Project Profile
Economics of the Environment
University of California at Santa Barbara
Abstract
This IGERT award supported the establishment of a multidisciplinary graduate training program of education and research in environmental economics (including resource economics), integrating environmental science with economics. The vision of the Program was to provide the first truly multidisciplinary Ph.D. program in environmental economics, a program that does not… more »
This IGERT award supported the establishment of a multidisciplinary graduate training program of education and research in environmental economics (including resource economics), integrating environmental science with economics. The vision of the Program was to provide the first truly multidisciplinary Ph.D. program in environmental economics, a program that does not compromise the depth of economics education nor the depth of education in a companion natural science discipline. Most Ph.D. programs in environmental economics are either very narrowly economic in orientation or disciplinarily broad, with some strength in a variety of disciplines, including economics. This IGERT program sought a third path, producing Ph.D.s who are as well trained in economics as any graduating from a good economics department but who also have Ph.D. level depth in one of four complementary fields of natural science: climate, conservation biology, hydrology and marine science. The complementary science fields specified are not intended to be comprehensive but rather to reflect faculty strengths at UCSB.
The IGERT support has ended, but the Economics and Environmental Science program it helped create is flourishing. Applicants may apply either through the Economics Department or the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management. During the first half of their nominal five years in the Program, students acquire strength in economics and their companion natural science discipline, primarily through coursework. As students move into the second half of their tenure in the Program, they become absorbed in research and research workshops, culminating in the writing of the dissertation. In addition to coursework, three features of the curriculum are designed to build multidisciplinary strength: (i) research seminars in environmental policy, environmental economics, and the chosen complementary field of natural science; (ii) development of an original empirical paper as an intermediate step to the dissertation; and (iii) assisting faculty with the supervision of Masters students involved in group thesis work. Other aspects of the program are designed to strengthen student research skills, introduce issues of ethics in research and develop skills for entering the job market.
It is the goal of this integrated degree program to train the next generation of environmental economists, people who can truly bridge the gap between economics and the natural sciences that underlie environmental problems. The program described is comprehensive, designed to turn out research leaders and innovative thinkers. These graduates will enrich the workplace, both academic and nonacademic. « less
