Social and Ecological Sustainability - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Environment 3

Environment 3 (EV3) Building located on Waterloo's Campus, across from Laurel Creek.

Join the next generation of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary scholars and applied researchers with the PhD in Social and Ecological Sustainability program.

Graduate students and research are at the core of our community, meaning that you’ll join a community that is dynamic, committed and engaged. Our faculty are internationally recognized researchers, and they serve on a wide range of local, national and international organizations and committees in support of global sustainability, and our students are recognized for their research impact. Once your own graduate journey is complete, you’ll be joining a large community of School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability (SERS) successful alumni actively involved in local and global resources, environment and sustainability efforts in government, academia, civil society and industry.

When your own graduate journey is complete, you’ll be joining a large community of SERS successful alumni actively involved in local and global resources, environment and sustainability efforts in government, academia, civil society and industry.

As a PhD student, you will be guaranteed funding through teaching assistantships, research assistantships or stipends, and additional scholarships for qualified applicants.

Research fields

  • Resource Analysis and Stewardship
  • Socio-Ecosystem Function and Renewal
  • Sustainability Policy and Governance

Research project opportunities for this program

'Blackwards' to the Future: Past, present, and futures of the African American community of South Phoenix, AZ

Blackward to the Future is a community-led, participatory action research initiative dedicated to reclaiming the past, present, and future of the African American community in Phoenix, Arizona. The project seeks to address the erasure of Black histories from the city’s cultural landscape by documenting oral histories, preserving community archives, facilitating intergenerational dialogue, and co-creating future urban visions. Drawing on the Adinkra concept of sankofa—the principle of looking to the past to move forward—the project emphasizes joy, resistance, and self-determination over damage-centered narratives.

Program overview

Department/School: School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability
Faculty: Faculty of Environment
Admit term(s): Fall (September - December)
Delivery mode: On-campus
Program type: Doctoral, Research
Length of program: 48 months
Registration option(s): Full-time, Part-time
Study option(s): Thesis

Application deadlines

  • February 1 (for admission in September)

Key contacts

sers.gradadvisor@uwaterloo.ca

Jess Kidd

Community members are an untapped partner in environmental monitoring initiatives. You do not need a science degree to be able to collect water samples. you need to care about the reason those samples are being collected.

Jess Kidd, PhD Student, Social and Ecological Sustainability

Supervisors

Admission requirements

  • Students must hold a master's degree with distinction (typically an overall average of at least 80%) or the equivalent.

Degree requirements

Application materials

  • Resume
  • Program-specific questions (PSQ)
    • These are questions specific to the program you’re applying to. They can be viewed once you’ve started an application and are completed through a form in the online application.
  • Transcript(s)
  • References
    • Three references are required, at least two academic.
  • Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable
    • TOEFL 100 (writing 26, speaking 26), IELTS 7.5 (writing 7.0, speaking 7.0)

Tuition and fees