Geography Masters - Program Fit Versus Professor's Research?

[mrs12]

Hi,

As an area studies major with a bit of geography background I am considering doing a Geography program for grad school. I'm having a lot of trouble finding the right program, though. I was wondering if I'm planning on a Masters and not a Phd if you should look more at general program fit/course focuses or should you still decide based on professor's research being similar or connected to your own research interest(s)? I'm not interested in completing a Phd, or going on to one after a Masters, but outside of the field I can't tell how important it is to fall in line with professor's research at this level of schooling. 

[rising_star]

It depends on whether or not you plan to do a thesis as part of your master's degree. If you want to do research, then having an advisor who is connected to your research interests is incredibly important for a master's degree.

[GradSchoolTruther]

You also don't need to be a clone of your professor. The advisor needs to have a solid understanding of the sub-field, but research focus may vary.