Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Sustainability

CURRICULUM

Students may be admitted to the Ph.D. program with either a bachelor’s or a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution or the equivalent of a US bachelor's degree from an international institution officially recognized by that country.

If admitted with a bachelor’s degree, students must complete a minimum of 84 semester hours. If admitted with a master’s degree, they must complete a minimum of 54 hours.

Requirements and Electives

With a Bachelor’s Degree	Semester Hours
Required Core Courses	15
Required Seminars	6
Required Solutions Workshops	6
Required Research	12
Required Dissertation	12
Electives (400-level or 500-level) Of which, a maximum of 6 hours can be at the 400-level	33
Total Semester Hours Required	84

With a Master’s Degree	Semester Hours
Required Core Courses	12
Required Seminars	3
Required Solutions Workshops	3
Required Research	12
Required Dissertation	12
Electives (500-level or higher)	12
Total Semester Hours Required	54

Required Core Courses (12 hours if admitted with a master’s degree or 15 hours if admitted with a bachelor’s degree)

The required core courses will bring students together in an integrated learning environment to form a cadre of diverse backgrounds. The core courses are designed to provide students with methods and theory appropriate to the study of sustainability. They will explore the link between concepts of sustainability and systems approaches to knowledge, and will develop the integrative methods needed to work across the disciplines on sustainability problems.

• SOS 510 Principles of Sustainability (Required for all students)
• SOS 511 Quantitative Methods in Sustainability (Required for all students)
• SOS 512 Sustainable Resource Allocation
• SOS 513 Science for Sustainability
• SOS 598 Human Dimensions of Sustainability
• SOS 598 Industrial Ecology and Sustainable Design
• SOS 598 Science, Technology, and Public Affairs

Required Challenge Area Seminars (3 hours if admitted with a master’s degree or 6 hours if admitted with a bachelor’s degree)

Challenge area seminars are designed to provide students with a strong substantive foundation (content knowledge, big theory, and big studies) of the main themes of the School.

• SOS 531 Social Transformations
• SOS 532 Urban Growth
• SOS 533 Water Quality and Scarcity
• SOS 534 Sustainable Energy and Material Use
• SOS 535 Sustainable Ecosystems
• SOS 598 International Development and Sustainability

Required Solutions Workshops (3 hours if admitted with a master’s degree or 6 hours if admitted with a bachelor’s degree)

Solutions workshops are designed to provide students with experience solving real-world problems that involve multiple sustainability challenges. As such, they will be problem-based, and not specifically attached to one of the main themes. Please check with Advising (cross-link) for a current list of workshops that are being offered.

Elective Courses (12 hours if admitted with a master’s degree or 33 hours if admitted with a bachelor’s degree)

Subject to satisfying pre-requisites and co-requisites, students enrolling with a bachelor’s degree will be able to select a minimum of 33 semester hours from the Graduate Electives List (document), of which a maximum of 6 hours can be at the 400-level. Students enrolling with a master’s degree will be able to select a minimum of 12 semester hours at the 500-level from the list of electives. With permission from the student’s supervisory committee, other electives (not included in this list) may be selected.

> Download Graduate Electives List (PDF)

Comprehensive Examination

When students have completed or are close to completing the coursework in an approved program of study, they may request permission to take the comprehensive examinations. Ph.D. comprehensive examinations are administered by the student’s supervisory committee. Ph.D. students achieve candidacy status in a letter from the Dean of the Graduate College after passing the comprehensive examinations and successfully defending the dissertation prospectus.

Required Research and Dissertation (24 hours)

At least 12 hours of the approved Ph.D. program must be SOS 792 Research and at least 12 hours must be SOS 799 Dissertation. Students may not apply semester hours earned for a Ph.D. previously awarded at ASU or another institution. At least 30 hours (which may include research credit) of the approved Ph.D. program and 12 dissertation hours must be completed after admission to a Ph.D. program at ASU. A maximum of 12 dissertation hours is permitted on the Program of Study. After completion of the dissertation, the student must pass an oral examination in defense of the dissertation.

• SOS 792 Research
• SOS 799 Dissertation