The Prospective Student

Graduate One type of Antioch doctoral student in Environmental Studies has significant work experience in the environmental field. This may include management, education, teaching, planning, scholarship, research, writing, public relations, business, communications, advocacy, policy development and analysis, or consulting. This person typically has already earned a master's degree, but is looking for new academic and professional challenges. He or she is interested in scholarship and research but has the orientation of a reflective practitioner.

The environmental professions have a broad and varied landscape. Prospective students come from a wide variety of institutions and settings.

The environmental community is composed of numerous small and moderate-sized organizations. These include environmental education centers, nature centers, schools, museums, advocacy organizations, planning agencies, college- and university-based environmental centers, public issues programs, public interest groups, state and federal environmental agencies, businesses, and consulting firms. Environmental professionals in these organizations are usually engaged in diverse managerial, educational, and policy-oriented activities, often in a leadership role.

A second group of prospective students includes college or community college faculty who have not yet attained a doctorate, independent scholars, freelance writers, naturalists, conservation biologists, international environmental educators, and recent graduates of master's level environmental studies programs. These are people who are interested in college-level teaching, educational and policy consulting, research, or writing and publishing.

A third group includes educators, therapists, writers, and artists who are interested in the psycho-spiritual aspects of environmental studies. They work in the fields of outdoor and adventure education, social work, ecopsychology, and are interested in using environmental studies as the basis for new approaches to learning, teaching, healing, and organizational change.

Another group includes experienced field biologists from state, federal, and nonprofit organizations, and professional conservation biologists from non-governmental organizations from the U.S. and internationally. These individuals have recently worked in the field and bring to the program a depth of practical international and local field ecology and conservation experiences. These individuals typically seek positions in academic settings or research institutions.

We have attracted applicants who have brought a wide array of professional and academic skill and experience to the Antioch University New England community. These candidates for admission have been extremely capable, committed professionals who work as environmental administrators and managers for organizations and educational centers, educators in schools and universities, scientists, social service providers, journalists, and others. Their educational backgrounds reveal advanced degrees in education; botany, biology, and forestry; and social services, and undergraduate majors in the sciences, social sciences, fine arts, and humanities. Of the applicants, 65 percent were women and 35 percent men, with the average age of forty-two. The geographic distribution was diverse with 40 percent from New England, and 60 percent from outside of New England.

Antioch University New England's program is designed for the individual committed to scholarly excellence, who wishes to design, implement, and evaluate innovative research regarding crucial environmental issues. This is a risk-taker, a person who is willing to participate in online learning, alternative delivery models, and an innovative approach to doctoral education. We submit that this is precisely what the profession requires. Our students are involved in creating an academic, reflective, and scholarly approach to professional environmental issues, one that is attendant to the problems and ideals of the twenty-first century.

Last Updated: 4/16/10