University of California, Santa Cruz
AC-4: Graduate Program

Established in 1994, the Doctoral program in the Department of Environmental Studies at UCSC emphasizes close faculty-student interactions, department-wide intellectual exchange, and cross-discipline innovation. The goal of our Ph.D. program is to develop exceptional individuals with strong foundations in their own fields, and the ability to work with those in other relevant specialties. The program draws from two main areas: ecology and social science. These are historically independent fields and UCSC's Environmental Studies program is one of the first to link them. Graduates of the Environmental Studies Doctoral Program at UC Santa Cruz are expected to be informed in conservation biology, global change ecology, agroecology, environmental policy, and political economy of the environment. Our students have deep intellectual strength in their area of specialty, and make substantial contributions toward the understanding of an environmental problem.

The program offers coursework that emphasizes interdisciplinary scholarship, project-based study, and developing practical solutions to real-world problems. The intensive academics, real-world experience, and engagement with institutional partners limits the capacity of the Masters program to ten incoming students each year. Small cohorts, along with need-based financial aid, will allow for students to forge relationships with faculty, professionals, and practitioners in the field. The program focuses on practical training to provide integrated solutions to social and ecological challenges via four interconnected nodes that leverage UCSC’s existing leadership in coastal sustainability: • Conserving biodiversity, sustaining ecosystem processes, and ensuring human well-being • Mitigating hazards to nature and society; fostering societal adaptation • Maintaining security of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial food and energy systems • Advancing innovative economic and financial models in business and industry