Graduate Program

Graduate Advisor:  Dr. Kory Konsoer

Graduate Manual

*Applications for 2024 are now open.  Application Deadlines

• To be considered for Departmental Teaching/Graduate Assistantships, please apply by January 25 of each year.
• Research Assistantships are dependent upon faculty and deadlines can vary depending on funding availability. Email faculty with similar interests about potential opportunities. 

Required Application Materials:

• Statement of Purpose
  • We highly encourage applicants to reach out to a faculty member they are interested in working with. Details about faculty members with contact information can be found here. Please list the faculty member(s) in your statement of purpose. 
  • It is not expected that you will have a specific research idea in mind; however, we encourage you to explain the reasons why you wish to attend LSU, along with your general research interests. Specific research ideas are also welcome. 
• All Transcripts
• 3 letters of recommendation
• An applicant whose native language is not English and/or who has been educated outside of the U.S. in a country or province where English is not the only official language must demonstrate proof of English proficiency by submitting either a TOEFL, an IELTS, or PTE score before the application is evaluated for admission. Depending on the country, and any imposed sanctions, international applicants are able to take the TOEFL iBT Home Edition exam.  

The Department of Geography and Anthropology does not require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as part of your application package (as of January 2023).

We believe in letting every applicant showcase their academic and research success in whatever form that may take, such as research projects, competitions, exams, awards, experiences, etc. If an applicant feels the GRE provides key information not evident from other aspects of their application, they are welcome to submit official scores. We do not use GRE cutoffs or other quantitative rankings. We consider any submitted test scores as one aspect of academic achievement, and we take a holistic approach to evaluating any application received.

Degree Requirements

Requirements for the M.S. degree in geography and M.A. in anthropology include a minimum of 30 credit hours, including 6 credits for a thesis. A master’s degree is typically attained within two years if students attend as full time status.

• Summary of Geography Master's course requirements
• Summary of Anthropology Master's course requirements

Requirements for the Ph.D. in Geography and Ph.D. in Anthropology include a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree or 30 hours beyond the master’s degree. Students at minimum take Intro to Grad Studies, Research Methods, a 7000 level seminar, a 7000 level course, a 4000 or 7000 level course, and 9 hours of dissertation research; and student must select either an external minor or nine credit hours in approved cognate fields (including 7000 level seminar).

• Summary of Geography Ph.D. course requirements
• Summary of Anthropology Ph.D. course requirements

Accelerated Master's Program

The accelerated master’s program is open to superior undergraduate students who have completed at least 60 semester hours of credit (including AP credit) with a grade point average of at least 3.5 for all work taken at LSU.

Acceptance into the accelerated program requires approval from the following: (1) chair of the undergraduate department in which the student is enrolled; (2) dean of the college in which the student is enrolled; (3) chair of the department or the coordinator of the interdisciplinary program in which the student proposes to work toward the master’s degree; and (4) Dean of the Graduate School.

This form, found here, must be submitted to The Graduate School no later than the last day to add courses for the semester in which graduate credit is requested and student’s last semester of enrollment as an undergraduate. 

External Minor or Cognate Field

Departmental policy requires either an external minor or nine hours in approved cognate courses for the completion of the doctoral degree. The cognate courses or minor must be listed on the student’s program of study.

Requirements for a graduate minor are determined by the department issuing the minor (for example History, French Studies, Geology) and not by Geography & Anthropology. Students pursuing an external minor must have one member from the minor department on their committee. Geography PhD students may pursue a minor in Anthropology and vice versa. 

The cognate field requirement is composed of a suite of courses—nine hours in cognate fields outside of the primary degree field (for example, either outside of Geography for the Geography PhD or outside of Anthropology for the Anthropology PhD)  —of which at least three credit hours should be in an upper-level seminar (usually 7000-level). The courses need not be within a single discipline.   The development of the cognate field may be quite flexible, and the specific suite of courses is developed by the student in consultation with the major professor and advisory committee.  The cognate field may include traditional disciplines and emerging interdisciplinary fields, including, for example Oceanography, Geology, History, Atlantic Studies, Disaster Science Management (DSM), Anthropology, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Performance Studies).   Students pursuing the Geography degree may select Anthropology as their cognate and vice-versa.

Funding of Graduate Students

G&A currently funds approximately 20 students through departmental teaching assistantships.  The department has a deadline of January 25 for applicants to be considered for departmental funding for the fall.  All applicants who express interest in funding and submit complete applications by the deadline will be considered for funding. We seek highly qualified students who will contribute to expanding the diversity of the disciplines of Geography and Anthropology. Additional graduate assistantships are funded through research grants by the NSF, NOAA, BOEM EDA, and others. Please reach out to faculty directly to inquire about this type of funding. Others are funded by allied units within the university.

Huel Perkins Fellowships support recruitment of highly qualified Ph.D. students from communities underrepresented in their field.

The Pruitt Fellowship supports the advancement of women in the Master’s and Ph.D. programs.

The Robert C West and R J Russell Grad Student Awards support graduate students research (travel) on a competitive basis with grant competitions twice a year.

Graduate Placement

Our Ph.D. graduates are now working in top Ph.D. granting departments in the country. Others work in public service, the private sector, and the NGO/non-profit sector, including USGS, EPA, DEQ, FEMA, FBI, NPS, LDFR, Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, and LA Governor¹s Office. 

Graduate Office

If you have any questions regarding curriculum, coursework or other particular aspects of our MS, MA, or PhD programs, please contact the Graduate Advisor, Dr. Kory Konsoer. If you have questions about the application process, please contact the Graduate Coordinator, Mrs. Camille Dupuis by email or phone at 225-578-6792.  In addition, students are invited to reach out to any faculty member regarding classes and specialties.