Skip to main content

Environmental Social Science, PHD

On this page:

Degree Requirements Admission Requirements Next Steps Career Opportunities Request Information
  1. Degree Programs
  2. Graduate Degrees
  3. Environmental Social Science

At a Glance: program details

  • Location:
    Tempe campus
  • Second Language Requirement: No

Student Handbook

Explore complex social forces that shape how humans interact with the environment. This interdisciplinary degree incorporates planning, anthropology and economics to broaden your view of the factors surrounding environmental practice and facilitate new areas of innovation for a more sustainable future.

The curriculum is being reviewed for program changes and will be updated upon approval.


Program Description

Degree Awarded: PHD Environmental Social Science

The Doctor of Philosophy program in environmental social science is one of the few doctoral degree programs in the U.S. that draw on the premise that reducing human impacts and developing more sustainable environmental practices are difficult, if not impossible, to achieve without a focus on the social dynamics of environmental issues using critical social science perspectives.

The program is organized around theoretically based conceptual domains:

  • culture and the environment
  • environmental hazards and vulnerability
  • environmental justice
  • human environment impacts
  • political ecology
  • science and technology studies

These are the bases for addressing various topical foci, including urban environments, technologies and their consequences, landscapes, institutions, and health and the environment.

Students work with faculty members who have expertise in a broad range of fields, including:

  • archaeology
  • community resources
  • cultural and medical anthropology
  • demography
  • environmental history
  • geographic information systems
  • human and physical geography
  • planning
  • public affairs
  • science and technology studies
  • sociology

Coursework for the degree is focused on developing practical skills and a solid grasp of complex social science approaches to environmental issues. Students work closely with their committee to develop a curriculum appropriate to their chosen interests and career goals.


Degree Requirements

Curriculum Plan Options

  • 84 credit hours, a written comprehensive exam, an oral comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation

Required Core (3 credit hours)
ASB 530/ESS 530/SOS 553 Changing Human-nature Relationships (3)

Other Requirements (18 credit hours)
ASB 500 Topic: Ethnographic Research Methods (3)
ASB 500 Topic: Social Survey Research (3)
ASB 500 Topic: Qualitative Data Analysis (3)
ASB 501 Topic: Professionalism (3)
ASM 579 Proposal Writing (3)
BIO 517 Uncertainty and Decision Making (3)
BIO 527 Environmental Ethics and Policy Goals (3)
CHM 501 Topic: Science Policy for Scientists and Engineers (1-2)
ESS 502 Political Ecology: Theory and Research (3)
ESS 510 Urban Environments (4)
ESS 514 Urban and Environmental Health (4)
ESS 591 Topic: Decisions, Risk and the Environment (3)
ESS 591 Topic: Water and Social Theory (3)
GCU 585 Geographic Research Design and Proposal Writing (3)
SOS 532 Sustainable Urban Dynamics (3)

Electives (39 credit hours)

Research (12 credit hours)
ESS 792 Research (12)

Culminating Experience (12 credit hours)
ESS 799 Dissertation (12)

Additional Curriculum Information
For electives, students should see the academic unit for a course list approved by the chair.

Other requirements coursework may be substituted with the approval of the academic unit.

When approved by the student's supervisory committee and the Graduate College, this program may allow up to 30 credit hours from a previously awarded master's degree to be used for this program. If students do not have a previously awarded master's degree, the remaining coursework is to be made up of electives.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution. Undergraduate coursework in the social sciences (e.g., geography, political science, sociology, anthropology, planning or history) is not a prerequisite for admission but is generally advisable. Students may be admitted without such a background and may be required to acquire knowledge of the social sciences in a manner to be specified at the time of admission.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

  1. graduate admission application and application fee
  2. official transcripts
  3. personal statement outlining educational and professional goals
  4. current curriculum vitae or resume
  5. three letters of recommendation
  6. proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

Applicants may include in the application materials an optional scholarly writing sample, not to exceed 30 double-spaced pages.


Next Steps to attend ASU

Learn about our programs

Request information

Apply to a program

Apply now

Visit our campus

Schedule a visit

Application Deadlines

Fall

Fall

Session
Modality
Deadline
Type
Session A/C
In Person
December 1st
Final


Career Opportunities

The program trains students to move into teaching and research positions or to assume leadership roles in government, industry or nongovernmental organizations.

