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Geography

Contact | Faculty | Overview | Programs: Collaborative, Degree

Faculty Affiliation

Arts and Science

Degree Programs Offered

Geography – MA, MSc, PhD
Fields:

  • Urban/Economic Geography
  • Physical Geography & Natural Systems
  • Environmental Geography & Resource Management
  • Historical, Social, & Cultural Geography
  • Spatial Information Systems

Planning – MScPl, PhD
MScPl Fields:

  • Urban Planning & Development
  • Environmental Planning
  • Social Planning & Policy
  • Economic Planning & Policy
  • Urban Design

PhD Fields:

  • Cities in Global Context: Economic Development & Social Planning
  • Environmental & Sustainability Planning
  • Urban Development, Design, and the Built Environment

Urban Design Studies – MUDS

Collaborative Programs

The following collaborative programs are available to students in participating degree programs as listed below:

1. Aboriginal Health

  • Geography, MA, MSc, PhD

2. Asia-Pacific Studies

  • Geography, MA, MSc

3. Community Development

  • Community Planning, MScPl

4. Environment and Health

  • Geography, MA, MSc, PhD

5. Environmental Studies

  • Geography, MA, MSc, PhD
  • Planning, MScPl

6. Ethnic and Pluralism Studies

  • Geography, MA, PhD

7. International Relations

  • Geography, MA

8. South Asian Studies

  • Geography, MA, PhD

9. Women and Gender Studies

  • Geography, MA, MSc, PhD

Overview

The Department of Geography, which includes the program in planning, offers facilities for research leading to the degrees of Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MSc), Master of Science in Planning (MScPl) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in either geography or planning. The PhD program prepares students for academic careers in teaching and research. Some may also pursue an advanced planning career in the public or non-profit sectors, given the rising demand outside of academia for people with a PhD credential.

In geography, faculty conduct research in the following areas: geomorphology, climatology, hydrology, biogeography, pedology, environmental assessment and sustainable natural resource management, international development, industrial innovation, urban and economic geography, cultural and historical geography, gender studies, social geography, regional analysis, the history and philosophy of geography, remote sensing, computer cartography, spatial statistics, topics in land/geographic information systems, and quantitative analysis. The territories of special concern are Canada, the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Northwestern and Central Europe, East Asia, South Asia, and the former Soviet Union.

Contact and Address

Web: www.geog.utoronto.ca
E-mail: geograd@geog.utoronto.ca
Telephone: (416) 978-3377
Fax: (416) 946-3886

Department of Geography
University of Toronto
Room 5045, Sidney Smith Hall
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3
Canada

Degree Programs

Geography

Master of Arts/Master of Science

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Appropriate four-year University of Toronto bachelor’s degree, or its equivalent from a recognized university, with a minimum B+ standing in the final two years.
  • Applicants are expected to have completed at least 4.0 full-course equivalents (FCE) in geography or a related field. Applicants lacking the minimum requirements should consider doing qualifying work at the undergraduate level prior to application. Such work should be undertaken in consultation with the graduate coordinator. Applicants who hold an appropriate bachelor's degree but are changing disciplines or require further preparatory work, may be required to complete an additional year of graduate-level course work.
  • Students whose primary language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum TOEFL scores required for admissibility:
  • Paper-based exam: 580 and 5 on the TWE
  • Computer-based exam: 237 and 5 on the essay rating component
  • Internet-based exam: 93/120 and 22/30 on each of the writing and speaking sections.

