PSU’s Earth, Environment, and Society doctoral program is an interdisciplinary program focusing on the most pressing environmental, geological, and associated societal challenges of today. The expertise of our faculty advisors and students span a range of physical and social science disciplines with particular focus on water, climate, ecology, and geological hazards. The EES program gives students the skills, knowledge, and training opportunities to excel in a wide range of cutting edge, high-demand professional careers.
Portland State is Oregon’s urban research university. Located in the heart of Downtown Portland, within easy reach of the Willamette Valley, Oregon Coast, Cascade Mountains, and high deserts, PSU is a truly unique place to study Earth, environmental, and geospatial science. EES PhD students benefit from the diverse expertises of our faculty and students whose interests are at the heart of today's interdisciplinary solutions. At PSU, we regularly engage with local, regional, and national agencies, NGOs, and industries, with such partnerships enabled by our location in Oregon’s largest city. Additionally, the geological, ecological, and societal diversity of the region provides exceptional research opportunities for a wide range of academic and professional interests. The success of EES graduates across a wide range of disciplines and career pathways demonstrates the unique training opportunities we provide.
Areas of PhD student research focus in the EES program include:
- Atmospheric science
- Climate science
- Earth science
- Ecology and Ecological Restoration
- Environmental justice
- Forest, landscape, and disturbance ecology
- Geographic information and spatial data science
- Geology
- Hydrology
- Limnology
- Marine science
- Planetary science
- Political ecology
- Remote Sensing
- Resources management
- Social sciences
- Sustainability and resilience
- Wildfire and natural hazards
- Zoology
Our location in Portland, Oregon gives you access to an array of opportunities to hone your Earth, environmental, or social science skills to practice disciplinary scholarship or interdisciplinary approaches. You can also take advantage of the vibrant policy landscape of Oregon, home to the nation's first bottle bill, climate action plan, urban growth boundary, as well as innovation in many other arenas such as wildfire, plastics, watersheds, and planning. Our place and our expertise allow students to develop original research ideas that dive deep into fundamental challenges of the future while seeking applications and solutions focused on urban and cultural landscapes, socio-ecological systems, and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. When you graduate with a doctorate in Earth, Environment, and Society, you will be well on your way to becoming one of the world’s experts on the future challenges at the nexus people, place, and our planet.
Our alumni have careers in research and academia, local through federal government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and industry. Below is a sampling of current employers of recent graduates.
- American Farmland Trust
- Appalachian Trail Conservancy
- City of Portland
- Kaiser Permanente
- United States Forest Service
- University of California San Diego
- University of Utah
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife