Chair of the Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Graduate Committee:  Dr. Ken A. Otter

 

Joselito M. Arocena, Professor, and Canada Research Chair, Soil and Environmental Sciences (Environmental Science and Engineering)
Laurie Chan, Professor and BC Leadership Chair in Aboriginal Environmental Health (Community Health Science)
Darwyn Coxson, Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Russell Dawson, Professor, and Canada Research Chair Avian Ecology (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Keith Egger, Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Arthur Fredeen, Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Gail Fondahl, Professor (Geography)
Michael Gillingham, Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Kevin Hall, Professor (Geography)
Greg Halseth, Professor, and Canada Research Chair, Rural and Small Town Studies (Geography)
Peter Jackson, Professor (Environmental Science and Engineering)
Kathy Lewis, Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Staffan Lindgren, Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Hugues Massicotte, Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
William McGill, Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Ken A. Otter, Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Katherine Parker, Professor, and Ian McTaggart Cowan Muskwa Kechika Research Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Ellen Petticrew, Professor, and Forest Renewal BC Endowed Chair in Landscape Ecology (Geography)
Mark Shrimpton, Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Youmin Tang, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Climate Prediction and Predictability (Environmental Science and Engineering)
Ron Thring, Professor (Chemistry, Environmental Science and Engineering)
Annie Booth, Associate Professor (Environmental Arts)
Philip Burton, Associate Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
David Connell, Associate Professor (Environmental Planning)

John Curry, Associate Professor (Environmental Planning)
Stephen Déry, Associate Professor, and Canada Research Chair, Northern Hydrometeorology (Environmental Science and Engineering)
Neil Hanlon, Associate Professor (Geography)
Chris Hawkins, Associate Professor, and Forest Renewal BC Endowed Chair in Mixed Wood Ecology and Management (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Ian Hartley, Associate Professor (Ecosystem and Science Management)
Steve Helle, Associate Professor (Environmental Engineering)
Dezene Huber, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair, Forest and Entomology and Chemical Ecology (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Christopher Johnson, Associate Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Jianbing Li, Associate Professor (Environmental Engineering)
Brian Menounos, Associate Professor (Geography)
Michael Murphy, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair, Comparative Indigenous-State Relations
Brent Murray, Associate Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Catherine Nolin, Associate Professor (Geography)
Chris Opio, Associate Professor (Ecosystem Science and Management)
Philip Owens, Associate Professor and BC Endowed Chair
Michael Rutherford, Associate Professor (Environmental Science)
John Shultis, Associate Professor (Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management)

Jueyi Sui, Associate Professor (Environmental Engineering)
Roger Wheate, Associate Professor (Geography)
Ken Wilkening, Associate Professor (International Studies)
Pamela Wright, Associate Professor (Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management)

 

Website: http://www.unbc.ca/nres

The PhD in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies [PhD(NRES)] offers students the opportunity to develop an advanced level of understanding and training in any one or a combination of scientific discipline(s) related to natural environments, the processes (e.g., biological, chemical, physical) that govern them, or the human dimensions (e.g., social, economic, political, cultural) that interact with them. The PhD(NRES) promotes an integration of the linkages between social, ethical, political, and cultural dimensions, and an understanding of basic ecological, biological, and physical attributes of natural resources. Emphasis is placed upon the student to acquire an interdisciplinary base upon which to found a “disciplinary” area of concentration. Graduates from this program who have an area of concentration and a familiarity with how other disciplines can contribute toward solving environmental problems should be capable of addressing a variety of natural resources and environmental issues from a number of perspectives.

Students must complete 9 credit hours of interdisciplinary core courses: NRES 801-3, NRES 802-3, and NRES 803-3.These courses will provide all students with a framework, balanced in science and human dimensions, upon which a specific PhD program may be built. Also required is a compulsory seminar course (NRES 804-3), and a PhD thesis (NRES 890-12). Students may be required, at the discretion of their supervisory committee, to take additional courses within their area.

Students must pass three separate checks on their academic progress towards a PhD: a qualifying exam, a defense of thesis proposal, and a defense of the thesis. The qualifying exam is tailored to ensure a cross-disciplinary aptitude, and tests the student's grasp of the interdisciplinary nature of natural resource and environmental issues. The thesis proposal defense is tailored to ensure that a student has a grasp of his/her area of concentration, and therefore examines the level of knowledge within the area of concentration. Upon successfully passing both the qualifying examination and the thesis proposal defense, a student is granted candidate status, and embarks upon the thesis work under the supervision of his/her faculty advisor. Following completion of the research, the candidate must defend his/her thesis to an examination committee.

