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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION INDEX Mission
and Priorities
Illinois is a state rich in natural resources -- minerals, water, forests, and soils and climate that provide an outstanding resource base for agriculture. Past utilization of these resources has greatly fueled the economic development of the nation's sixth most populous state. However, growing national and global demand for natural resources places the future of this resource base at risk at the same time that resource development often works to the detriment of legitimate and growing societal demands for environmental quality. Students who will form the 21st Century Illinois workforce need to be educated in the complex inter-dependencies among (a) the biological and physical processes that create natural resources and natural hazards, (b) the environmental impacts of utilizing natural resources, (c) the socio-economic forces driving natural resource use, (d) the societal problems and opportunities that resource use creates, and (e) how people and society decide to respond through individual actions and public policy. Yet this is a daunting challenge that can only be met by challenging the traditional categorization of knowledge into academic disciplines, and the separation of science from decision-making. It requires a creative inter-disciplinary approach oriented toward applied problem-solving based on broad principles, such as sustainability and the dynamics of complex systems. These issues are not confined to Illinois or to the United States. Environmental challenges such as the transformation by human activities of one-half of the land surface of the planet, the 30% increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide since the industrial revolution, the human use of more than half the available freshwater resources, and the accelerated extinction of plant and animal species, has prompted the National Science Foundation’s Task Force on the Environment to call for $1 billion in new federal funding for environmental research over the next five years, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary research. This proposal creates a new Ph.D. program in Environmental Resources and Policy (ER&P) at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. The program will be led by the Geography and Geology Departments, which currently have Ph.D. programs in place, and also including as an equal partner the College of Agriculture (Departments of Agribusiness Economics; Forestry; and Plant, Soil, and General Agriculture), with support from the School of Law, the College of Engineering, other key faculty at SIUC, and State of Illinois environmental agencies. The University's purpose in establishing a Ph.D. degree program in Environmental Resources and Policy (ER&P) is to educate highly-qualified, versatile professionals to fill positions in private industry, government agencies, and academic institutions. The central focus
of the ER&P Ph.D. is advanced inter-disciplinary training and research
on physical, biological, and social processes responsible for natural resource
and environmental problems facing contemporary society. Additionally, the
ER&P Ph.D. will focus on assessing public policy alternatives to address
those problems and create new opportunities. The curriculum is designed
to be information-rich, utilizing such computer-based technologies as the
Internet and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and focused on inter-disciplinary
ideas, such as those articulated by the United Nations Environment Program,
the World Resources Institute and Resources for the Future. Through the
six problem-oriented and industry-oriented concentrations, the ER&P
Ph.D. is a course of study that is particularly well suited to training
and re-training environmental and natural resource professionals in public
agencies and private-sector firms, but should also serve to educate a new
generation of inter-disciplinary academics as well. The central problem
addressed by the ER&P Ph.D. is sustainability -- meeting the economic
needs of the present while maintaining the natural capital required to
meet the economic and environmental needs of the future.
The objectives of the Ph.D. in Environmental Resources and Policy are to: 1. Provide students with an advanced interdisciplinary education in the physical, biological, and social processes that generate natural resources, natural hazards, and environmental quality problems with a perspective on public policy and social institutions that shape societal and individual reactions to environmental issues. The education will prepare students to work with multifaceted environmental issues and enable them to carry out interdisciplinary scientific research and be qualified for higher level administrative positions in government (e.g. U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. EPA, U.S. Forest Service, Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources, U.S. Department of Agriculture), the private sector (e.g. environmental consulting firms, electric and water utilities, mining and solid waste management firms), and an evolving niche within academia for inter-disciplinary environmental analysts. This will allow SIUC to address the most compelling and daunting challenge in natural resource and environmental issues--identifying and solving problems and opportunities that cross disciplinary boundaries. Examples:
2. Place SIUC among the top universities nationally and at the forefront of Illinois universities in graduate education in the environmental/natural resources arena by having the primary interdisciplinary environmental/natural resources Ph.D. program in the state. 3. Improve the efficiency of graduate education at SIUC, and build a critical mass of faculty in the environmental/natural resources area by focusing the strengths of faculty in Geography, Geology, and the College of Agriculture (Departments of Agribusiness Economics, Forestry, Plant, Soil, and General Agriculture), as well as those in the College of Engineering (Departments of Civil, Mining, and Mechanical Engineering), and the Law School. 4. Provide a vehicle for research faculty in masters-only departments and professional schools to fully participate and exercise their talents in a doctoral program and research. 5. Build upon the interdisciplinary research being done by the Coal Research Center, the Cache River research group, and the Illinois Groundwater Consortium in order to improve opportunities for external funding of research as well as to maximize the utility of such facilities as the International Water Resources Association (IWRA), the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR), the Universities Water Information Network (UWIN), the Spatial and Environmental Analysis Laboratory (SEAL), the Coal Characterization Laboratory, the Organic Geochemistry Laboratory, and the Geomorphology and Environmental Geology Laboratory. 6. Establish and reinforce partnerships with State of Illinois environmental agencies, such as the Illinois State Water Survey, and the Illinois Departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture. The Graduate School offers the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Environmental Resources and Policy. This degree provides students with an interdisciplinary education in natural resource and environmental processes with a perspective on public policy and social institutions that shape societal and individual reactions to environmental issues. The education will prepare students to work with multifaceted environmental problems and enable them to carry out interdisciplinary scientific research and be qualified for high-level administration positions in academia, government (e.g. U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. EPA, U.S. Forest Service, Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources, U.S. Department of Agriculture), and the private sector (e.g. environmental consulting firms, electric and water utilities, mining and solid waste firms). This will enable graduates to address the most compelling and daunting challenge in natural resource and environmental issues--identifying and solving problems that cross disciplinary boundaries. The Environmental
Resources and Policy Ph.D. is organized by the Departments of Geography
and Geology, and the College of Agriculture ( Departments of Agribusiness
Economics, Forestry and Plant, Soil and General Agriculture). The School
of Law and the College of Engineering also cooperate in the program.
