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 limit the capacity of the master's degree 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

Headed by internationally-recognized artists and including affiliate faculty from across campus, the program integrates the resources of a great public university with the Art Department’s mission of educating and training students in cross-disciplinary, multimedia art practices. Students translate concerns for environmental and social justice into contemporary art practices through professional training combining project-based research, seminars, faculty mentorship, electives, visiting artists, and peer critiques. Working individually and collaboratively in the studio and the field, students will experiment with different approaches to build their practices conceptually and practically while critically and creatively exploring art’s role as a catalyst for radical change.

THE MFA AT UC SANTA CRUZ OFFERS:
The intellectual and interdisciplinary resources of a research university renowned for its in-depth engagements with ecology and social justice

Close association with the diverse communities and ecologies of northern and central California

A committed art faculty recognized for our engagements with social practice and environmental art

A curriculum that provides an inclusive frame to foster critical learning and for practicing art in direct relation to issues, places, and communities