation, environmental, land use and housing. The certificate
can be earned separately, or as a component of the M.P.A.
The Department's facilities in Ruby Jones Hall and Anderson Hall
include GIS laboratories with Arc/GIS suite of software and
extensions and ESRI's Business Analyst. GIS applications are
continuously updated. Facilities also include global positioning system
(GPS) hardware and software, large format plotters, and extensive
collections of maps, air photos, and other imagery.
ACADEMIC PLAN, ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS, AND
FINANCIAL AID: The University operates on the semester system.
In addition to the fall and spring semesters there are two five-week
summer sessions and a three-week winter session. Admission
decisions are based on evaluations of transcripts, work experience
and/or standardized test scores, and letters of recommendation. Some
assistantships and other types of financial aid are available.
FACULTY:
Gary W. Coutu, Ph.D., Texas A&M, 2001, Associate Professor — GIS,
watershed delineation and analysis, remote sensing applications
Kristen B. Crossney, Ph.D., Rutgers University, 2006, Assistant
Professor — urban studies, planning and policy, housing
Joy A. Fritschle, Ph.D., Wisconsin-Madison, 2007, Associate
Professor — biogeography, environmental planning, GIS
Megan Heckert, Ph.D., Temple University, 2012, Assistant Professor –
GIS, urban environmental, sustainability
Dorothy Ives Dewey, Ph.D., Pennsylvania, 1996, Associate Professor
— planning, GIS
Matin Katirai, Ph.D., Louisville, 2009, Assistant Professor — business
GIS, public health GIS, urban planning
James P. Lewandowski, Ph.D., Ohio State, 1991, Professor —
urban/economic, international trade, quantitative methods, GIS
Joan M. Welch, Ph.D., Boston, 1990, Professor — biogeography,
conservation, sustainability
SOUTH CAROLINA
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH
CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
DATE FOUNDED: 1963
GRADUATE PROGRAM FOUNDED: 1963
DEGREES OFFERED: B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., Ph.D.
GRANTED 7/1/14-6/30/15: 21 Bachelors, 9 Masters, 6 Ph.D.
STUDENTS IN RESIDENCE: 60 Majors, 24 Masters, 23
Ph.D.
CHAIR: John A. Kupfer
GRADUATE PROGRAM COORDINATOR: Mr. Capers
Stokes
FOR CATALOG AND FURTHER INFORMATION WRITE
TO: Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Geography,
University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208.
Telephone (803) 777-5234. Fax (803) 777-4972. E-mail: Dr. Jean
Ellis, jtellis@sc.edu. For more information about the department and
to request graduate application materials see the Geography
Department’s home page: http://artsandsciences.sc.edu/geog/.
PROGRAMS AND RESEARCH FACILITIES: The department
offers training in fundamental geographic skills and the opportunity
for advanced study and research in four thematic areas: geographic
information sciences, physical geography, nature and society studies,
and human geography focused on space, place, inequality and identity.
In addition to considerable expertise in a variety of regions in the
United States, the department also has international regional expertise
in the Middle East, South America and Europe.
Geographic Information Sciences in the department encompasses an
understanding of cartography and geovisualization, remote sensing of
the environment, spatial analysis and data mining, spatial highperformance/cloud
computing, and geographic information systems
(GIS). GIScience faculty conduct research that addresses basic
questions in geographic technologies as well as applications of
geospatial technologies to problems in hazards, public health,
population studies, landscape ecology, geomorphology, and
environmental change.
Physical geographers in our department investigate patterns and
processes associated with the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and
lithosphere and explore the nature and causes of their natural
variability and change. Specialized expertise includes climatology and
meteorology, fluvial and aeolian geomorphology, hydrology,
biogeography and landscape ecology. Many of our physical
geographers utilize geospatial technologies in their work.
Nature and Society specialists in the department focus on
understanding the patterns and processes of human-environmental
interactions. The increasing complexity of coupled natural and human
systems necessitates an integrative perspective for understanding local
to global environmental transformations and changing human security.
Our faculty specialize in a range of relevant areas, including political
ecology; human dimensions of global change; risks, vulnerability, and
hazards; and resource use and management.
Space, Place, Identity and Inequality are the focus of several human
geographers in the department. At the core of the research of this
group is a critical approach to understanding how people construct
their identity and inequality across scales and locations. The theory-
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