Departmental Unit № 1
Department of Geography (College of Arts and Sciences)
PhD in Geography
100% Full Funding Guaranteed (5 Years)
Funding Package: Full tuition fee remission + 9-to-12 month living stipend (~$24,000–$28,000/yr) + health insurance guaranteed through Student Academic Appointments (SAA/GTA).
Fall Priority Deadline: January 15 (Fall Admission)
GRE Policy: Not required / Waived
English Minimums: TOEFL iBT 79 minimum or IELTS 6.5 minimum
MS in Geography (Thesis Track)
100% Full Funding on Thesis Track!
Funding Reality: IU Geography routinely awards full fee remissions and GTA stipends to admitted MS thesis students! Excellent funded Master's target.
Application Deadline: January 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. Darren L. Ficklin
Professor of Geography
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
He uses computer watershed models to calculate how hot and shallow rivers will become during future heatwaves, predicting where fish and freshwater ecosystems will die.
Core Research Topics: Hydroclimatology, stream temperature modeling, watershed hydrology (SWAT), climate change impacts on aquatic ecosystems, flood and drought frequency.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: Leads the Ficklin Hydroclimatology Lab. Uses SWAT watershed modeling and machine learning to project how changing streamflows and rising river water temperatures across North America threaten freshwater fish habitats and water supplies.
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: SWAT hydrologic model, stream temperature models, machine learning (random forest, LSTM), GIS spatial catchment processing, Python/R.
Recruiting Context: Core faculty in physical geography and hydroclimatology. Direct match for candidate's geography and hydrology background.
Candidate Match:
HydrologyFlood ModelingWater QualityGISPython
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Connecting your GIS spatial analysis and hydrology coursework with his SWAT watershed modeling and hydroclimatic streamflow research in the Ficklin Lab."