Graduate Research Programme

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The Ph.D is designed to be completed with five years of study. During the first two years, students take courses and complete two exploratory research projects in consultation with two different faculty advisors. They also generate a proposal for their Ph.D. research. After completing a qualifying examination their second year, they focus on completing their doctoral project, working closely with a primary faculty advisor. Students are required to take at least 24 Academic Units of classes during their Ph.D., which roughly translates to between six and eight courses. Students already possessing Master’s Degrees may be allowed to waive up to half of their course requirements.

To learn more about the process of obtaining a Ph.D., click here.

Scholarships & Financial Assistance

100% of our current students receive scholarship funding that includes their tuition and stipend. There are several potential sources of funding available to our graduate students. Please click here for more details.

Research

Faculty at DES and EOS conduct research in a broad range of areas, including Active Tectonics, Tsunamis, Volcanology, Sea Level History, Atmosphere and Ocean Interaction, and Environmental Change. Please browse the research section to learn more, and then contact faculty whose research interests you to learn more about the opportunities they may have available for potential Ph.D.s.

How To Apply

If you think that we might be a good fit for you, the first step is to learn more about the research that happens here. Please take some time to look through the faculty research pages, and identify faculty whose interests may align with yours. The first step to applying is to contact potential faculty mentors, who can tell you more about their research programmes and work with you to see if you might be a good match. Once you have identified a potential faculty mentor, you can work with them, along with our graduate services officer to submit your application. Please click here for more details.

Entry Requirements

To apply to our programme, you are not required to possess a Master’s Degree. Although we prefer that students have undergraduate degrees in Earth Science or a related field, students from related fields in the sciences and engineering are encouraged to apply. We do require that students complete standardised tests as part of their entry requirements. For more about our entry requirements, click here.