Your New Skills | Coursework and Other Requirements | Faculty Advisor | Course Planning Sheet | Transfer Credit | Time Limit | | Preliminary PhD Examinations | Admission to Candidacy | Prospectus Defense | Doctoral Defense Committee | Online Graduation Application | Dissertation Defense | Doctoral Dissertation

Your New Skills

The PhD track in Environmental Studies trains students for careers in the academic, public, private or nonprofit sectors. Graduates will have:

  • The ability to deal with real-world problems;
  • The ability to evaluate policy goals in the context of competing societal objectives;
  • Fundamental knowledge of the relevant environmental sciences to be intelligent users of scientific information;
  • The ability to integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines to define and address science and/or policy problems;
  • An understanding of the local, state, and federal decision processes that shape environmental issues;
  • The ability to think critically, creatively, and holistically about environmental issues;
  • The ability to work in interdisciplinary teams; and
  • Skill in public speaking and writing for non-specialist audiences.

Coursework and Other Requirements

Attention 2012 Applicants: The curriculum will change for the 2012/2013 Academic Year. Updated course worksheets and curriculum information will be uploaded to this web site soon. Please see the New Graduate Curriculum Effective Fall 2012 for more information.

The degree requires completion of 42 course credit hours as follows: 9 hours of a common core focused on science, policy and philosophy; 12-18 hours of a secondary core focused on developing substantive and methodological expertise; and 15-21 hours of electives chosen to broaden and deepen the graduate training.

The PhD also requires 30 hours dissertation credits and successfully preparing and defending the doctoral dissertation. There are three major examinations requiring committees along the way:

  1. Preliminary Examination
  2. Prospectus Defense
  3. Dissertation Defense

Faculty Advisor

Because of the potential for individually tailoring one’s graduate degree work in ENVS, it is essential to establish and maintain a relationship with one’s faculty advisor. All graduate faculty members, if willing, are eligible to be ENVS faculty advisors.

Course Planning Sheet

PhD Course Worksheet

All PhD Students should consult the Graduate School Policies to learn the details about Minimum Registration Requirements, Dissertation Credit Hour Requirements, and Dissertation Requirements

Transfer Credit

Transfer credits from accredited institutions are accepted by CU Boulder only after approval by the faculty advisor and ENVS Graduate Director. A maximum of 21 transfer credits are accepted towards the PhD degree. Transfer credit is defined as any credit earned at another accredited institution, credits earned on another campus of the CU system, or credits earned as a non-degree student within the CU system. Students earning a master’s degree at CU Boulder may apply all 5000 level or above course work towards their PhD requirements with the approval of the ENVS Graduate Committee.

Time Limit

PhD degree students have 6 years to complete all degree requirements. Students who fail to complete the degree in this six-year period may be dismissed from their program with the concurrence of the advisor. To continue, the student must file a petition for an extension of the time limit with the Dean of the Graduate School.

Preliminary PhD Examination

The goal of the preliminary examination in ENVS is to offer an academically rigorous exam that will test the student on the intellectual themes of the ENVS Graduate program.
Preliminary Exam description

Admission to Candidacy

During the semester in which a student plans to defend the dissertation prospectus, an Admission to Candidacy application must be completed and approved by the faculty advisor and Graduate Director and submitted to the Graduate School AT LEAST three weeks before the PhD Prospectus Defense. The Graduate Coordinator will submit a Doctoral Exam report at this time to inform the Graduate School about the date of the PhD Prospectus Defense and the examination board composition. The form is available in the Doctoral Packet.

PhD Prospectus Defense (formerly "Comprehensive Examination")

See the Prospectus Defense page for detailed information.

Doctoral Defense Committee

With the assistance of the student’s advisor and the Graduate Director, the student should have his or her doctoral defense committee approved by the Graduate School before proceeding with the PhD prospectus. The student should inform the Graduate Coordinator about the composition of the committee in time for the Graduate School to approve it. Please see below and the Graduate School Policies for additional information.

Online Graduation Application

Students must apply online to graduate. To do this, logon to myCUinfo.colorado.edu. On the Student tab, select the Apply for Graduation link under Academic Resources. This notifies the Graduate School and your department that you intend to graduate, and it provides necessary information to the Commencement Office for ordering and shipping diplomas. If you do not complete requirements for the graduation you indicate on the online application, you must apply online to graduate for the new graduation date. You must apply to graduate online whether or not you plan to attend the ceremony.

Dissertation Defense

See PhD Dissertation and Defense for more information.

Doctoral Dissertation

See PhD Dissertation and Defense for more information.

Graduation Forms and Information

The Graduate School has gathered all important information required for graduation on its website. A deadline sheet and admission to candidacy form are included. Students should consult this website starting the semester before graduation in order to avoid missing important deadlines that will delay graduation.