What to Consider During the Application Process
1. Degrees
- Ph.D. in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (NRES)
Students in NRES focus on problems dealing with the allocation and distribution of natural resources, policies at the local to global scale, and ethical and societal factors that affect resource management. Students receiving the PhD degree in NRES will typically have a bachelors and/or master's degree in economics, environmental conservation, philosophy, political science, or sociology.
- Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES)
Students in EES focus on problems dealing with the physical, chemical, and/or biological processes that affect earth and environmental systems. Students receiving the PhD degree in EES will typically have a bachelors and/or master's degree in biology, ecology, environmental science, geology, hydrology, or microbiology.
Please note the choice of the program/degree on the application form. (Degree may be changed once enrolled.)
2. Faculty Advisors
To enter the NRESS Ph.D. program, students must have a faculty advisor, who will mentor and oversee the student’s graduate program, including identification of an advisory committee, necessary courses and selection of research topic. The faculty advisor will also oversee the administration of exams and preparation of the dissertation. Applicants should visit the NRESS program website and review the list of faculty in their area of interest. The applicant should contact potential faculty advisors to discuss their interests and determine whether the faculty member(s) may be willing and able to serve as the student’s advisor. Links to each individual faculty member’s homepage and contact information are found on the NRESS Faculty List. E-mailing a letter of interest with an attached resume to prospective faculty advisors is recommended. If assistance is needed in this process, please feel free to contact the NRESS Program Coordinator.
The program does not require application interviews, although meetings with prospective advisors often do occur prior to or during the application process.
Upon identifying a potential faculty advisor, applicants should indicate this in their application and/or via email to the NRESS Program Coordinator to ensure that the application materials are forwarded to the appropriate faculty member(s).
For information on departments and research groups at UNH that are associated with the NRESS Program, see the links above.
3. Funding
4. Following up on an application
Applicants should check their file frequently at the Graduate School website to make sure that all of their application materials are arriving in a timely manner. Please contact the Graduate School, grad.school@unh.edu, and/or Jennifer Bourgeault, the NRESS Program Coordinator, nress.phd@unh.edu, if there are problems with an application.