Program Requirements

  • Two geography programs and various collaborative programs are available; selection is made with the approval of the department. Within most of these programs, students may receive a Master of Science degree if their research contains a substantial physical science component and if two-thirds of their course work comprises Geography courses accepted by the department as physical science courses.
  • Progress into the second session is dependent on achieving an overall B average in the first session and satisfactory progress as outlined in the Graduate Geography Handbook.
  • Programs are usually completed in a 12-month period.
  • Program I – Thesis: Students undertake research leading to the preparation of a thesis, in conjunction with at least the equivalent of 1.5 graduate FCE including any required core courses.
  • Program II - Research Paper: Students will take the equivalent of 3.0 graduate FCE and pursue a research project, normally during the summer, leading to the preparation of a research paper (GGR 1100Y).
  • Environmental Studies Research Paper (Collaborative MA/MSc Program)
    2.5 FCE of which 1.5 FCE must be taken in the Department of Geography (including the core course), and 1.0 at the Centre for Environment (0.5 FCE must be the CFE core course). Students are also required to undergo a three-month internship and to prepare and defend a research paper (GGR 1100Y). The program is normally completed in 12 months. See the Environmental Studies (Collaborative Program) entry in this calendar.
  • Environmental Studies Thesis (Collaborative MA/MSc Program)
    2.0 FCE of which 1.0 FCE must be taken in the Department of Geography and 1.0 FCE at the Centre for Environment. Students are also required to prepare and defend a thesis.

Doctor of Philosophy

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Appropriate University of Toronto master’s degree, or its equivalent from a recognized university, with a minimum A- standing. In exceptional cases and at the discretion of the department, admission to the PhD program may be approved for applicants with an overall A average and appropriate University of Toronto bachelor's degree, or its equivalent from a recognized university.
  • Students whose primary language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum TOEFL scores required for admissibility:
  • Paper-based exam: 580 and 5 on the TWE
  • Computer-based exam: 237 and 5 on the essay rating component
  • Internet-based exam: 93/120 and 22/30 on each of the writing and speaking sections.

Program Requirements

  • The PhD is primarily a research degree. A program of study is designed for each student to ensure competence in a field of research and to facilitate the preparation of a dissertation.
  • Students must:
  • complete a minimum of 2.0 FCE and, depending on the field of specialization, up to an additional 1.0 FCE. A minimum of 0.5 FCE must be, and a maximum of 1.5 FCE may be, taken in other departments. (In exceptional cases, at the discretion of the department, graduate courses completed at the master’s level at the University of Toronto may be counted towards meeting some course requirements. However, all doctoral students must take a minimum of 2.0 FCE with the department after entering the PhD program. Students who enter the PhD program from a bachelor’s degree must complete 1.5 FCE in addition to the doctoral course work requirements. Applicants who hold an appropriate master’s degree but are changing disciplines or require further preparatory work, may be required to complete an additional year of graduate-level course work.)
  • submit a research statement concerning the proposed PhD topic and the scope of the PhD examination by the end of April in Year I
  • pass a PhD examination in the general field in which research is being undertaken by the end of Year I
  • upon the recommendation of their committee, be required to acquire a knowledge of a foreign language necessary for their research
  • submit a research proposal that is acceptable to their research committee by the end of the first session in Year II
  • Unless otherwise specified, two years of residence are required during which the student is required to be on campus full-time and consequently in such geographical proximity as to be able to participate fully in the University activities associated with the program.
  • PhD degree program requirements are fully described in the Graduate Geography Handbook and the department's Web site www.geog.utoronto.ca

Course List

The following graduate courses will be available on demand and subject to faculty resources. Not all courses are given every year, and some members of the graduate faculty are on research leave. Please consult the departmental graduate office. The 2000-level courses are normally open to PhD students only.

GGR 1100Yo Research Paper (Credit/No Credit)
GGR 1102H Contemporary Issues in Geographic Thought
GGR 1110H Issues of Geographic Thought and Practice
GGR 1111H Research Practice in Geography
GGR 1149H Readings in Selected Topics
GGR 2149H Readings in Selected Topics
GGR 2150H,Y Advanced Seminar in Selected Topics

Physical Geography

GGR 1202H Sedimentation and Fluvial Geomorphology
GGR 1203H Coastal Hydrodynamics, Sediment Mechanics and Morphodynamics
GGR 1205H Theoretical Geomorphology
GGR 1206H Sedimentary Models
JGE 1212H Fate of Contaminants in the Environment
GGR 1214H Global Ecology and Biogeochemical Cycles
GGR 1302H Advanced Hydrology and Water Quality
GGR 1304H Landscape Biogeography
GGR 1305H Biogeography
GGR 1306H Measurement and Modelling of Surface Environments
GGR 1308H Process Hydrology
GGR 1310H Climate Modelling
GGR 1311H Atmosphere-Ocean Modelling
GGR 1314H Topics in Physical Oceanography

Environmental and Resource Geography
Incoming students in Environmental and Resource Geography must take GGR 1110H.

