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Ecology and Conservation Environmental Science Ph.D.
Doctoral Degree
Program type:
Major
Format:
On Campus
Est. time to complete:
4-5 years
Credit Hours:
72 (with Bachelor's) or 42 (with Master's)
Research new ways to protect diversity in global ecosystems with a Ph.D. in Ecology
and Conservation from UNT.
Ecology is the scientific study of relationships between organisms and environments,
and conservation biology is the study of Earth's biodiversity with the mission of
protecting species, habitats, and ecosystems. The Ecology and Conservation concentration
helps Ph.D. candidates refine their understanding of how the interplay between plants
and animals creates a balanced, thriving ecosystem, and helps them create research
to solve environmental issues that threaten them.
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Request More InfoWhy Earn an Ecology and Conservation Environmental Science Ph.D.?
The environmental science program is an interdisciplinary collaboration among the Department of Biological Sciences, the Department of Geography, the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies and other departments at UNT to examine major environmental issues through an interdisciplinary perspective.
The program offers graduate studies in environmental science that lead to the PhD, granted through the Department of Biological Sciences. The course of study, involving both core and elective courses, is designed for those students who desire an interdisciplinary perspective concerning human-environmental interactions.
Marketable Skills
- Communication to professional/lay audiences
- Design field-based research protocols
- Proficiency in environmental ethics
- Recognition of national/international issues
- Lead/direct research programs/projects
Ecology and Conservation Environmental Science Ph.D. Highlights
The rigorous curriculum has helped students receive prestigious appointments and awards
from organizations including the Entomological Society of America.
The department’s facilities for research and graduate training occur in the Life Sciences
Complex; Science Research Building; and the Environmental Education, Science and Technology
Building.
The Life Sciences Complex, which has Gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design certification for sustainability, includes an aquatics laboratory and four
climate-controlled rooftop research greenhouses.
Qualified students are supported through competitive teaching assistantships or research
assistantships funded by research grants to faculty members. Nine-month stipends and
tuition scholarships are available for entering master’s and doctoral students.
Our faculty members include internationally renowned researchers who have earned recognition
from the National Science Foundation, the American Association for the Advancement
of Science and the American Society for Microbiology, among others.
Ecology and Conservation Environmental Science Ph.D. Courses You Could Take
Ecosystem Science Principles and Applications (3 hrs)
General principles governing the flow of water, energy, and nutrients through ecological
systems. Examines the interactions between organisms and their physical environment
within ecosystems. Applies ecosystem structure, function, and linkages to urban environmental
problems and resource management issues through case studies and projects.
Mammalian Ecology and Evolution (4 hrs)
Mammalogy course with hands-on, laboratory-style format. Emphasis on diversity, morphology,
ecological roles, and contemporary field and analytical techniques. Identification
of mammals to family level using skulls, tracks, scats, pictures, and identification
of live individuals to species. Interpret and estimate diet of representative Texas
mammals through a diversity of techniques.
Ecological Risk Assessment (3 hrs)
Detailed treatment of aquatic and terrestrial methods and procedures used to assess
the ecological hazard of chemicals in the environment. Emphasizes quantitative methods
in testing site assessment, monitoring procedures, regulatory requirements and field
and laboratory techniques useful to assess damage to aquatic, terrestrial and avian
resources.
Subantarctic Biocultural Conservation (3 hrs)
In-depth study of the relationship between subantarctic ecosystems and cultures of
southern South America including geography, climate, ethnography, history and ecology,
which exposes students to both the practical and theoretical aspects of biocultural
conservation, including its interdisciplinary character integrating the sciences and
humanities.
Seminar in the Philosophy of Ecology (3 hrs)
Traces the evolution of ecology from its roots in 19th-century natural history to
the present with an emphasis on the prominent paradigms and conceptual trends, such
as organicism, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, disturbance and flux. Also explores
the sociocultural contexts in which ecology emerged and now exists, including the
so-called second scientific revolution and the two-culture split.
Community Ecology (3 hrs)
Structure, dynamics and diversity of biotic communities and ecosystems. Focus on population
interactions, niche relationships and processing of matter and energy.
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