Earth and Environmental Processes Students who select
this specialization combine elements of the modern, process-oriented geology
curriculum (sedimentology, geomorphology, petrology, basin analysis, seismology,
potential-field geophysics, organic and water geochemistry, tectonics,
and paleo-environmental analysis) with allied disciplines to prepare for
research into a broad range of environmental studies. This concentration
emphasizes the geological process approach to analysis of such problems
as flooding, earthquake hazards, land-use practices, aquifer degradation,
and mine site remediation.
Energy and Mineral Resources Energy and mineral
resources include hydrocarbons (oil, natural gas, coal, and their naturally-occurring
and manufactured derivatives), and both metallic and non-metallic (industrial)
mineral and rock deposits. This specialization comprises studies of the
origins and physical occurrences of these resources, together with technologies
and policies concerning their extraction and use.
Environmental Policy and Administration Making and administering
environmental policy has become an exceedingly complex arena where science
interacts strongly with law and the political process. Students enrolled
in this concentration will examine these interactions and complexities
with a focus on the socioeconomic driving forces that generate resource
use and attendant environmental problems, and the political and legal frameworks
through which societies make and implement public policy in the environmental
field.
Forestry, Agricultural, and Rural Land Resources Many environmental
problems, challenges and policies take place on rural landscapes where
forestry and agricultural land uses are intermingled with non-farm rural
residents and others. Many rural land uses contribute to environmental
problems and the development of environmentally benign and sustainable
methods of production are goals of environmental policy. Consequently,
through this concentration, students will examine the interaction among
environmental quality, production, and the process and institutions of
public policy.
Geographic Information Systems and Environmental Modeling Modern environmental
sciences, management and planning rely on acquisition, analysis and integration
of large data bases using remote sensing, digital image processing, geographic
information systems and environmental modeling. The purpose of this concentration
is to enable students to develop high skills in these areas and to apply
them to one or more natural resource domains (e.g., hydrogeology, forest
inventory, spatial decision support systems, environmental modeling).
Water Resources As a critical flow
resource, water is of central importance to society and, through hydrologic
processes, is involved in many environmental issues from water shortages
in populous arid regions to ground water quality concerns associated with
agri-chemical use. Through this concentration, students will examine the
interaction among hydrologic processes, environmental quality, water resource
use, and the processes and institutions of the private sector and public
policy that govern water resources.
Participating faculty are listed by concentration, department and research specialization. Some faculty contribute to more than one concentration. (Note: This list is subject to change.) See the departmental web pages for more information on individual faculty members:
Agribusiness Economics
Earth and Environmental Processes James Blackburn,
Mechanical
Engineering, Bioremediation
Robert Beck,
Law,
Oil and Gas Law, Mining Law
Robert Beck,
Law,
Oil and Gas Law, Mining Law
Cem Basman,
Forestry,
Forest Recreation
Rolando Bravo,
Civil
Engineering, Hydrological Modeling
Robert Beck,
Law,
Water Law
Students will be admitted to the program on the basis of academic merit, statement of interest, and the availability of a willing Ph.D. advisor. Ph.D. students will be selected on a national and international competitive basis. Admissions will not be rationed by concentration. Students must have a Masters Degree or a J. D. Students with a Bachelors Degree may be admitted conditional upon completion of a masters degree from one of the participating departments. Admission and financial aid are competitive on the basis of Masters-level GPA, professional work experience, and GRE scores, as well as letters of recommendation. Applicants must meet two of the following three criteria: 1) a Masters-level GPA of at least 3.25 2) a combined verbal and quantitative GRE score of 1100 3) three years of successful professional experience in the environmental/natural resources field. Highly qualified applicants will be nominated for Doctoral Fellowships and Morris Fellowships. Students must remain in good standing with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and be making good progress toward identification and completion of a dissertation project. Students in good standing will be offered funding for at least 3 9-month academic years.
