Graduate Student Manual

I. Introduction

Welcome to the Department of Geography and Anthropology at Louisiana State University. The department has long ranked as one of the nation's premier doctoral departments of geog­raphy and it also offers a highly respected master's degree in anthropology. This volume introduces you to the department, its faculty and facilities, and its various programs leading to undergradu­ate, master's, and doctoral degrees. Perhaps the most important aim of the volume is to set forth the specific requirements for the various graduate degree programs. You will be amply rewarded by a close reading of this document.

Among other things, this handbook is intended to help you understand and meet the requirements of the LSU Graduate School and of this department. Please acquaint yourself with these basic requirements and, more specifically, their sequential order. Nearly every require­ment is matched with a specific form you must complete, have signed for approval, and return to our Office of Graduate Studies.

The Office of Graduate Studies is an extension of the Department of Geography and Anthropology's administrative office and its only purpose is to further the academic careers of our graduate students. Its function is centered on every aspect of your academic progress from your initial inquiry regarding graduate work up to the time when the department certifies that you have met all requirements for your degree. The administration of the graduate program is carried out by the graduate director (who is also a faculty member) with the assistance of the graduate secretary, who is responsible for the day-to-day administration. If you are ever in doubt about any aspect of your academic program, consult your major professor, the graduate director, or the graduate secretary in the department's Office of Graduate Studies. The Office of Graduate Studies is located in 227 Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex. The graduate secretary can help you with most of your requests pertaining to the program. Her office hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

We trust that your experience in the LSU Department of Geography and Anthropology will be an intellec­tually rewarding one. The offices of the department and graduate studies will make every effort in guaranteeing that outcome.

II. A General Description of the Department

Geography offers programs leading to the B.A., B.S., M.S., M.N.S., and Ph.D. degrees in several major divisions of the field—biogeography, climatology, geomorphology, Quaternary studies, cultural geography, historical geography, economic development, urban geography, mapping sciences, and GIS. Area expertise focuses upon the Mississippi Valley, southern U.S., Latin America, China, central Asia and Afghanistan, the Middle East and North Africa. In each division, there are numerous programs of research directed by outstand­ing scholars in the discipline.

Anthropology offers programs leading to the B.A. and M.A. degrees in four major divisions of the field—archaeology, biological, social-cultural, and linguistic anthropology. Area expertise includes Latin America, the U.S. South and Gulf Coast, the Caribbean, and Africa. A faculty of prominent anthropologists offers a variety of research programs within these four fields and regions.

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 in either of the concentrations is typically attained within two years if students attend as full time status.

Requirements for the Ph.D. in geography include a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree or 30 hours beyond the master's degree, 10 hours of which are core courses, two or more advanced seminars, and an external minor or nine credit hours in approved cognate fields (including one seminar). Students must write a dissertation constituting an original contribution to the discipline.
Research Facilities

The department allocates a substantial proportion of its space to research units and laboratories. In physical geography, these include the H.J. Walker and R. Kesel Geomorphology Research Laboratories, the Louisiana Office of State Climatol­ogy, and the Southern Regional Climate Center. The program in mapping sciences includes CADGIS—the Laboratory for Computer-Aided Design and Geographic Informa­tion Systems, the Cartographic Information Center—one of the nation's largest university map libraries, the Car­tographic Section (map production laboratory), and the Computer Mapping Sciences Laboratory.

Anthropology facilities include the Archaeology Laboratory, the Physical Anthropology Lab, the FACES Laboratory (Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services), the DIVA Laboratory (Digital Imaging and Visualization Laboratory) and the Fred B. Kniffen Cultural Resources Labora­tory.

The Coastal Landscapes and Cultures Research Group Laboratory, and the Miles Richardson Research Laboratory are multi-disciplinary laboratories shared by a variety of Geography and Anthropology faculty and students.

The University's Middleton Library houses more than three million volumes along with an extensive collection of microfilm holdings. Hill Memorial Library contains a premier collection of historical manuscripts pertinent to southern history and geography.
Financial Aid

Typically, more than 100 graduate students are registered and each year the department funds over 20 full-time equivalencies in assistantship stipends. The department also nominates outstanding applicants for enhanced assistantships through the Graduate School. The department also nominates students from underrepresented countries and minorities for the Graduate School's Tuition Award program, which offers in-state tuition awards on a competitive basis. Ph.D. students with exceptional qualifications are encouraged to apply for Regents' Fellowships. Outstanding applicants from minority groups are nominated by the graduate director for Huel Perkins Fellowships. In addition, a number of members of the faculty usually have research grants that support additional graduate students. Most students in the graduate program receive some form of financial assistance. Departmental graduate assistantships at the master's level typically average $11,000 for the academic year; doctoral assistantships average $12,000. Students on assistantship receive a full tuition waiver, worth $5,200.60 per the 2013 tuition fee list. Students are normally eligible for four semesters of aid in a master's program and for six semesters during a Ph.D. program.

Tuition and fees vary with course load, but the 2013 costs for a full-time resident graduate student taking 9 credit hours are $2,600.30 per semester. Full-time graduate assistants and fellows are exempted from non-resident tuition premiums, which are $6,543.00 a semester and a full reduction in resident tuition.

The monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment near campus ranges between $600 and $1000. Food and utilities in Baton Rouge are relatively inexpensive on a national scale. Many students inquire about roommates and apartments via craigslist (Baton Rouge) or through postings in surrounding neighborhoods.

The LSU student body consists of approximately 28,000 students enrolled in over a dozen colleges and schools. Graduate students number about 4,800 and about 110 are enrolled in the Department of Geography and Anthropology.

Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana, is located on the Mississippi River 80 miles northwest of New Orleans. Positioned amidst an intriguing variety of cultural and physical landscapes, the ambiance of Baton Rouge's social life, cuisine, and cultural entertainment reflects this diversity. Metropolitan Baton Rouge has a popula­tion of over 600,000 and is served by four major airlines.

LSU, founded in 1855, is the state's oldest public institution of higher education. As Louisiana's only Research I public institution, the University is a center for sophisticated scholarship conducted in over 100 departments, 15 institutes and centers, and 10 colleges. LSU is also a land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant university.

Application for admission and financial support, as well as information about the department and the graduate programs, can be obtained from the address given below. Applicants are judged on the basis of their under­graduate record, letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, and their scores on the General Test (verbal and quantitative) of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) taken within five years of the date of the application. Applications for the fall semester should be submitted by January 25, in order to be considered for an assistantship, although applications submitted by December 1 of the preceding year are encouraged.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to consult informally with members of the graduate faculty and, if possible, visit the campus to meet with faculty and graduate students.
Correspondence

Graduate Program Director • Department of Geography and Anthropology

Louisiana State University • Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4105

Telephone: 225-578-6246 • E-mail: gradsec@lsu.edu