Catalog Department Overview ►

Minimum Requirements for Earth System Science Ph.D.: 26 credits

Concentrations:  Sustainability, Ecosystems, Hydrology, Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, Cryosphere, Solid Earth Geophysics, Geoscience, Geospatial Science

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Requires 18 thesis credits.

²

Recommended courses from any of the concentrations or the methods and cross-cutting list.

Methods and Cross-cutting Course List

Concentrations

Sustainability

This concentration encompasses scholarly and practical aspects of sustainability and society in Earth System Science with a specific emphasis on Alaska and the Arctic. The vision is to provide graduate training in interdisciplinary research to solve real-world problems, especially in building mutually respectful research partnerships with groups, organizations and communities outside the University.

Ecosystems

The Ecosystems concentration in Earth System Science addresses the interactions of organisms with the transformation and flux of energy and matter. Inherently, ecosystem science is interdisciplinary, including ecology, natural history, statistics, chemistry, geology, geography, and hydrology. Students will therefore benefit from shared courses and seminars with other concentrations. Students enrolling in the Ecosystems concentration will pursue research and training in observing, modeling, and predicting processes including fluxes of water, energy, carbon, and nutrients, and many will focus on high-latitude ecosystems.

Hydrology

Understanding how water cycles through the Earth’s many systems fundamentally link hydrology to a broad range of scientific disciplines and societal needs. Focusing on water movement and storage in the Arctic brings particular intrigue and challenge regarding interactions with frozen ground, glacier runoff, freeze-thaw cycles, snowmelt, and river and lake ice dynamics.  Career opportunities for graduates of the Hydrology Concentration in Earth System Science include river flood forecasting, field and remote sensing hydrologist, water quality specialist, water resources management and policy, water supply treatment and distribution, stream and fish habitat restoration, and the opportunity to work as a cold-regions hydrologist with interdisciplinary science and resource management teams in Alaska and other northern regions. Graduates are prepared to hold positions in government, industry, consulting or academia.

Atmospheric and Climate Sciences

The field of atmospheric and climate science covers a wide variety of disciplines involving the physical and chemical properties and processes of the atmosphere. Current research in atmospheric sciences focuses on atmospheric dynamics, chemistry and biogeochemistry, air-sea-ice interactions, climate modeling, cloud and aerosol physics, radiative processes, mesoscale modeling, numerical weather prediction, aviation weather, and the upper atmosphere (stratosphere and mesosphere). The faculty are well-positioned to be a vibrant part of methods and cross-cutting education and research in the Earth System Science Program. 

Graduate students are an essential component of a research university and an integral component of the research activities across the campus at UAF, both in the experiments in the laboratory and the field as well as in data sciences, which includes modeling and analysis or weather and climate data. Research institutes and the CNSM provide excellent environments for research in atmospheric and climate sciences as well as multidisciplinary research with researchers spanning diverse expertise.

Cryosphere

The Cryopshereic Concentration is located within the geosphere cohort of ESS tracks. This concentration focuses on snow, sea ice, glaciers, and permafrost. Research within the Cryosphere Concentration is grounded in physics, mathematics, numerical modeling and data science. Methods and applications in Cryosphere seek to understand earth surface processes at high latitudes and how they are responding to ongoing climate change as well as associated impacts on both the built and natural environment. The courses and research associated with snow, sea ice, glaciers, and permafrost connect with the full spectrum of topics in the Earth System Science curriculum, including geospatial sciences, geosciences, climate science, hydrology, ecology, and sustainability.  The Cryosphere Concentration at UAF is strengthened by the expansive natural laboratory and faculty expertise. Ph.D. and MS coursework and graduate research will be conducted closely with the Geophysical Institute.

Solid Earth Geophysics

The Solid Earth Geophysics concentration of Earth System Science includes the disciplines of seismology, geodesy, volcanology, and infrasound, and it is grounded in physics, mathematics, computing, and data science. Methods and applications in Solid Earth Geophysics seek to characterize dynamic Earth processes and associated natural hazards relevant to Alaska and surrounding regions, including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and landslides. Continuously recording instruments used in Solid Earth Geophysics, such as seismometers and GPS, capture a wide range of environmental activities and phenomena relevant to Earth System Science, in addition to human-caused events such as nuclear explosions.

Geoscience

The Geoscience concentration falls within the geosphere cohort of ESS tracks with a focus on tectonics, paleontology, and petrology of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. Methods and applications include reconstruction of past climates, ecosystems, and plate configurations, dating of geologic specimens, and locating economically valuable mineral deposits.

Geospatial Science

The Geospatial Science concentration of Earth System Science includes the disciplines of visible to infrared and microwave (SAR and InSAR) remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems, and their applications in the area of geosciences, natural resource management, and environmental monitoring. It is grounded in geographic science, mathematics, computer science, and data science. Methods and applications in the Geospatial Science concentration seek to characterize our changing environment, inventory and management of natural resources, and mitigate risks from geo-hazards relevant to Alaska and surrounding regions. Continuous geospatial observations of our ever-changing environment and geo-hazards from space and air are essential components of Earth System Science, as they allow for detailed studies of processes and events across scales relevant to the associated disciplines.

Complete the following admission requirements:

University Admission criteria apply to Earth System Science, notably, that incoming students must have an undergraduate degree in a suitable field of study. Admission to Earth System Science (without concentration) is determined by an admissions committee. Admission to Earth System Science with concentration is determined by an admissions committee established within each concentration. Furthermore, the following concentrations have specific admission requirements:

• Hydrology: 1 year calculus, 1 year physics, and 1 year of either geology, chemistry, biology, or engineering

• Atmospheric and Climate Sciences: 1 year calculus, differential equations, chemistry

• Cryosphere and Solid Earth Geophysics: 1 year calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra (recommended: partial differential equations, computational physics)

Catalog Department Overview ►

Learning Outcomes are measurable statements that describe knowledge or skills achieved by students upon completion of the program.

Students graduating from this program will be able to:

• Compose clear text consisting of cogent arguments aimed at multiple audiences: peer-reviewed publications, research reports, stakeholder communications and public audiences
• Deliver a clear professional presentation for varied audiences (scientific, stakeholder and public) and field questions related to the presentation with confidence and poise
• Analyze a research problem, identify the critical aspects, and devise appropriate methods to answer the questions and address problems that arise
• Apply appropriate technical methods to their research problem, demonstrate critical thinking and defend their work
• Follow ethical guidelines for all data collected and produced and for intellectual property
• Identify an ethical dilemma and distinguish between ethical and unethical behavior
• Demonstrate a depth of knowledge in their concentration
• Demonstrate an acceptable level of understanding in critical subject matters
• Demonstrate an acceptable level of understanding beyond their concentration
• Demonstrate an acceptable level of awareness and respect for Indigenous knowledge