PhD Program Philosophy

Our doctoral program is founded on the conviction that theory and practice go hand-in-hand and that our most essential research questions arise from integrating professional experiences and scholarship.

Academic community

Imagine yourself joining an interdisciplinary team with an ecologist, a historian, a geologist, an economist, an artist, a writer, and an educator. This is your faculty and your cohort. Engage in coursework and seminars with a small group of students whose experience and wide-ranging interests will augment your own.

Research diversity

Specialize in the research area for which you have a passion and apply the theories and methods best suited to your research interests. Leverage our explicitly interdisciplinary curriculum and our mission to integrate science, policy, humanities, education, and service. This knowledge will position you to pursue sustainable solutions to pressing local, national and international environmental challenges.

Scholarship, practice, and service

Study with faculty members who bridge disciplinary and methodological boundaries, who model the integration of scholarship and practice, who emphasize the role of service, and who are recognized locally, nationally, and internationally.

A program structure that works for you

Engage your doctoral studies in a program designed for working professionals. Participate in a low-residency model combining intensive sessions on campus with independent research and collaborative communication online, as well as service learning that makes your research relevant to the broader society.