The Department of Geography offers students pursuing a master’s degree in geography the opportunity of specializing in Transportation and Business Geographics.  Dominant themes of study, research, and inquiry in this specialization include:

• Relationships between the organization of the space economy and transportation;
  
  
• Freight and passenger transportation systems;
  
  
• Flow of people, commodities, information, and ideas at different scales of observation --from the small picture (urban transportation) to the global picture (international transportation);
  
  
• Mobility and accessibility issues in every day life and in the economy;
  
  
• Optimal routing and facility location;
  
  
• Transportation infrastructure, efficiency, and safety;
  
  
• The transportation-land use link;
  
  
• Transportation logistics, distribution, and business location;
  
  
• Spatial information technologies and location-based services;
  
  
• Activities and travel in a city environment;
  
  
• Transportation planning and policies; and
  
  
• Transportation systems and sustainability.
  
  

The purpose of this degree specialization is to increase students’ understanding of the use of transportation systems in contemporary societies and of their impact in structuring the geographic space of cities, regions, and the world at large.  This specialization teaches students an understanding of public policies as they relate to transportation.  It also aims to enhance students’ knowledge of theories, techniques, and models of transportation analysis and business geographics used by practitioners in the public and private sector of the economy.

Students are trained for positions with government agencies at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as with transportation service providers (carriers, freight forwarders, logistics managers, etc.), facility location planners (real estate companies, business location consultants, etc.), and GIS service providers.

Students are able to earn an MA degree in Geography with an advanced certificate in Transportation / Business Geographics after completing 30 credits and assembling a competency portfolio. They should expect to devote one year of full-time study to the program.

Required Core Courses

Elective Courses

Internships with private and public organizations are also available to students.

Content of the Competency Portfolio

Students selecting the “competency portfolio” option will be required to compile a set of materials that summarizes and displays his or her knowledge, skills, and problem-solving capabilities in transportation analysis and business geographics.  The “competency portfolio” option assesses the student’s competence along several facets of transportation analysis and business geographics.  This option also emphasizes the student’s ability to handle, analyze, and report on geo-spatial transportation and business data within the confines of a project, as both technical and project management skills are typically required for professional employment in this field.  The portfolio itself may even serve eventually as part of a student’s application package when he or she is seeking professional employment.  The portfolio option also maintains a strong research component because the student must develop research projects and write research papers in selected transportation/business geographics courses.  This work will provide the student with the necessary research experience and allow the student to develop a balanced intellectual growth both in practical skills and in critical thinking.

The portfolio should contain the following items:

1. A resume and a short summary (2 pages) of the student’s interests, professional and academic experiences, and career goals.

2. A primary research paper (15 pages or more) on a topic of transportation analysis or business geographics. The paper should include the basic elements of a research paper such as introduction, literature review, analysis, results and discussion, and conclusions.

3. An original application study of transportation analysis or business geographics at the local, regional or national scale. The case study will include the collection of primary or secondary data, their management and storage in a suitable spatial database environment, statistical and/or GIS analysis, spatial and/or graphic illustrations, and the necessary textual explanation. This application study may be coupled with the research paper mentioned above.

The “competency portfolio” option is particularly attractive to students who can complete their degree in 12 to 15 months, while acquiring the practical experience required in business geographics and transportation analyst positions. 

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
  
• Good GRE and TOEFL scores
  
• Three letters of reference.
  

Core Transportation / Business Geographics Faculty

Irene Casas, Assistant Professor, icasas@buffalo.edu

Barry Lentnek, Professor, geobl@buffalo.edu

Peter Rogerson, Professor, rogerson@buffalo.edu

Narushige Shiode, Assistant Professor, nshiode@buffalo.edu

Jean-Claude Thill, Professor and Coordinator of the Transportation and Business Geographics Program, jcthill@buffalo.edu