JPG 1402H Environment and Development
JPG 1403H Political Ecology of African Environments
JPG 1404H Issues in Global Warming
JPG 1406H Energy Supply and Use
JPG 1410H Institutional and Organizational Ecology
GGR 1412H Strategies for Sustainable Development
JGE 1413H Workshop in Environmental Impact Assessment
JPG 1414H Cities as Ecosystems
JPG 1415H Environmental Justice
JPG 1416H Environmental Consequences of Land Use Change
JPG 1418H Rural Land Use Planning
JPG 1419H Aboriginal/Canadian Relations in Environmental and Resource Management
JGE 1420H Urban Waste Management: an International Perspective
JPG 1421H Health in Urban Environments
JPG 1508H Planning for the Urban Poor in Developing Countries

Urban and Economic Geography
Incoming students in Urban and Economic Geography must take GGR 1110H.

JPG 1501H The Political Economy of Cities
GGR 1504H Health, Place and Difference
JPG 1507H Housing and Housing Policy
JPG 1509H Feminism, Postcoloniality and Development
JPG 1510H Recent Debates on Urban Form
JPG 1512H Place, Politics and the Urban
JPG 1514H The Role of the Planner: Making a Difference
JPG 1554H Transportation and Urban Form
JPG 1556H Transportation Systems Analysis: An Exploration of Concepts, Methods, Applications, and Emerging Issues
JGE 1609H Cities, Industry and the Environment
JPG 1614H Regional Development and Policy
JPG 1615H Planning and Financing the Social Economy
JPG 1616H The Cultural Economy
GGR 1651H Population Analysis: Research Seminar
JPG 1670H Regional Economic Analysis
GGR 1680H Geography of Tourism

Historical, Social, and Cultural Geography
Incoming students in Cultural and Historical Geography must take GGR 1110H.

JPG 1505H The Multicultural City: Diversity, Policy and Planning
JPG 1506H State/Space/Difference: Understanding the New Social Geography of the State
GGR 1700H Seminar in Cultural-Historical Geography
JPG 1702H Historical Urban Geography and Planning
JPG 1710H Historic Preservation Planning
JPG 1713H Place, Design, and Landscape
GGR 1714H Cultural and Critical Geographies
GGR 1801H Social Identities and Space
JPG 1804H Space, Power and Geography: Understanding Spatiality
JPG 1805H Transnationalism, Diaspora and Gender
JPG 1810H Globalization and Postmodernism
JPG 1815H Political Economy, the Body, and Health
Geographical Information Analysis
GGR 1901H Introductory Analytical Methods
GGR 1903H Multivariate Statistical Methods in Geography
GGR 1904H Accuracy of Spatial Databases
JPG 1906H Geographic Information Systems
GGR 1907H Advanced Geographic Information Systems
GGR 1911H Remote Sensing
GGR 1912H Advanced Remote Sensing
GGR 1913H Digital Cartography
JPG 1914H Spatial Information Systems
GGR 1921H Open Source Geographic Information Processing
GGR 1922H Topics in Geographical Information Science

Planning

Master of Science in Planning

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Students are admitted under the general regulations of the School of Graduate Studies.
  • Appropriate four-year University of Toronto bachelor’s degree, or its equivalent from a recognized university, with a minimum standing in the final year of B+ in the social or life sciences, or the humanities, or the professions. Knowledge of introductory economics and statistics, as well as word processing and spreadsheet skills, is preferred prior to entry.