By the end of their second semester in residence, students must have chosen a concentration and formed a graduate committee to oversee their dissertation research. The graduate committee may have a maximum of three of the five members from one department. Completion of research tools will be determined by committee. Written and oral preliminary examinations consist of two parts, one based on the program core material, and one on the student's chosen concentration. When the student has passed prelims and a dissertation proposal is accepted by the committee, students are admitted to candidacy. If prelims are not passed, they must wait a minimum of three months for the second and final attempt to pass the exam. Candidates will be required to present an acceptable dissertation describing original research. Dissertation approval is based on a successful oral defense of the dissertation research and approval of the dissertation by the graduate committee. The dissertation research must also be presented in ERP 598. Prerequisites Students must have at least three of the seven courses listed below to be admitted and must have five upon completion of the program. It is anticipated that most students will fulfill many of the prerequisites through their previous work at the undergraduate and Master's level and will have working facility with micro-computers. For those students without adequate background, identified courses are required to provide students with the background necessary to successfully participate in the program.
Core: 12 credits Concentration: 24 credits minimum Dissertation: 24 credits (ERP 600) TOTAL: 60 credits Required Courses: ERP 500 -- Physical and Biological Environmental Systems (3) (Team Taught--Fall of 1st Year) Application of principles of systems analysis, including chaos and complex adaptive systems, to Earth biogeochemical cycles (e.g. energy, carbon, water, nutrients), inter-relations among them and disruptions to them. Topical focus will vary among: the analysis of how contaminants travel, especially through ground water, and become dispersed in the environment; the origin of soils and the movement of nutrients among plants, water and soils; the origin and distribution of natural resources such as metals and fossil fuels and of natural hazards such as flooding, earthquakes, landslides, and volcanism; the global carbon cycle, especially its role in global climate change. ERP 501 -- Economic Systems and Environmental Change (3) (Team Taught--Spring of 1st Year) Investigation of the social forces driving natural resource use and environmental change, including population growth, the globalization and migration of economic activity, changing land use patterns, and economic and technological trends in the major resource use sectors: energy, agriculture, water, and forestry. Principles of environmental impact assessment, ecological footprint analysis and industrial ecology are introduced. The challenge of sustainable development sets the stage for an analysis of the future adequacy of the natural resources base on which societies and economies depend. ERP 502 -- Environmental Decision-Making (3) (Team Taught--Fall of 2nd Year) Analytical concepts relevant for environmental professionals will be taught and demonstrated through case studies. Topics to be covered include risk assessment and risk management, formulation of environmental impact statements, cost effectiveness and cost benefit analysis, and methods of conflict resolution. The role of economic incentives in encouraging resource conservation, the role of multiple institutional players in environmental decision-making at various geographic scales (local, state, national, international, global), and the use of the Internet as a source of environmental information will be emphasized ERP 598 -- Applied Environmental Resources and Policy (1 credit each year in residence.) Invited speakers from federal, state, or local agencies; nongovernmental organizations; academic institutions; and ERP faculty will present case studies on the conduct of environmental research, the development of environmental laws and regulation, and the implementation of environmental policies. Additionally, students will present dissertation proposals and defend their dissertations.
Earth and Environmental Processes Required Courses: Mastery of one or
more research tools.
Elective Areas: Specific courses and research tools will be determined by the student and the research supervisor in consultation with the student's faculty advisory committee. Owing to the highly individual nature of each student's interests and career goals, elective courses and research tools will comprise a multi-disciplinary spectrum, for example: geology, biological science, physical science areas other than geology, geography (GIS and cartography), environmental law, remote sensing, soil science, mining and civil engineering, computer science, and statistics. Total: 24 semester
hours minimum.
Required Courses: Mastery of one or
more research tools.
Elective Areas: Specific courses and research tools will be determined by the student and the research supervisor in consultation with the student's faculty advisory committee. Owing to the highly individual nature of each student's interests and career goals, elective courses and research tools will comprise a multi-disciplinary spectrum, for example: geology, biological science, physical science areas other than geology, geography (GIS and cartography), environmental law, remote sensing, soil science, mining and civil engineering, computer science, and statistics. Total: 24 semester
hours minimum.
Environmental Policy and Administration
Total: 24 Credits
Minimum
Forestry, Agricultural, and Rural Land Resources
Total: 24 Credits
Minimum
Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing and Environmental Modeling
24 Credits Minimum
Total 24 Credits Minimum |
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Last updated 2002.07.26 |
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