Doctoral program in Geography

Program Description

The Doctoral Program in Geography was created in 2012, positioning itself as the first Doctoral Program in Chile in this subject. It aims to train professionals of high academic level and with great critical capacity, able to make a contribution in today’s society, both in the public and private sector, through research, understanding, and solution of critical problems in contemporary society, which are related to the environment in which they are inserted.

Years of Accreditation

Seven years. Up to August 2026

Program Objectives

The objective of the Doctorate Program in Geography is to train researchers and teachers, to work in university and equivalent institutions; as well as professionals of high academic level and with critical capacity, who manage to be a contribution to today’s society, both in the public and private sectors, through research, understanding, and solution of crucial problems that are related to a human occupation on the earth’s surface.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the program can demonstrate their ability as:

high-level researchers, creating actual knowledge that contributes to the advancement of undergraduate and graduate studies in the discipline, broadening and strengthening their competencies to transmit knowledge in the geographic field in higher education.
Scientists in public or private research organizations contributing with proposals for solutions to conflicts arising from the human use of the earth’s surface.

Likewise, the program seeks to enhance the ability to lead multidisciplinary work teams in Chile and abroad. As agents for the inclusion of geographic knowledge in the scientific debate, becoming a qualitative contribution to the search for solutions to the use of the territory by the society.

Research Areas

Rural and urban geography: metropolization, production of space, and peri-urbanization.

Historical geography: space, culture, and society.

Geomorphology, coastal space management, and natural hazards.

Paleoclimate and paleoecology of the Quaternary.

Application Requirements

Photocopy of both sides of national identity card and/or passport.
Three passport or passport size photographs.
Legalized photocopy of degrees and/or degree certificates.
Curriculum vitae in full, describing in detail their participation in research activities.
Certificate of academic degree in Geography, or in other areas that are homologous to the requirements of the discipline (in the area of Earth Sciences or Social Sciences), awarded by a national or foreign university.
If applicable, a Master’s degree certificate in Geography or related areas, granted by a national or foreign university.
Letter of intent stating the areas of research interest about the Doctoral Program, possible areas of work for the thesis, and previous experience. This letter must be addressed to the doctoral committee of the Program.
Certificate of compliance with the minimum requirements of English language proficiency.
Three letters of recommendation from academics with a doctoral degree in Geographic Science, Earth Sciences, or Social Sciences, in which the intellectual value and suitability of the candidates are described.
Presentation of a written work, previously graded during their previous studies, which in their opinion is the best exponent of their abilities as researchers. This work may be a chapter of their Bachelor’s, Master’s, or another thesis, whose length does not exceed twenty pages.
Certificate or official letter from the university of origin stating the place occupied (ranking), according to grades, in their graduation cohort and the number of students that made up that cohort in the last five years.
Academic transcript of grades of the courses passed and failed by the applicants during their undergraduate studies.
Online application form.

Graduation Requirements

To have passed the study plan.
To have the research and original text of the thesis approved by the thesis committee.

Head of the program

Camilo Del Río López

Doctor in Natural Sciencies in Heidelberg University, Germany. He also holds a degree in geography from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. His research interests include
the climate and meteorology of fog, the interaction between fog and ecosystems, fog as a wáter resource, satellite remote sensing, eomatics, modeling, and spatial analysis. He is
also the director of the UC Atacama Desert Center.

Contact Form

Degree

Doctor in Geography

Duration

8 semesters

Application dates

28/07/2025 - 30/09/2025

Classes start

March 2026

Modality

On-Campus

Tuition

$5.290.000 (annually)

Doctoral program in Geography

Program Description

Years of Accreditation

Program Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Research Areas

Application Requirements

Graduation Requirements

Head of the program

Camilo Del Río López

Contact Form

Unidades académicas

Faculty of History, Geography and Political Science

Academic List

For further information, please visit the website for this Doctoral Program