Summary

Required Core Courses	9 credits
Graduate Seminar	3 credits
PhD Thesis	12 credits
Total Required	24 credits

Recommended Progression

First Year: Core Courses, Qualifying Exam

During the first two semesters, the common set of three required core courses (NRES 801-3 Integrated Environmental Systems I, NRES 802-3 Integrated Environmental Systems II, and NRES 803-3 Integrated Environmental Systems III) will be taken. In addition, the graduate seminar (NRES 804-3) will be taken by all PhD students.

At the end of the second semester, PhD students will normally take a qualifying exam consisting of written and oral components. The general part of the exam should demonstrate the student's ability to synthesize and extrapolate from the interdisciplinary perspectives of natural resource management and environmental studies, at an integrative level and scope consistent with the core PhD courses (NRES 801-3, NRES 802-3, and NRES 803-3). The specialty part of the exam will assess the student's background knowledge and familiarity with the theory and methodology associated with his/her thesis topic. Part-time students will normally take the qualifying exam upon completion of the 9 credits of required core courses.

Second Year: Area of Concentration, Defense of Thesis Proposal

If students are required to take additional courses to address deficiencies within their area of concentration, they will be able to select courses from relevant course offerings within the Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, as well as other UNBC programs, or from other accredited graduate programs in other post-secondary institutions. In addition, students will normally conduct some exploratory research in their area of concentration.

Once course work is substantially complete, the students will work towards finalizing a thesis proposal, a document demonstrating academic rigor, and of publishable quality. Students will be expected to present the thesis proposal before their committee, and to demonstrate their knowledge within their area of concentration. Normally, this defense will be scheduled either at the end of the third semester or at the beginning of the fourth semester of study.

Third to Fifth Year: Thesis

Upon successful completion of course work, and the successful completion of the qualifying exam and the defense of thesis proposal, the student is officially designated as a PhD candidate, and proceeds to full-time work on the thesis under the direct supervision of the advisor and any other designated committee members. Any major changes made to the thesis proposal after approval by the committee will require the approval of the committee.

Under normal circumstances, a student is expected to complete his/her research and the writing of the thesis within three years of becoming a doctoral candidate.

Any student requiring more than three years (6 semesters) to complete a thesis must request an extension from his/her advisor and the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs.

Oral Defense of the Thesis

When the student's advisor and committee have determined that the student has reached an acceptable level of completion on the thesis, the student will defend the research during an oral exam with the full examining committee. This defense, with the exception of committee deliberations, will be open to the public.

Admission, Regulations and Committee Structures

Admission requirements

Students will normally be expected to hold a Master's degree from an accredited post-secondary institution. In exceptional cases, individuals with significant and relevant life experience may be admitted on probation. Normally, applicants must hold a cumulative GPA of 3.33 (B+) from the Baccalaureate and Master's degree, to be calculated over the last 30 credits of graded academic work. Acceptance to the PhD program will be contingent upon the prospective student finding a member of the faculty to serve as her/his advisor.

In addition to a completed UNBC Graduate Application Form, applicants must provide official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended; a statement of intent indicating the student's research interests, possible future career aspirations, and perceived fit within the Faculty mandate and research directions; a recent Curriculum Vitae; three letters of reference (including two from faculty members familiar with the prospective student's academic work); a completed Teaching Assistantship Application; a completed Funding Worksheet; and a sample of written academic work. GRE scores are optional. Only students with high GPAs and innovative research interests are likely to be successful in their applications.

 

Application deadlines are found in this calendar under "Semester Dates" or online at: www.unbc.ca/calendar/graduate, also under "Semester Dates." The Natural Resources and Environmental Studies PhD Program accepts students for the September, January, and May Semesters.

For additional information about graduate admissions or to download application materials, go to the Graduate Programs website at www.unbc.ca/graduateprograms.

 

Normal Time Required for Completion

The completion time for the PhD between initial admittance and final defense will normally range from three to five years.

Supervisory Committee Structure

The PhD Committee will consist of the designated advisor and four additional faculty members, at least one of whom will be chosen from outside the Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies. The outside member may be chosen from other UNBC faculties or from other Canadian/United States accredited post-secondary institutions. Under exceptional circumstances, and with approval from the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, additional members may be added at the request of the student or the advisor. The expertise represented on the committee should reflect the concept of interdisciplinarity. The committee should be assembled during the student's first year of study.