There is a demand in the job market for people with keen thinking skills who can manage, evaluate and interpret large amounts of data. As the many spheres of human interaction expand globally, people trained in this degree program are increasingly sought-after for their broad, holistic knowledge and perspectives. Some career opportunities include:

  • acting as legal advocates in international cases
  • analyzing and proposing policies
  • conducting postgraduate academic research
  • consulting for private and public organizations
  • curating cultural resources
  • directing nonprofit organizations
  • directing programs in the private or public sector
  • managing culture or heritage resources in the private or public sector
  • planning communities
  • teaching

Program Contact Information

If you have questions related to admission, please click here to request information and an admission specialist will reach out to you directly. For questions regarding faculty or courses, please use the contact information below.

  • shesc.grad@asu.edu
  • 480/965-6215


Concurrent degree programs are specially designed academic programs which provide high-achieving undergraduate students the opportunity to complete two distinct but complementary bachelor degrees at the same time. Students must meet minimum admissions standards for both programs and be accepted individually by both colleges offering the concurrent program.
Students pursuing concurrent degrees earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. ASU offers students two ways to earn concurrent degrees: by choosing a predetermined combination or creating their own combination. Predetermined combinations have a single admissions application and one easy to follow major map. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor. Either way, concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests.
Accelerated bachelor's and master's degree programs are designed for high-achieving undergraduate students who want the opportunity to combine undergraduate coursework with graduate coursework to accelerate completion of their master's degree. These programs feature the same high-quality curriculum taught by ASU's world-renowned faculty.
ASU students may accelerate their studies by earning a bachelor's and a master's degree in as little as five years (for some programs) or by earning a bachelor's degree in 2.5 or 3 years.

Accelerated bachelor's and master's degree programs are designed for high-achieving undergraduate students who want the opportunity to combine undergraduate coursework with graduate coursework to accelerate completion of their master's degree. These programs, featuring the same high-quality curriculum taught by ASU's world-renowned faculty, allow students to obtain both a bachelor's and a master's degree in as little as five years.

Accelerated bachelor's degree programs allow students to choose either a 2.5- or a 3-year path while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students can opt to fast-track their studies after acceptance into a participating program by connecting with their academic advisor.
This is only the first required math course. This program may contain additional math courses; See Major Map for details.
The level of intensity represents a measure of the number and academic rigor of math courses required.
The level of intensity represents a measure of the number and academic rigor of math courses required. Courses included in the General level: MAT 142
The level of intensity represents a measure of the number and academic rigor of math courses required. Courses included in the Moderate level: MAT 117, MAT 119, MAT 170, MAT 210, SOS 101, CPI 200
The level of intensity represents a measure of the number and academic rigor of math courses required. Courses included in the Substantial level: MAT 251, MAT 265. MAT 266, MAT 267, MAT 270, MAT 271, MAT 272, MAT 274, MAT 275
A rolling deadline means that applications will continue to be reviewed on a regular basis until the semester begins. International students should be mindful of visa deadlines to ensure there is time to produce necessary visa documents. Applicants are encouraged to complete and submit application materials as soon as possible for consideration.
A final deadline means that all applications and application materials must be received by Graduate Admissions by the deadline date. Applications that are incomplete may not be considered after the final deadline. Applications that are submitted past the final deadline may not be considered.
A priority deadline means that applications submitted and completed before the priority deadline will receive priority consideration. Applications submitted after the priority deadlines will be reviewed in the order in which they were completed and on a space available basis. An application is complete after all materials are received by Graduate Admissions.
ASU endorsed logo
Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram
An academic unit of
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Degree Programs
Undergraduate Degrees Graduate Degree Minors and Certificates
Admission
Undergraduate Graduate Online
Research
Archaeology Bioarchaeology Environmental Social Science Evolutionary Anthropology Global Health Sociocultural Anthropology
People
Leadership Faculty Staff Graduate Students [Employee Intranet]
Repeatedly ranked #1 for innovation, sustainability, and global impact
Maps and Locations Jobs Directory Contact ASU My ASU
Copyright and Trademark Accessibility Privacy Terms of Use Emergency COVID-19 Information