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PROGRAM OF STUDY FOR THE
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE
IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

The mission of the program is to produce scientists with the knowledge needed to support the assessment, maintenance and recovery of environmental resources. This includes an appreciation of the economic, social, political and aesthetic context that shapes our interaction with and knowledge of the environment. Measuring and understanding the balance between environmental protection, sustainable resource management, and economic growth is a major integrating theme within the program.

Admission Requirements:

Admission to the Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences

Applicants to the Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences Program must hold a baccalaureate or master's degree (BA, BS, MA, or MS) from an accredited institution in a relevant field of study. Students should apply to either the PhD or MS program. For both programs, applicants must submit the following to the Graduate School:

1. A completed application for admission to the Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences. Applicants are encourages to submit the application no later than January 15th for the fall semester and August 15th for the spring semester. Forms are available from the Graduate School.
2. A nonrefundable application fee. PhD application fee is 50.00, Master's application fee is $30.00. Checks must be made payable to Arkansas State University. If applications are received without payment, the Graduate school will hold all application materials and notify the applicants that no action will be taken until payment is received. International students may utilize a check or an International Postal Money Order to remit payment in the U.S. currency.
3. One copy of official transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate coursework attempted, to be sent directly from the institution(s) previously attended. The Graduate School will compute the graduate GPA by counting all graduate courses completed, including any repeated courses. Applicants to the Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences must possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited four year institution and meet the admission requirements of the Graduate School. Applicants should be aware that the breadth of the course work in this program demands that students have a basic background in several disciplines. Preparatory courses for this program may include:

Mathematics: Calculus I as well as an applied statistics course or second semester Calculus course.,
Chemistry: A first and second semester chemistry course sequence.
Biology: A first and second semester biology course sequence.
Earth Science: A first and second semester earth science course sequence.
Economics: An introductory level economics course.
Political Science: American government, United States history or world history.

Students should contact the Program Director for details regarding course requirements for specific focus areas within the program. Students lacking the appropriate courses for their chosen focus area can be admitted into the program buy may be required to complete preparatory course work before enrolling in specific graduate core courses. Applicants are also expected to have a working knowledge of computer systems and software. In some cases, the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program Committee may agree to substitute equivalent, documented work experience in the environmental field for specific courses, and in rare cases, there criteria for admission. Contact the Program Director for questions in these matters.

4. These letters of recommendation to be reviewed by the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program Committee. Note that both recommendation by the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program Committee and approval by the Dean of the Graduate School are required for admission to the program.
5. Scores from the Graduate Record Examination showing a combined score of 1000 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the exam.
6. International student applications must demonstrate a satisfactory level of proficiency in the English language if English is not their native language. To do so, they must submit a score of 213 computer based on the Test of English as a Foreign Language or must satisfactorily complete advanced level II of he university's Center for English as a Second Language program.
7. Statement of Purpose. In essay form, state your reasons for undertaking graduate study in the Environmental Sciences. Please describe your qualifications for the academic program to which you are applying and your objectives in undertaking this program. Applicants to the doctoral program should clearly outline their research interests. We are interested in how the applicant's interests would complement those research interests of the faculty. Applicants to master's program should discuss their plans for their academic and professional career and how the Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences will help them attain their goals.
8. Resume C.V.) List all colleges and universities attended, major extracurricular activities, and employment, detailing particularly those relevant to your proposed field of study, any honors or prizes awarded, and publication and research projects with which you have been associated.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide a personal statement describing their goals in terms of graduate education and research focus interests. Applicants should also submit a curriculum vitae describing pertinent employment ad/or research experiences such as presentations and publications.

Curriculum:

• Core Courses (nine hours) (choose from two outside areas)

  Environmental Geology

  • CHEM5053 Geochemistry (EnGe)
  • GEOL5333 Hydrogeology (EnGe)

  Environmental Chemistry

  • CHEM5043 Environmental Chemistry (EnGe)
  • CHEM6144 Environmental Instrumentation (EnGe)

  Environmental Policy & Economics

  • POSC6173 Environmental Policy Processes (EnPE)
  • POSC5533 Environmental Law and Admin (EnPE)
  • ECON6353 Environmental Economics (EnPE)

  Environmental Biology

  • ENVR6103 Environmental Systems Analysis (EnBi) (Note: may be used as statistics requirement)
  • ENVR5203 Environmental Toxicology (EnBi)
  • ENVR6303 Case Studies in Ecosystem Management (EnBi)

  Note: Additional core courses in Environmental Engineering (EnEn), Environmental Agriculture Science (EnAg) and Environmental Materials Sciences (EnMa) will be added over the coming years.

• Additional Requirements

  Ethics (1 hour)

  • ESC17151 Responsible Conduct in Research

  Seminars (2 hours of each)

  • ESCI7111 Environmental Science Seminar
  • ESCI7121, Topical Seminar in Environmental Sciences

  Statistics (6 hours total)

  • STAT6613 Nonparametric Statistics
  • STAT6643 Multivariate Analysis
  • STAT6653 Data Analysis I: Regression Analysis
  • STAT6663 Data Analysis II: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
  • STAT6673 Experiment Design
  • STAT6833 Biostatistics
  • AGRI6213 Experimental Design
  • AGRI5233 Experimental Agricultural Statistics
  • ENVR6103 Environmental Systems Analysis

  Dissertation (18 hours)

  • ESCI8891-6 Dissertation

  Substitution of equivalent courses may be made upon the recommendation of the doctoral advisory committee with the approval of the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program Committee. Any additional course work requirements will be determined by the Doctoral Advisory Committee to meet the student's specific program needs. Each candidate for the Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences must execute an original and rigorous research project culminating in the completion and defense of a dissertation.