Program Requirements

  • Students normally enrol for two years of full-time study, although part or all of the requirements of the program may be met by part-time study, with the approval of the Program Director.
  • Progress into the second year of the program is normally dependent upon the achievement of an overall B average in the first year. Equivalent provisions apply to the part-time program.
  • Students are required to pursue a planning internship (PLA 4444H) between the first and second year of the program. Part-time students who are currently employed in a planning environment may be exempted from this requirement; however, the Planning Director retains final discretion in the decision.
  • The program consists of 8.0 FCE, taken over 2 years. This includes the required 3.5 FCE core courses. A further 4.5 FCE (exclusive of PLA 4444H) are chosen from the list of electives and from the offerings of other departments, centres, and institutes. At least 2.5 FCE of these electives must fit into an approved specialization in one of the following 5 fields: Urban Planning and Development, Environmental Planning, Social Planning and Policy, Economic Planning and Policy, Urban Design.
  • The requirements for the degree must be completed within six years of first registration in the program.

Doctor of Philosophy

Minimum Admission Requirements

Students are admitted under the general regulations of the School of Graduate Studies, in addition to the following departmental regulations:

  • Appropriate University of Toronto master’s degree in planning or a related field, or its equivalent from a recognized university, with a minimum A- average and demonstrated competence in analytical methods or successful completion of one of two methods courses in the current master’s program.

Program Requirements

  • Successful completion of coursework, a comprehensive examination, a thesis proposal, and a thesis.
  • Students with a master’s degree in planning comparable to the University of Toronto M.Sc. in Planning are required to take 3.0 full-course-equivalents (FCE) of which 1.5 FCE are core courses and 1.5 FCE are electives (at least 0.5 elective FCE must be outside the Planning program). Students who enter with a master’s degree in a related field may be required to take up to an additional 1.0 FCE depending on their background and experience.
  • Normally the PhD program is completed within four years.
  • Visit the Planning Web site www.geog.utoronto.ca for more details.

Course List

All courses are not given every year; some faculty members may be on research leave. Please consult the departmental graduate office for details.

Core Courses for MScPl

PLA 1101H Issues in Planning History, Thought, and Practice
PLA 1102H Urban and Regional Dynamics
PLA 1103H Legal Basis of Planning
PLA 1105H Planning Decision Methods
PLA 1106H Workshop in Planning Practice
PLA 1107Y Current Issues Paper

Core Courses for PhD Planning

JPG 1111H Advanced Research Design
PLA 2000H Advanced Planning Theory
PLA 2001H Planning Colloquium (CR/NCR)

Elective Courses

PLA 1149H Independent Study
PLA 1150H Planning Field Trip Course
JPG 1402H Environment and Development
JPG 1404H Issues in Global Warming
JPG 1406H Energy Supply and Use
JGE 1413H Workshop in Environmental Impact Assessment
JPG 1414H Cities as Ecosystems
JPG 1416H Environmental Consequences of Land Use Change
JPG 1418H Rural Land Use Planning
JPG 1419H Aboriginal/Canadian Relations in Environmental and Resource Management
JGE 1420H Urban Waste Management: an International Perspective
JPG 1421H Health in Urban Environments
JPG 1501H The Political Economy of Cities
PLA 1503H Planning and Social Policy
JPG 1505H The Multicultural City: Diversity, Policy and Planning
JPG 1506H Urban and Regional Social Policy: An International Perspective
JPG 1507H Housing and Housing Policy
JPG 1508H Planning for the Urban Poor in Developing Countries
JPG 1509H Feminism, Postcoloniality and Development
JPG 1510H Recent Debates on Urban Form
JPG 1512H Place, Politics and the Urban
JPG 1514H The Role of the Planner: Making a Difference
PLA 1517H Special Topics in Planning III (Credit/No Credit)
PLA 1551H Policy Analysis
PLA 1552H City Planning and Management
PLA 1553H Urban Transportation Policy Analysis
JPG 1554H Transportation and Urban Form
PLA 1601H Environmental Planning and Policy
JGE 1609H Cities, Industry and the Environment
JPG 1614H Regional Development and Policy
JPG 1615H Planning the Social Economy
PLA 1650H Urban Design: History Theory Criticism
PLA 1651H Planning and Real Estate Development
PLA 1652H Introductory Studio in Urban Design and Planning
PLA 1653Y Advanced Studio in Urban Design and Planning
PLA 1654H Urban Design Research Methods
PLA 1655H Urban Design and Development
JPG 1670H Regional Economic Analysis
JPG 1702H Historical Urban Geography and Planning
JPG 1710H Historic Preservation Planning
JPG 1713H Place, Design, and Landscape
PLA 1751H Public Finance for Planners
JPG 1804H Space, Power and Geography: Understanding Spatiality
JPG 1810H Globalization and Postmodernism
PLA 1904H Law and Planning
JPG 1906H Geographic Information Systems
JPG 1909H Social Survey Methods
JPG 1914H Spatial Information Systems
PLA 4444H Internship (Credit/No Credit) (Designates the internship to be undertaken by master’s students in the Planning Program. It cannot be used to fulfil other course requirements for the degree.)

