In addition to the immense opportunities in graduate level education and scholarship, UCSB offers several interdisciplinary emphases to enhance student’s education by acquiring skills that supplement their major discipline. Two of these emphases offer supplemental training and mentorship on environment and economics, and environment and society scholarship. 

PhD Emphasis in Economics and Environment

The Emphasis in Economics and Environmental Science (EES) is a joint undertaking of the UCSB Department of Economics and the Bren School, administered through the Bren School. The goal of the emphasis is to provide a new model for doctoral training in environmental and resource economics. EES students receive Ph.D.-level training in economics and a companion area of natural science (climate, hydrology, applied ecology, and marine science are examples). Students who pursue this option acquire a deep and expert knowledge of economics, as well as an understanding and appreciation of the research questions and methods of a natural science that complements their economics research.

Economics and Environment PhD program

Ph.D. Emphasis in Environment and Society

The Interdepartmental Ph.D. Emphasis in Environment and Society (IPEES), based in the Environmental Studies Program, enables student participants to benefit from UCSB’s extraordinary strengths in environmental studies and sciences by reaching beyond the resources available in their home departments. Participants enrich their knowledge of interdisciplinary environmental scholarship, join a community of diverse but like-minded scholars, and receive mentorship from faculty outside their discipline. The goal of IPEES is to assist participants in developing the integrative thinking and problem-solving skills necessary to lead the next generation of environmental scholars in their respective fields.

Interdepartmental Ph.D. Emphasis in Environment and Society