Environment and Politics

Entry requirements

Admission to the PhD programme is normally based on good performance at undergraduate level (usually a 2.1 or a First) and a Masters degree with a minimum 60% award mark; at least one of these will be in a social science-related subject. In exceptional cases the department may consider students from non-social science backgrounds, where the student can clearly demonstrate equivalent experience and knowledge and this is supported by academic references. Before being admitted to the programme all students will be interviewed.

Months of entry

January, April, July, October

Course content

This doctoral programme involves interdisciplinary research that cuts across these two disciplines. Students are jointly supervised by a member of the Department of Environment and the Department of Politics. Both Departments have strong research cultures: Environment has a graduate research school of around 40 students and Politics has around 50 research students.

Previous students have worked on a wide range of topics including:

• Discursive democracy and the use of fire in forestry management in Queensland
• The effectiveness of international environmental regimes: the Mediterranean Action Plan
• Power and common property resources in community forestry in Mexico
• Institutions in natural resource management: Ecological and Socio-economic Implications for the Management of Valuable Tree Species in Agroforestry Parklands

Information for international students

Applicants whose first language is not English may need to satisfy language requirements.

The Department of Politics has a higher minimum level than the university more generally, because of the more difficult nature of the literature that Politics students must engage with. The departmental requirements are:

IELTS: 6.5 (with a minimum of 6.0 in each component)

The University accepts other evidence of English language attainment, please see the Postgraduate Admissions web pages.

Fees and funding