The Mission of the Department of Geography is to provide its students with educational experiences of the highest quality, to conduct vital research that benefits society, and to serve our communities, from the local to the international. We are committed to outstanding teaching and scholarly activities within the framework of academic freedom, the diversity of people and ideas, a spirit of inclusiveness, and a global perspective.<br><br>The Department of Geography will continue to stress both the theoretical and applied realms in all of our degree programs. We will provide a rigorous educational experience through innovative teaching, engagement with the community, and dedication to our undergraduate and graduate students. We will increase our visibility as a research department through faculty scholarship, research grant activities, international collaborations with academic institutions, the recruiting of top students for our graduate programs, the organization of national and international conference and symposia, a robust program of scholarly exchanges, and services in academic and professional organizations.<br><br>The Master of Applied Geography (M.A.Geo.) degree with a major in Geography is designed to prepare geographers to use their skills and background knowledge to solve real-world problems with geographic dimensions. Applied Geography includes such sub-fields as Environmental Management, Geographic Education, GIS, Cartography, Land use Planning, Location Analysis, Land Management, Transportation Systems Planning, Applied Physical Geography, Geographic Aspects of Environmental Law, and Spatial Modeling.