Environmental Studies - PhD

The Environmental Studies program at CU Boulder is an interdisciplinary hub for collaboration in the environmental and sustainability fields.

Meeting the environmental challenges of the 21st century requires research, education, and training that spans traditional disciplinary boundaries. The Environmental Studies Program provides unique training that equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to confront complex problems affecting social-environmental systems. The program is flexibly structured, giving students the opportunity to pursue diverse areas of interest, especially those that do not fall neatly within disciplinary boundaries. Environmental Studies graduates pursue diverse career paths, including positions in academia, government, education, environmental consulting, natural resource management, and those within the private sector. 

The doctoral program in ENVS gives students the opportunity to pursue a research-based degree situated in a program that prioritizes cross-disciplinary perspectives and problem-oriented scholarship. PhD students are trained to become independent researchers, usually working closely with one or more faculty advisors and committee members. PhD students complete coursework that spans the natural and social sciences, values and ethics, and policy. Students develop an independent line of research through their dissertation project and other collaborations over the course of their graduate career.

Most of our graduating PhD students go on to pursue research-focused careers. Approximately two-thirds of our recent PhD graduates have gone on to teach or pursue research in academic positions. The rest of our students have  pursued careers in various contexts ranging from museums, state and federal governments, higher ed administration, and consulting.