Postgraduate studies in North American and British geography: a comparative review

Abstract

Although the challenges facing geography postgraduates have been receiving increasing attention of late, British academics have largely neglected to examine the North American education system where a number of procedures are in operation which may be of benefit to Britain. This paper compares the aims, structure and methods of postgraduate training in Britain, Canada and the United States and discusses some common problems confronting students. It is suggested that the introduction of some course work and the wider adoption of supervisory committees might smooth the abrupt transition from undergraduate to postgraduate life in Britain, and aid in improving completion rates without sacrificing the quality of Ph.D.s produced.

Graduate Education in U.S. Geography: Students’ Career Aspirations and Faculty Perspectives

“…Further, national or comparative studies of any aspects of master's and doctoral education in geography or of related issues such as "employability" are sparse (Nowell 1988;Verhoeff 1998;Rooney et al 2006;McEwen et al 2008;Mistry, White, and Berardi 2009;Henneman and Liefner 2010). A detailed study of the situation in one country like the United States thus seems needed before cross-national comparisons are attempted.…”