Program Description
PhD research in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences spans a range of the biological, physical, and social sciences that focus on understanding and managing the environment, including diverse aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and natural resources, such as plants and animals.
The PhD dissertation should be a significant contribution worthy of publication in refereed international journals. Specializations are offered in the areas such as:
- Environmental policy and management
- Aquatic ecology, forest ecology
- Wildlife ecology, conservation, and biodiversity
- Spatial aspects of natural resources
If you are interested in pursuing a PhD in ENRS and being mentored by one of our faculty members, begin by first visiting their website and contacting them directly.
Objectives
The objectives of the PhD program in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences are:
- To provide an atmosphere of scholarship coupled with research opportunities that will produce people capable of responding to the complicated issues of use, management, and protection of the environment and its natural resources.
- To foster the pursuit of interdisciplinary research in the environmental and natural resource sciences and to facilitate a better understanding of the ecological, social, and economic relationships inherent in environmental and natural resource issues.
- To produce scientists who will assume leadership roles in the research and management of natural resources and the environment.
- To prepare students for working with, and within, public and private agencies responsible for the management or protection of natural resources and the environment.
Your First Step
Explore our faculty research websites to learn about their work and how it aligns with your interests. Begin your graduate studies journey by contacting faculty directly—they are waiting to hear from you!
Program requirements
- 72 hours minimum of total credits, consisting of:
- 15 hours minimum of graded coursework at 500- level if student has an M.S.
- 24 hours minimum of graded 500-level coursework if student has only a B.S.
- Of these 24, 15 minimum must be taken at the 500 level
- A maximum of 9 credits of 300 or 400 may be taken toward the 24 required credit hours
- 20 hours minimum of SOE 800 1 credit during each semester enrolled except summer
- Courses taken for audit or courses graded Pass/Fail may not be used on the program of study.
- Preliminary exam
- Dissertation
- Final Oral Exam
- Dissertation Defense
Curriculum
Program Core Competencies and Student Outcomes for Ph.D. in ENRS
The Ph.D. program in ENRS is designed to educate, train and mentor students in six core competency areas within Environmental and Natural Resource sciences. Those include:
- Advanced knowledge of ecosystems, including biotic and abiotic structure and function, the roles of humans and societies, and applications to management
- Advanced knowledge in research methods and data analysis, including aptitude for assessing a wide range of environmental and/or social science data.
- Ability to critically examine and creatively address interdisciplinary problems.
- Advanced knowledge in the ethics of managing and conducting research in the environmental and natural resource sciences, actively incorporating issues of environmental and social justice, equity, and inclusion.
- Ability to effectively communicate knowledge of environmental and natural resource sciences to a wide range of audiences, through multiple modes of delivery, including written and oral formats.
- A specialized subject area to be defined by the student and the student’s Supervisory Committee.
Both preliminary and final exams will be required to test the candidate’s knowledge of Environmental & Natural Resource Sciences with emphasis on the work presented in the dissertation and general fields of knowledge pertinent to the degree.
Developing a Program of Study
Each student will develop a program of study in cooperation with a Supervisory Committee that includes the student’s faculty advisor as chair. The program of study is a plan for the student’s classwork and research credits throughout the rest of their program.
WSU Pullman, Puyallup, and Tri-Cities students: Programs of study are due by a specific date in your third semester of study. These dates are October 1 if your third semester is during the fall, and March 1 if your third semester is during the spring. These are firm deadlines, set in place by the WSU Graduate School.
Vancouver Students: Your program of study is due at the end of your second semester.