PhD in Environmental Science & Management The Bren School’s PhD program is designed to develop the broad knowledge, analytical powers, technical skills, and creative thinking demanded of leaders in Environmental Science & Management. The program is also designed to accommodate a wide range of research interests, from those highly focused in a particular discipline to strongly interdisciplinary. What distinguishes Bren PhD training from that of a conventional disciplinary department?
The PhD program at Bren is a mentoring program, with each PhD student working closely with one or more Bren professors in his or her area of expertise. Applications to the PhD program require the support of a Bren professor who agrees to be your sponsor. Each new PhD student enters the program with a faculty advisor – in most cases, the particular professor who has agreed to sponsor them. Because of the large number of areas in which a PhD student can specialize, no required core curriculum has been established. The student plans her/his academic program in consultation with the sponsor and, eventually, their PhD committee. All courses offered by the Bren School are open to PhD students. Courses are also available in other departments such as Geography, Earth Science, Economics, Political Science, and Ecology, Evolution & Marine Biology, as well as others. Bren faculty engage in research that crosses traditional boundaries, and students are encouraged to do so as well. While we encourage broadening disciplinary perspectives, we expect that each student will become an expert in one field – whether that field has an interdisciplinary or disciplinary focus. We uphold the traditional requirement that the PhD dissertation be of exceptional quality and represent an original contribution to knowledge. Students who wish to obtain a stronger multidisciplinary background before focusing on one research area should consider enrolling in our MESM program and applying to the PhD program in the second year. A master's degree is not required for admission to the PhD program, although some professors prefer that applicants have a master's. Please see PhD Admissions Requirements for more detail. For more information, please complete our online request form.
Program Details The PhD program requirements are highly individualized, as detailed in the Bren School PhD Guidelines. The PhD is not a unit-count degree but a research degree awarded upon demonstration of academic excellence and performance of original research. PhD students complete an individual program of study determined in consultation with their PhD committee. At the end of the second year but no later than the end of the third year, the PhD committee prepares a written examination that tests the student’s knowledge of his/her specialization in the context of Environmental Science & Management, as well as the candidate's research skills, problem-solving skills, and ability to perform academic work. After passing the written exam, the student prepares a written dissertation proposal, and the PhD committee conducts an oral examination. The oral examination is based on the dissertation proposal, and on the student's readiness to conduct the required research and his/her preparation and aptitude for completing the PhD program. Upon successful completion of the oral examination, the student is eligible to advance to candidacy. Advancement normally occurs in the third year, but must occur no later than the end of the fourth year in the program. For the PhD degree, students must present a dissertation demonstrating the ability to conduct significant, independent, and original research in their major field. Upon completion of the dissertation, a public lecture on the research must be presented, followed by a closed-door defense before the PhD committee. In summary, the guidelines require that PhD students:
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