Departmental Unit № 1
Department of Geography (College of Arts and Sciences)
PhD in Geography
100% Full Funding Guaranteed (5 Years)
Funding Package: Full tuition waiver + 9-to-12 month living stipend (~$26,000–$32,000/yr) + comprehensive health insurance guaranteed through Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA) and Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA).
Fall Priority Deadline: January 1 (Fall Admission)
GRE Policy: Not required / Waived
English Minimums: TOEFL iBT 80 minimum or IELTS 6.0 minimum
MS in Geography (Funded Thesis Track)
100% Full Funding on Thesis Track!
Funding Reality: Texas A&M Geography explicitly funds admitted MS thesis students as Graduate Teaching Assistants in GIS and physical geography! One of the premier funded Master's destinations in the US.
Application Deadline: January 1
Admissions Advisory: If full funding is required and MS is self-funded, students are strongly advised to apply directly to the PhD track.
Vetted Matched Scholars (2 Profiles)
Prof. Inci Guneralp
Associate Professor of Geography
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
She uses river sonars and computer fluid models to study how winding rivers carve through floodplains and where flooding waters break through riverbanks during major storms.
Core Research Topics: Fluvial geomorphology, meandering river dynamics, flood hydraulics, hydrodynamic river modeling, remote sensing of floodplains.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: Investigates river channel morphodynamics, floodplain sedimentation, and how extreme floods reshape winding river bends using 2D hydrodynamic flow models, acoustic river velocimeters, and multi-temporal satellite imagery.
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: 2D hydrodynamic river models, Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP), GIS spatial terrain processing, satellite remote sensing, Python.
Recruiting Context: Core faculty in physical geography and fluvial geomorphology. Ideal match for candidate's geography and flood modeling interests.
Candidate Match:
Flood ModelingHydrologyRemote SensingGISGeography
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Discussing your background in GIS spatial analysis and flood hydrology, presenting your interest in her fluvial geomorphology and hydrodynamic river modeling research."
Prof. Anthony Filippi
Associate Professor of Geography
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
He uses specialized satellite cameras to read the color of muddy floodwaters from orbit, measuring water pollution, suspended dirt, and algae blooms from space.
Core Research Topics: Environmental remote sensing, imaging spectroscopy, radiative transfer modeling, aquatic optics, water quality remote sensing, coastal wetlands.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: Specializes in imaging spectrometry and optical remote sensing of turbid coastal waters, algal blooms, and wetland vegetation, modeling how sunlight reflects off sediment-laden floodwaters.
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: Imaging spectroscopy, radiative transfer models (HydroLight), hyperspectral sensors, Google Earth Engine, GIS spatial statistics.
Recruiting Context: Leader in aquatic and environmental remote sensing at Texas A&M.
Candidate Match:
Remote SensingGISWater QualityGeography
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Connecting your GIS and remote sensing coursework with his research in imaging spectrometry and optical water quality remote sensing."
Departmental Unit № 2
Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Water Resources Division)
PhD in Civil Engineering (Water Resources)
100% Full Funding Guaranteed (5 Years)
Funding Package: Tuition waiver + 12-month stipend (~$32,000–$36,000/yr) + health insurance.
Fall Priority Deadline: December 15
GRE Policy: Not required
English Minimums: TOEFL iBT 80 or IELTS 6.0
MS in Civil Engineering (Thesis Option)
Funded on Research Track via RA
Funding Reality: Thesis MS students frequently funded on faculty grants.
Application Deadline: December 15
Admissions Advisory: If full funding is required and MS is self-funded, students are strongly advised to apply directly to the PhD track.
Vetted Matched Scholars (1 Profiles)
Prof. Huilin Gao
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
She uses NASA satellites to measure the exact water volume inside thousands of man-made reservoirs around the globe, showing when cities are dangerously close to running out of water.
Core Research Topics: Satellite remote sensing of reservoirs, global surface water storage, macroscale hydrologic modeling (VIC), drought and flood monitoring.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: Directs the Satellite Hydrology Laboratory at Texas A&M. Uses NASA SWOT, Landsat, and radar altimetry satellites to build global databases tracking water storage variations in thousands of reservoirs worldwide.
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: Satellite radar altimetry, optical remote sensing (Sentinel, Landsat), VIC macroscale hydrologic model, Python/MATLAB spatial scripting.
Recruiting Context: Leader in satellite hydrology with continuous NASA and NSF grant support.
Candidate Match:
Remote SensingHydrologyFlood ModelingGISPython
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Discussing your background in remote sensing and hydrological modeling, expressing enthusiasm for her satellite observation of global reservoir water storage and hydrological extremes."