Doctoral Programs
From geophysics to environmental economics, earth and environmental science doctoral students will find a series of multidisciplinary Ph.D. program options tapping the extensive resources of Columbia University's science departments and institutes, as well as those of our partners. Visit the following links for a sampling of our doctoral and post-doctoral programs:
(Ph.D.)
Sustainable Development is critically important because many of the most important policy challenges facing the planet require a central focus on sustainability and development. The new interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Sustainable Development is designed to educate researchers, university teachers, and world leaders in the social and natural science disciplines that underpin sustainable development.
(Ph.D., Eng.Sc.D.)
Bridge the divide between natural and engineered systems: Earn a Ph.D. through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences or an Eng.Sc.D. through the School of Engineering.
Further your studies of the science of planet Earth working towards your Ph.D. through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and one of three affiliated institutions: the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, or the American Museum of Natural History.
Conducted in cooperation with the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, this Ph.D. program focuses on studies of planetary atmosphere and global climate.
(Dr.P.H., Ph.D.)
Dr.P.H. students at the School of Public Health focus on understanding and predicting the health effects of environmental and occupational exposure to chemicals and radiation. Students acquire a general background in public health, specialize in an area of interest and undertake an intensive research project. Ph.D. students develop scholarly expertise and focus on laboratory-based investigation.
The Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) program is designed to provide the broad education needed to describe, understand and conserve the Earth’s biological diversity in all its forms. Matriculating students will develop the skills to conduct ecological, behavioral, systematic, molecular and other evolutionary biological research, as well as to formulate and implement environmental policy.
(Ph.D.)
Columbia has offered a Ph.D. program in Evolutionary Primatology for over a decade. Many aspects of this program are coordinated with the New York Consortium of Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), which provides a multi-institutional venue for graduate training leading to the Ph.D., emphasizing all aspects of the behavioral, ecological, morphological and evolutionary biology of primates.
High school students in the New York Young Conservationists class determine the approximate near-shore marine biodiversity.