Geography & GIS Graduate Handbook for AY 2023-24

Independent Study Registration

GGIS 590 Independent Study Webform

Please work with your faculty advisor to complete this webform each semester you intend to complete independent research, literature review, or a special project. Remember to forward a copy of the webform email confirmation to your faculty supervisor.

GEOG 599 - Thesis Research can be taken after passing your preliminary exam and credits are deferred (DFR) until you deposit your thesis. Each faculty advisor has their own CRN for GGIS 599, which are listed in Student Self-Service by advisor's initials. There is no registration webform for GEOG 599.

PSM students: GGIS 598 - Capstone registration

Departmental Qualifying Exam Forms

Students: Qualifying Exam Request
Faculty Advisors: Qualifying Exam Result

Preliminary Exam

PhD students must request their Preliminary Exam committee appointment directly from the Graduate College, at least three (3) weeks before their intended exam date.

As of Fall 2023, the Graduate College expects PhD students to pass the preliminary exam within the following timeframes:

Entering with Bachelor's Degree:
Pass prelim within 5 years and graduate within 7 years.

Entering with Master's Degree:

Pass prelimi within 4 years and graduate within 6 years.
 

Annual Progress Review for GGIS Graduate Students

According to Graduate College policy, our department will conduct annual reviews of all currently enrolled graduate students to evaluate progress and identify pathways for professional success. The philosophy of the program reflects the following quote: "Research suggests that formal annual evaluations tend to increase the numbers of students who complete, and are therefore preferable to sporadic and informal reviews. Some form of progress tracking, annually or each semester, allows the student and supervisor to meet and establish objectives for the year. This ensures that both the students and the advisers be held accountable for timely progress and for constructive feedback."

The student and faculty advisor will submit their annual evaluations every spring term via the ATLAS web portal: my.atlas.illinois.edu
 

Computer Policy

The Department of Geography & GIS does not provide graduate students with personal computers; however, graduate students can use the computer and connect to the shared printer in Room 2048 NHB. Computer hardware and software requirements for graduate research and coursework vary greatly across the discipline and by faculty advisors. Some faculty members may provide their advisees with computing resources. Please speak with your faculty advisor(s) about computing needs for your research. Students are not permitted to borrow or retrieve computer hardware from University Surplus.

SESE-GIS is a Windows Remote Desktop Host maintained by the School of Earth, Society, and Environment (SESE) IT group. All Geography & GIS faculty and graduate students are automatically eligible for an account on this machine, which can host large data sets and provides computational power and remote access to Windows software (MATLAB, ArcGIS, etc.). Please email help@earth.illinois.edu for more information.

Graduate students may keep personally-owned computers in their departmental office, but in general these personal computers will not be maintained or supported by our IT staff. These personal computers also are required to have up-to-date antivirus software and be compatible with existing university-wide computer networks. Computers with improperly licensed software are not permitted or supported. The department or university cannot be held responsible for any personal items.

School of Earth, Society & Environment (SESE) Business Office

• Staff listing
• Travel & Reimbursements
• SESE Travel Pre-Approval webform

UIUC Graduate College forms & resources

• Graduate College Forms including Late Course Change, In Absentia registration, credit/no credit, etc.
   
• Graduate College Handbook
   
• Degree Audit (uAchieve) Run this report to check on progress toward your degree.
   
• Petition Portal to request program extensions, course overloads, and other policy exceptions
   
• Graduate College Academic Calendar
   
• External Fellowship Finder
   
• Auditor's Permit (PDF)

Office of Student Health Insurance

• Dental & Vision coverage information.

• Summer health coverage information

The Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning (CITL)
Helpful information on teaching certifications, teaching workshops, early feedback forms, List of Teachers Ranked Excellent, and ICES Longitudinal Profile Requests.

Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship
FLAS Fellowships support graduate and undergraduate study in modern foreign languages in combination with area studies, international studies, or international or area aspects of professional studies. Funding for these fellowships is provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Title VI Program.