Geography and Sustainability (Accelerated MA)

Program Availability

The Geography and Sustainability Accelerated Master’s is a traditional, on-campus program offered on the Indiana State University campus in Terre Haute, Indiana. The program is open to eligible U.S. and international undergraduate students enrolled in bachelor’s degrees at Indiana State University.

Why Choose the Geography and Sustainability Accelerated Master’s Program at Indiana State?

If your education and career goals include earning a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, the Geography and Sustainability Accelerated Master’s program is an ideal pathway that can save you time and money.

Go Further Faster

As a student completing a bachelor’s degree at Indiana State University, you may be eligible to participate in the Geography and Sustainability Accelerated Master’s (4+1) program. This degree option enables you to combine undergraduate and graduate courses and to begin your master’s during your senior year of undergraduate study. This dual enrollment pathway enables you to complete your Master of Arts (MA) in Geography and Sustainability one year after completing your bachelor’s degree. The program includes a thesis.

It is important to contact an academic advisor early in your studies to determine your eligibility, discuss program and GPA requirements, and plan your program of study.

Alumni Mentor Program

Networking and connecting with alumni who have similar interests is a key tool for success. The advice and interaction that our Alumni Mentor Program offers will help you prepare for job searches and a successful career. As a graduate student, we strongly encourage you to take advantage of this program.

Learn from Our Excellent Faculty

You will benefit from small class sizes that enable you to work one-on-one with faculty who have teaching and research experience covering a broad range of environmental and geoscience topics. Faculty will work closely with you to help you achieve your research and learning goals.

Research facilities include laboratories for: remote sensing/GIS, climatology, urban environment and sustainability, environmental geology, biogeochemistry, geomorphology, biogeography, spatial analysis, paleoceanography, marine science, micropaleontology, sedimentary petrology, dendrochronology, geoarchaeology, archaeology, and bioanthropology.

What You’ll Learn in the Geography and Sustainability Program

The Geography and Sustainability Accelerated MA is a flexible, interdisciplinary program that offers excellent opportunities to develop professional skills in spatial analysis, geography, and sustainability. The program combines exciting interdisciplinary courses and research options with hands-on learning in the field and the lab.

Research focuses on an applied, interdisciplinary approach in areas including environmental geology, geochemistry, geoarchaeology, biogeochemistry, oceanography, geomorphology, climatology, paleoclimatology, paleoecology, paleoceanography, dendrochronology, biogeography, paleolimnology, and geobiology. Courses are also offered in the more traditional areas of stratigraphy, petrology, geohydrology, volcanology, economic geology, remote sensing/GIS, and physical geography.

Further Information

Geography & Sustainability (Accelerated M.A.) 

Career Possibilities for Geography and Sustainability Graduates

The Geography and Sustainability Accelerated MA provides the strong background needed to pursue careers with government and private geoscience agencies or to continue graduate studies at the doctoral level.

Our graduates are extremely successful in securing university-level academic positions as well as influential, well-paid, decision-making positions with the U.S. Geological Survey; NASA; Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Department of Agriculture; CIA, ESRI, Inc.; ERDAS, Inc.; British Geological Survey; Indiana Geological Survey; Indiana Department of Environmental Management; Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and various environmental firms.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of geoscientists is projected to grow 5% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the average for all occupations. The median annual wage was $87,480 in May 2022.

Employment of environmental scientists and specialists is projected to grow 6%, with a median annual wage of $76,480 in May 2022. Employment of geographers is projected to remain steady from 2022 to 2032. The median annual wage was $88,900 in May 2022.

Accreditation

Indiana State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.