PhD Curriculum

E-IPER PhD students pursue a rigorous but flexible graduate curriculum, with several shared core first year classes providing the foundation onto which each student constructs a unique pathway of courses, research, internships, and other experiences that match his or her individual needs and goals.

The first year PhD core courses introduce students to the diverse theories, analytical tools, and methods required for interdisciplinary research.

ENVRES 310: Environmental Forum Seminar

ENVRES 315: Environmental Research Design Seminar

ENVRES 320: Designing Environmental Research

ENVRES 330: Research Approaches for Environmental Problem Solving

*Corequisite with ENVRES 330: ENVRES 398 with the faculty member chosen to conduct a literature review on a potential dissertation topic.

Following these introductory courses, students develop in-depth expertise in the disciplines and research methods necessary to advance their own individual research interests. To acquire broad foundational knowledge for interdisciplinary research, students select courses in each of four focal areas. Each student also works with his/her faculty advisors to select two distinct Fields of Inquiry, such as economics and ecology or energy and conflict resolution, in which to focus their additional coursework to develop in-depth knowledge and mastery.