College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Ph.D. in Earth, Environment and Society

Professor and student kneeling on ground, gathering data. Deer in background

Take the Next Step in Your Career

Engage in relevant research while pursuing advanced academic training in environmental science and management, geography, geology, or another related field. 

You'll work closely with faculty who have expertise in a broad range of fields and often partner with government agencies and other science and environmental organizations in their research. Partners include NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Forest Service, the Nature Conservancy and Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. 

Where Our Grads Go

Jobs accepted by industry since 2016

47%

Academia

22%

NGOs

100%

Relevant job placement

17%

Government

14%

Private sector

Woman digging in sand for oysters

Build Your Future

Our program trains students to move into teaching and research positions or into roles in government, industry or nongovernmental organizations. Graduates of our program readily find work in a number of fields as researchers, data scientists, ecologists, project managers and program coordinators. Some have gone on to found their own consulting firms and nonprofits.

Employers of Recent Grads

American Farmland Trust
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Arizona State University
City of Portland
Finnish Environmental Institute (SYKE)
Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership
Ocean Conservancy
Oregon State University
University of California, San Diego
University of Connecticut
University of Vermont
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Forest Service
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Utah State University
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
Wild Salmon Center

Featured Work

Three students taking measurements with mountains in background

Read Ph.D. Dissertations

Our students' dissertation topics directly relate to issues of critical importance, including sustainable development, stewardship of water resources, biogeographic assessments, urbanization, land cover and land use change, climate analyses and environmental and policy applications.

Dissertations on PDXScholar