The Ph.D. in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences is an interdepartmental degree program at Washington State University sponsored by the Natural Resource Sciences Department and the Program in Environmental Science and Regional Planning.  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 Washington State University.  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 in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences 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.

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REQUIREMENTS:

A. Dissertation

B. 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), and the subject area of student specialization (variable hours).
At least 25 hours at 500 level

C. Up to 6 hours of supporting course work below 500 level and outside the major area.
20-38 hours of NATRS 800 (Dissertation Research).

D. 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: (See Ph.D. ES/RP & Natural Resource Sciences brochure for specific course requirements for meeting competency guidelines).

Competency 1: Advanced knowledge of ecosystems, including both biophysical structure and
function, and roles of humans.

Competency 2: Advanced knowledge in research methods.

Competency 3: Advanced knowledge in environmental and natural resource issues and ethics. To be met by completion of NATRS/ESRP 595.

Competency 4: Advanced interdisciplinary cognizance/appreciation.

Competency 5: 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. Three committee members, including the Advisor, must be Graduate Faculty and 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. The Preliminary Examination will consist of written and oral parts. The written and oral portions will focus on the student's major area of competencies, 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. If the student chooses to submit a fully digital thesis, the Graduate School or Rod in the main office has procedures on how to prepare doctoral dissertations and master's theses in digital format via CD-ROM or a network server. 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 for degree 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)

In addition:

Dissertation copy requirements: Copies must be provided to the department, the committee chair and any committee member requesting it. For the department copy, submit an unbound signed copy. Do not have it bound yourself. Additional copies can be bound at the same time for personal use by submitting an unbound copy and $20.00 cash. (If your faculty advisor chooses to pay for a bond copy, a budget account code must be given to Dianne in the Department office. If the bound copies you request are to be mailed, you must provide an address to the main office. Rod Clausen will assist you with any questions you have concerning the thesis copies at the departmental level.

Timetable - deadlines are established by the Graduate School and found on-line at http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~gradsch/ students intending to graduate should be certain to check this list early in their final semester. Because these dates vary somewhat each semester, it is the responsibility of the student to know the schedule.

When/What/Where/How...

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 & 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 - scheduling of preliminary examination.

At least four months prior to final oral examination preliminary examination.

During last semester: (date set by Grad School) 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 (date set by Grad School) Scheduling of final examination.

In addition to these dates, 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.