PhD Environmental Social Science (Complex Adaptive Systems Science) at Arizona State University

Programme overview

The Doctor of Philosophy program in environmental social science is one of the few doctoral degree programs in the U.S. that draws on the premise that reducing human impacts and developing more sustainable environmental practices is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve without a focus on the social dynamics of environmental issues using critical social science perspectives.

What you will study

84 credit hours, a written comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation Required Core (3 credit hours) ASB 530/ESS 530/SOS 553 Changing Human-nature Relationships (3) Concentration (12 credit hours) ASM 570 Fundamentals of CAS Science (3) one course in mathematics of CASS (3) one course in modeling of CASS (3) one course in application of CASS (3) Electives or Research (45 credit hours) Research (12 credit hours) ESS 792 Research (12) Culminating Experience (12 credit hours) ESS 799 Dissertation (12) Additional Curriculum Information When approved by the student's supervisory committee and the Graduate College, this program allows 30 credit hours from a previously awarded master's degree to be used for this degree.

Career pathways

The program trains students to move into teaching and research positions or to assume leadership roles in government, industry and nongovernmental organizations. There is a demand in the job market for people with keen thinking skills who can manage, evaluate and interpret large amounts of data.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution. Undergraduate coursework in the social sciences (e.g., geography, political science, sociology, anthropology, planning or history) is not a prerequisite for admission but is generally advisable. Students may be admitted without such a background and may be required to acquire knowledge of the social sciences in a manner to be specified at the time of admission. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

Domestic applicants: USD 13,327 a year (2026-27). Arizona resident tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads Source

International applicants: USD 24,780 a year (2026-27). International tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads ar Source

Entry terms: Fall, Spring and Summer; the terms available for each programme are listed in Degree Search.

Graduate application deadlines are set by each programme office and listed in Degree Search. The nonrefundable application fee is $75 for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, DACA and international online students outside the U.S., and $120 for international students on a nonimmigrant visa studying in the U.S.

Apply through the official page: https://admission.asu.edu/apply/graduate/admission

Explore more study programmes

Engineering