Doctor of Philosophy
Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences
The Ph.D. in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences is an interdepartmental degree program at WSU sponsored by the department and the Environmental Science and Regional Planning program. It was established in 1994 with faculty from both departments serving on the Graduate Coordinating Committee.
Environmental and natural resource sciences comprise an association of several areas of study at WSU. These sciences focus on factors related to the understanding and management of the environment and therefore have a commonality of interest. The Ph.D. program provides opportunities for doctoral study that involve integration and interaction among these various fields of science. The cooperation of WSU's faculties in environmental and natural resource sciences in this program fosters important exchanges of knowledge that greatly enhance interdisciplinary education.
Doctoral Program Specifics
Requirements
- Dissertation
- Minimum of 34 hours of graded course work (beyond Bachelor's degree); to include approved course work in five areas of competency in a core curriculum:
- Ecosystems (6 hours)
- Research methods (6 hours)
- Issues/ethics (3 hours - NATRS 594)
- Interdisciplinary knowledge (3 hours of graduate seminar)
- Subject area of student specialization (variable hours)
- At least 25 hours at 500 level
- Up to 6 hours of supporting course work below 500 level and outside the major area
- 20-38 hours of NATRS 800 (Dissertation Research)
- A minimum of 72 total credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree
Curriculum
Each student will develop a program of study in cooperation with a Supervisory Committee that includes his/her faculty advisor as chair. As preparation for a preliminary examination, a core curriculum must be completed through preceding and/or new course work that will yield competencies in five broad areas list below:
- Advanced knowledge of ecosystems, including both biophysical structure and
function, and roles of humans. - Advanced knowledge in research methods.
- Advanced knowledge in environmental and natural resource issues and ethics. To be met by completion of NATRS/ESRP 595.
- Advanced interdisciplinary cognizance/appreciation.
- A specialized subject area to be defined by the student and the student's Supervisory Committee.
Program Committee and Advisor
Each student will be assigned an advisor who will recommend a Dissertation Committee. The committee will consist of at least three members that must be Graduate Faculty. At least one member must be from outside the department. At the doctoral level, the committee also has the responsibility for the Ph.D. preliminary examination and the qualifying examination for the Doctor of Philosophy degree.
Preliminary Examination
Each student is required to pass a preliminary examination in order to become a candidate for the Ph.D. degree. This examination will be taken after most of the required course work has been completed, as determined by the thesis committee, and upon submission of a dissertation research proposal. It will consist of written and oral parts which will focus on the student's major area of competency, courses taken, and the subject matter of the proposed research.
Dissertation and Final Examination
The final examination will be mainly a defense of the dissertation. All students are required to present a seminar to the faculty and public on their dissertation research.
Students can choose whether the final copy of the thesis is provided to the Graduate School in paper format or digital format. The candidate for degree will continue to submit two paper copies of the title page, two paper copies of the abstract, and two original signature pages--one on 100% bond. Signatures should be in black ink.
If the candidate selects to utilize the paper format, two unbound copies of the final dissertation must be provided to the Graduate School within five working days of passing your scheduled final examination:
- One copy on 100% cotton rag paper with original signature page
- One copy with original signature page (it is not necessary to have this second copy on 100% cotton paper)
Graduate students should be aware of the Departmental rules and requirements regarding distribution of thesis drafts. Because a student only has five working days after defending their thesis to turn in the final version to the Graduate School, substantially all changes must be addressed prior to defending their thesis in the final exam. Consequently, your committee members need to have read your thesis prior to scheduling a thesis defense date. This means committee members should receive copies of your thesis at least 14 days before scheduling the final exam. Depending on your advisor and your writing ability, you should generally allow for three to four weeks prior to this for addressing the rough draft comments.
ES/RP
For more information about the Environmental Science and Regional Planning program,
visit the website.
Checklist
Before first semester registration meet with faculty advisor to plan course of study for first semester
- Attend TA workshops, if applicable
- Before second semester registration, determine research supervisor and establish committee
- At end of first year of graduate work, submit program of study to Graduate School
- After approval of program of study and completion of a substantial portion of the program, schedule for preliminary examination
- At least four months prior to final oral examination, take a preliminary examination
- During last semester, apply for degree
- At least 14 calendar days before scheduling final examination, submission of final draft of thesis to committee members
- At least 14 calendar days before requested examination or no later than scheduling of final examination
Heading using the h3tag
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