Environmental Social Science (Urbanism), PhD
Ready to examine how people and their environment shape each other? This concentration puts that question at the heart of your research. Gain an understanding of human impacts on the environment and develop sustainable environmental practices to reduce them.
Quick facts
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Additional facts
STEM-OPT extension eligible: Yes
International students (F1) can extend U.S. work experience by 24 months.
Accreditation
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
ASU is not currently accepting applications for this program.
Environmental Social Science, PhD degree description
The Doctor of Philosophy program in environmental social science is one of the few doctoral programs in the U.S. that draw on the premise that reducing human impacts and developing more sustainable environmental practices is difficult or impossible to achieve without focusing 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.
You work with faculty who have expertise in a wide variety 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
The program trains you to move into teaching and research positions or to assume leadership roles in government, industry or nongovernmental organizations.
Coursework is focused on developing real-world skills and a solid grasp of complex social science approaches to environmental issues. You work closely with your committee to develop a curriculum appropriate to your interests and career goals.
The concentration in urbanism leverages the varied interests in urbanism and helps emerging scholars as they attempt to compare, contrast and take stock of different aspects of urbanism. Working with faculty across a number of departments and programs at ASU, you are able to capture the creative tensions that scholarship on urbanism has inspired to stimulate a provocative, constructive kind of inquiry.
Why specialize in environmental social science (urbanism) at ASU?
Because environmental questions cross disciplines, the environmental social science program draws on more than 30 graduate faculty spread across 10 different units at ASU, giving you a genuinely interdisciplinary network to build your research with.
Additional details
Through the Association of All Graduate Students, dedicated student leaders and volunteers organize activities on your behalf and create a forum where your concerns as a graduate student can be heard. The group serves as a direct link to The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' faculty and administration, the ASU Graduate College, other ASU graduate students and undergraduate majors, helping everyone make better-informed decisions about student life.
Curriculum
This graduate degree includes courses focused on a specialized topic, so you can advance your skills for further professional opportunities. Explore all courses below:
84 credit hours, a written comprehensive exam, an oral comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation
Students entering with a master's degree in a related field may be granted up to 30 credit hours toward the 84 credit hour total required for the doctorate, leaving 30 credit hours of coursework, 12 credit hours of research and 12 credit hours of dissertation (54 credit hours total) to be earned after admission. Students entering without a master's degree must complete an additional 30 credit hours of graduate coursework, produce a research portfolio that is formally evaluated by a faculty committee, and present that research in a public forum before continuing to the later stage of the doctorate program. All students must maintain an average GPA of 3.20 in their courses and complete degree requirements per the program's satisfactory progress policy. All students entering the program complete 18 credit hours of core classes in conceptual domains and topical foci. For the concentration in urbanism, students select 15 credit hours from an approved list of applicable courses related to urbanism. Some of the environmental social science core courses also count toward the concentration in urbanism. These courses include the core urbanism course GCU 516, as well as one course from each of the four urbanism clusters: built form, culture and society, institutions and governance, and natural environment. Additional credit hours come from courses in research design, technical expertise and electives. Students may select from a substantial variety of courses to satisfy noncore requirements.
Admission requirements
Here are the admission and application details
All students are required to meet general university admission requirements.
U.S. applicants (opens in new window) | International applicants (opens in new window) | English proficiency (opens in new window)
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: Additional Application Information Applicants may submit with their application materials an optional scholarly writing sample, not to exceed 30 double-spaced pages.
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.
Paying for college
Use our calculator to estimate your full-time or part-time tuition fees for this program prior to any financial aid. Keep in mind that most of our students receive financial aid, which can reduce out-of-pocket costs.
Get an estimateCareer opportunities
Careers this environmental social science (urbanism) concentration prepares you for
Individuals with keen thinking skills who can manage, evaluate and interpret large amounts of data are in high demand in the job market. As the many spheres of human interaction expand globally, people with the training of this degree 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 private or public sectors
- planning communities
- teaching
Contact information
Use the contact information below to get in touch if you're a current student or have general questions.
Prospective students should fill out the Request for Information form.
School of Human Evolution & Social Change
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SHESC 233
shesc.grad@asu.edu
480-965-6215
Admission deadlines
Frequently asked questions about degree programs
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) provides a reduced tuition rate to non-resident graduate students who qualify. Visit the WRGP/WICHE webpage for more information: https://graduate.asu.edu/wiche.
