Welcome to the Admissions page for Ph.D. Applicants

This page includes information on faculty sponsorship requirements, undergraduate/graduate preparation, UCSB requirements, deadlines, and application procedures.

If you have questions or need more information on the Ph.D. application process, please contact the Graduate Program Assistant.

Click here for Fall 2008 Information Sessions and Open House

Faculty Sponsorship

The Ph.D. program at the Bren School is a mentoring program, such that each Ph.D. student works closely with at least one Bren professor in his or her area of expertise.

Acceptance into the Ph.D. program requires the support of a Bren professor who agrees to be your sponsor.*

We strongly recommend that you contact faculty member(s) who are aligned with your research interests to discuss with them your research ideas prior to applying to the Bren School. Before contacting faculty, please refer to the their web pages for instructions on how they prefer to be contacted. Click here for a list of the Bren faculty web pages.

Generally, faculty will not decide if they are interested in taking you on as a student until they have seen your complete application. Therefore, the earlier you submit it, the better. Note: Although a faculty member may state that s/he may be interested in being your sponsor, the Admissions Committee makes the final decision to admit.

Undergraduate/Graduate Preparation

The undergraduate coursework and related preparation required for the Ph.D. program vary depending on the faculty member with whom you wish to study.

Although the Bren School does not require that you have a master’s degree to apply for the Ph.D. program, some faculty prefer it. Please refer to the web page of the faculty member you wish to work with for his/her specific requirements.

University Requirements

1. a bachelor's degree or equivalent from an accredited 4-year institution, and
2. maintained an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or higher (on a four-point scale) for the last two years of undergraduate or post-graduate studies, and
3. taken the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) – general exam only.

GRE: Please make sure that the following numbers appear on your GRE score sheets:

• Institution Code: 4835 (UC Santa Barbara)
• Department Code: 0502 (Environmental Sciences)

The Bren School does not require a require a minimum GRE score; the average combined verbal and quantitative score of our current Ph.D. students is 1350 (80-90th percentiles).

An applicant may apply to only one UCSB department per admissions period.

Admissions Deadlines

Note: The Economics and Environmental Science Ph.D. Training Program may have different deadlines. Please see the EES web site for more information.

Ph.D. Application Procedures

Applications for the Ph.D. program are usually accepted for entrance during the Fall Quarter only.

All applicants are required to apply on-line.

A complete application includes:

1. Electronic application
2. Check/Money Order submission form
3. Non-refundable application fees: $70.00 domestic applicants / $90.00 international applicants *
4. Three Letters of Recommendation** (at least one letter from a former instructor is suggested)
5. Two copies of your Statement of Purpose and two copies of your Personal Achievements/Contributions**
6. Two copies of your resume or curriculum vitae
7. Two copies of official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions and programs attended (including Education Abroad Programs if the grades do not appear on your undergraduate transcripts)
8. Official GRE scores sent by the Educational Testing Service
9. TOEFL or IELTS scores taken within 2 years of the time of application (for applicants whose native language is not English)
   

*  Applications from international applicants will not be processed until the $60 application fee has been

   received by the University.

**  Supplemental form available on the Graduate Division's Form Page

Note: The Bren School has a faculty-sponsored Ph.D. program, therefore applicants should clearly state their research goals and identify a faculty sponsor with compatible research interests in the Statement of Purpose. Please include the faculty member's name on your statement coversheet. Applications with no faculty member listed will most likely be overlooked.

Send Items 2 and 3 to:
Graduate Division
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2070

2. The $60 application fee
3. Check/Money Order submission form

Send items 4 through 7 to:

Attn: Graduate Program Assistant

  2400 Bren Hall

  Bren School of Environmental Science & Management

  University of California
  Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5131

  USA

4. Three Letters of Recommendation
5. Two copies of your Statement of Purpose
6. Two copies of your resume
7. Two copies of official transcripts

 

Items 8 and 9 are sent directly to the Graduate Division by the testing service.

We invite you to read our online brochure. If you would like to be included on our email list to receive notices of  our Open House and Bren Information Sessions, please complete our on-line request form.

If you have questions or need more information on the application process, please contact the Graduate Program Assistant.