Degree programs offered

The program in Resilience and Adaptation Program offers degree programs at the PhD and Masters level. Students receive their degree in the academic department that represents their disciplinary strength, but they will take the Resilience and Adaptation Program core training program that provides interdisciplinary courses and research experience in several fields.

PhD Programs
PhD programs available to Resilience and Adaptation Program students at the University of Alaska include Biology and Wildlife, Anthropology, Marine Sciences, Geology, Geophysics, and Interdisciplinary Studies. The Interdisciplinary Studies Program is designed to meet the needs of students in a range of the natural and social sciences, including Economics, Political Science, Natural Resource Management, and Northern Studies. Students enrolled in PhD programs at other universities may also apply to the Resilience and Adaptation Program program to spend a year in residence at the University of Alaska enrolled in the core training program.

A PhD student can enter the Resilience and Adaptation Program program at any point in her/his graduate career, but we anticipate that most students will enter in their first year of graduate studies. The first year of the program is devoted to core training, which involves interdisciplinary course work, seminars, and a research internship in a field outside the student's parent discipline. Each PhD student is expected to teach for one year (typically the second year) to gain teaching experience. In the remaining 2-3 years of their PhD program, students will incorporate interdisciplinary approaches into their PhD research. PhD research is expected to be an original contribution that incorporates at least two disciplines (ecology, economics/political science, anthropology) and improves our understanding of the functioning of regional systems. These PhD programs may include a management focus, if this leads to an improved understanding of the role of management in the functioning of regional systems.

Masters Programs
Masters degree programs available to Resilience and Adaptation Program students at the University of Alaska include Biology and Wildlife, Natural Resources Management, Marine Sciences, Economics, Political Science, Northern Studies, and Interdisciplinary Studies.

A Masters student can enter the Resilience and Adaptation Program program at any point in her/his graduate career, but we anticipate that most students will enter in their first year of graduate studies. Their first year in the Resilience and Adaptation Program program is identical to that of PhD students, involving interdisciplinary course work, seminars, and a research internship in a field outside their parent discipline. In the remaining 1-2 years of the Masters program, students will incorporate interdisciplinary approaches into their research. Masters research is expected to be an application of at least two disciplines (ecology, economics/political science, anthropology) to research that addresses issues related to regional sustainability. This research may include the application of interdisciplinary approaches to resolving a management issue.

Committee Guidance
Every Resilience and Adaptation Program student must have at least one committee member from outside their parent discipline. The role of this committee member is to help the student design and conduct rigorous research that incorporates this discipline.