Urban Design Studies

The MUDS is a one-year professional degree program which provides intensive, advanced education in the principles and practices of urban design. It aims to encourage an understanding of the interdependence of the economic, social, and political forces that shape the character, physical structure, and dynamic properties of cities. The MUDS program coincided with the launch of the Master of Urban Design (MUD) degree program in the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design. Consult the separate calendar entry under Architecture, Landscape, and Design for more details.

Master of Urban Design Studies

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Students are admitted under the general regulations of the School of Graduate Studies.
  • Applicants with prior degrees in a range of disciplines including planning, geography, other social sciences, the design disciplines, business administration, and law are encouraged to apply. Students are admitted via one of three routes:
  • Master’s degree in a professional field such as planning, architecture, landscape architecture, business administration and law, an average of at least B+ in graduate studies is required.
  • Bachelor’s degree (four or five year) in planning, architecture, or landscape architecture, with a strong design orientation; an average of at least B+ (or upper second class) in the final year is required.
  • Bachelor’s degree (four or five year) in any discipline plus evidence of significant professional experience (normally at least five years) in an area related to Urban Design and Planning are required to have attained at least a B+ average in their final year.

Program Requirements

  • 4.0 full-course-equivalents (FCE). Students entering with significant prior design workshop/studio experience (as determined by the admissions committee) must complete a core program of 2.5 FCE plus a further 1.5 FCE chosen from electives given within the Program in Planning; the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design; and from the offerings of other graduate units. Students without significant prior design workshop/studio experience must complete the above core program and PLA 1652H, plus a further 1.0 elective FCE.
  • Degree requirements will normally be completed within one academic year and must be completed within four years of first registration in the program.
  • The MUDS program may be taken on a part-time basis. The maximum time for completion of the degree requirements is four years from first registration in the program. Part-time students are expected to participate in the same class meetings as full-time students.

Course List

Core Courses

The core program is composed of five half-course equivalents (six half-course equivalents for those entering the program without significant prior design workshop/studio experience) that encompass the practical, theoretical, and methodological aspects of urban design.

Course sequence for the core program:

First Session

PLA 1650H/URD 1031H Urban Design: History Theory Criticism

or

JPG 1713H Place, Design and Landscape

PLA 1654H Urban Design Research Methods
PLA 1652H Introductory Studio in Urban Design and Planning (students without significant design workshop/studio experience must take PLA 1652H)

Plus one half-course elective, or two half-course electives if the student is exempted from PLA 1652H

Second Session

PLA 1653Y Advanced Workshop in Urban Design
PLA 1655H Urban Design and Development
Plus one half-course elective

Electives
Elective courses may be chosen from the following:

PLA 1554H Transportation and Urban Form
PLA 1651H Planning and Real Estate Development
JPG 1501H The Political Economy of Cities
JPG 1510H Recent Debates on Urban Form
JPG 1512H Place, Politics and the Urban
JPG 1702H Historical Urban Geography and Planning
JPG 1710H Historic Preservation Planning
JPG 1713H Place, Design and Landscape
JPG 1804H Space, Power and Geography: Understanding Spatiality
JPG 1914H Spatial Information Systems
URD 1012H Urban Design Studio Options
URD 1021H Urban Design Computation
URD 1032H Urban Design in the History of the Post-Industrial World
URD 1033H The City and the Text

MUDS students may also select other electives, subject to the approval of the Director, Program in Planning, and the Coordinator of the MUDS program. Courses with a URD designation are offered through the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design.

o Courses which may continue over a program. The course is graded when completed. 

