Doctor of Environmental Science and Engineering

Doctor of Environmental Science and Engineering (D.Env.) degree listed third from the top in 2011 UCLA Conferral of Degrees

Doctor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (D.Env.) a professional doctorate degree awarded by UCLA’s Environmental Science and Engineering (ESE) Program, founded in 1973 by Nobel Prize laureate Dr. Willard Libby^[1]. The Program is designed to train multidisciplinary professionals with an appropriate balance of breadth and specific skills, based on a strong Master’s-level foundation in a science or engineering discipline. The curriculum consists of formal doctorate coursework across a full spectrum of relevant engineering, physical, biological, and social disciplines, as well as interdisciplinary academic research training through nine-month problems courses. Because of its multidisciplinary nature, the D.Env. degree substitutes the extended on-campus research period typical of a conventional Ph.D., for a 24- to 48-month position in an appropriate private industry, government agency, or, national laboratory, during which in-depth study of an environmental problem leads to a dissertation and publications.

Traditional discipline-based education does not provide students with the skills and insight to solve complex environmental problems. Today's environmental professionals need scientific, engineering and policy skills to translate into effective environmental action. The Environmental Science and Engineering Program trains environmental scientists, engineers and policy makers in a more interdisciplinary manner than is afforded by traditional Ph.D. programs. Graduates who have earned the Doctorate in Environmental Science and Engineering (D.Env.) now occupy positions of leadership in government agencies, the private sector, the national laboratories, and public interest groups.

Origin and History

The UCLA Environmental Science and Engineering (ESE) Program was founded in 1973 by Nobel laureate Dr. Willard Libby, who perceived a need to train environmental scientists, engineers, and policymakers in a more interdisciplinary manner than is afforded by traditional Ph.D. programs. After four decades, Dr. Libby’s vision has in fact been realized with the evolution of the program from an experimental approach into a key component of the overall effort to train environmental professionals at UCLA.

To date the program has awarded the Doctor of Environmental Science and Engineering (D.Env.) degree to over 300 students, and UCLA remains unique in the country in awarding such a degree. Many graduates have gone on to occupy critical positions in environmental research, remediation, and policy throughout the major environmental agencies in the nation. Other graduates have risen to senior positions in private sector companies conducting environmental research and remediation. Still other graduates are applying scientific solutions to environmental problems at national laboratories such as Oak Ridge and Lawrence Livermore Laboratories and at research institutes such as the RAND Corporation.

Research and Professional Experience

Research is central to the D.Env. Students begin their research with a one-year "Problems Course," the focus of the final year on campus. Problems courses are conducted in close collaboration with an ESE faculty member, on a topic developed by the faculty, and culminate in a written report and/or a peer reviewed publication. Then, during their internship period, students conduct research leading to a doctoral dissertation on a topic of their choosing, while also meeting the needs of their host institution.

After completing the coursework and advancing to candidacy, students locate a professional position with a host institution, where their dissertation research is part of their professional duties. Typical host institutions are government agencies, the national laboratories, non-profits or private firms. A suitable host institution will have major environmental responsibilities and an orientation toward addressing basic problems of environmental science and policy. Students continue to work closely with the Program faculty, through their doctoral committee to ensure their dissertation meets high academic standards; and also work closely with their host institution to select and develop a topic that solves an important problem of interest to the institution.

The Environmental Science and Engineering (ESE) Program research and training activities are both experimental and analytical in nature, typically involving laboratory or field studies, as well as modeling and policy analysis.

Both the research and instruction recognize the interconnections between soil, air, water and biota, as well as the interdependence of human and ecological health. Equally important, the Program emphasizes the interactions and interdependencies between science, engineering, public policy economics and law in the protection of the environment and public health.

Admissions

The Environmental Science and Engineering (ESE) Program is a professional doctoral degree program that builds on a solid foundation in the sciences and mathematics. Students entering the ESE Program must have a Master's Degree demonstrating their specialized competence in a scientific or engineering discipline.

Admission to the Program has always been highly competitive. About 4-6 students are accepted each year. At any given time, there are about 20 students in residence at UCLA and about 20 conducting their dissertation internships at appropriate host institutions.

Students and Alumni

To date, the ESE Program has awarded the Doctor of Environmental Science and Engineering (D.Env.) degree to approximately 300 students. Many ESE graduates occupy leadership positions in organizations and corporations and dealing with environmental problems. Recent student backgrounds include environmental engineering, molecular biology, environmental and occupational health, environmental health sciences, medicine, international health, zoology, and soil, water and environmental sciences. Alumni include Marc Gold, the Executive Director of Heal the Bay, as well as Mark Sudol, the Chief of the Regulatory Branch of the Army Corps of Engineers. ^[2]

Faculty

The ESE Program is administered through the School of Public Health where a core faculty is based in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. As an interdepartmental program, the ESE Program draws on faculty from twelve different departments across the UCLA campus. Participating faculty represent departments from the College of Letters and Science, UCLA School of Public Health, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, UCLA School of Law, and School of Public Affairs. Many of the participating faculty have national and international stature in their respective fields.

ESE Core Faculty include Dr. Mel Suffet and Dr. Richard Ambrose. Dr. Suffet’s main areas of research include aquatic chemical analysis and fate of hazardous chemicals or chemicals causing off-odors in the environment or during water or water reuse treatment, as well as the effect of humic substances (natural organic matter) on pollutants - MTBE, nitrosoamines, PCBs, pesticides, pharmaceuticals. Dr. Ambrose’s research concentrates on restoration ecology, especially for coastal marine and estuarine environments, wetland ecology, long-term ecological monitoring, ecological impacts of contaminants in coastal habitats.

Additional participating ESE Program Faculty hold primary appointments in other UCLA departments, including engineering, the physical and biological sciences, urban planning and policy and other social sciences. Associated faculty teach many of the courses taken by ESE students and assist with student advising and research.

References

1. ^ http://www.ph.ucla.edu/ese/students/ESE%20program%20manual%206-2010.pdf
2. ^ http://www.ph.ucla.edu/ese/students/students.html