Graduate Faculty

Full Members

Amrhein, Carl - BSc, PhD
Archontitsis, Georgios - BSc, MSc, DSCA
Basiliko, Nathan - PhD
Boland, Alana - BA, MA, PhD
Branfireun, Brian - BA, MSc, PhD
Buliung, Ronald - MA, PhD
Bunce, Michael - BA, PhD
Chen, Jing - BSc, PhD
Conway, Tenley - BS, MS, PhD
Cowen, Deborah - BA, MCP, PhD
Cowling, Sharon - BSc, MSc, PhD
Daniere, Amrita - AB, PhD
Davis, Anthony - BA, MA, PhD
Desloges, Joseph - BES, MSc, PhD
Desrochers, Pierre - AB, MA, PhD
Diamond, Miriam - MSc, MSc, PhD
DiFrancesco, Richard - PhD
Farish, Matthew - BA, PhD
Finkelstein, Sarah - AB, MPH, PhD
Florida, Richard - BA, PhD
Gertler, Meric - AB, MCP, PhD
Gilbert, Emily - PhD
Goonewardena, Kanishka - BSc, MCP, PhD
Gough, William - BSc, MSc, PhD
Hackworth, Jason - BA, MA, MCP, PhD
Harvey, Leslie - BSc, MSc, PhD
Hess, Paul - BA, MA, PhD
Hunter, Mark - BA, MSS, PhD
Kepe, Thembela - MS, PhD
Leslie, Deborah - BA, MA, PhD
Lewis, Robert - BA, MA, PhD
MacDonald, Ken - BA, MA, PhD
Maclaren, Virginia - BA, MRP, MSc, PhD
Mahtani, Minelle - BA, PhD
Malcolm, Jay - BSc, MSc, PhD
McGregor, Deborah - BSc, MES, PhD
Miron, John - BA, MA, MSc, PhD
Munro, D Scott - BSc, MSc, PhD
Price, Anthony - BSc, MSc, PhD
Prudham, Scott - BASc, BA, MA, PhD
Rankin, Katharine - BA, MA, PhD (Director, Program in Planning)
Relph, Edward - BA, MPH, PhD
Robinson, Vincent - BSc, MSc, PhD
Ruddick, Susan - PhD
Silvey, Rachel - BA, MA, PhD
Simpson, Myrna - BS, DPhil
Sorensen, Andre - BFA, MSc, PhD
Wakefield, Sarah - BA, MA, PhD
Walks, Alan - BA, MA, PhD
Wells, Mathew - BS, DPhil
White, Rodney - BA, MSc, PhD
Wilson, Kathleen - AB, AM, PhD

Members Emeriti

Bourne, Larry - BA, MA, PhD
Britton, John - BA, MA, PhD
Dean, William - BA, MA, PhD
Gad, Gunter - DPhil, PhD
Galloway, John - BA, MA, PhD
Greenwood, Brian - BSc, PhD
Jaakson, Reiner - BA, MSc, PhD
Kerr, P Donald - BA, MA, PhD
Lemon, James - BA, BD, MS, PhD
Roweis, Shoukry - MSc, PhD
Simmons, James - BSc, MA, PhD
Whitney, Joseph - BA, PhD

Associate Members

Boyes, Donald - BS, MA, PhD
Brail, Shauna - BA, MA, PhD
Feldman, Maryann - BA, MS, PhD
Grima, Angelo - BA, MA, PhD
Labatt, Sonia - BA, MA, PhD
Mitchell, Carl - PhD
Murck, Barbara - AB, PhD
Poland, Blake - BA, PhD

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