All content © 2013 - 2023 Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona
NOTICE: This program is not active.
The Arid Lands Resource Sciences Graduate Interdisciplinary Program at The University of Arizona leads to the Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in Arid Lands Resource Sciences (ALRS). The program prepares students for careers in both academic and non-academic settings. Located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, The University of Arizona provides a unique interdisciplinary environment as well as a natural living laboratory for the study of arid and semi-arid lands. These dynamic lands encompass nearly one-third of the Earth’s total land surface and embody one-fifth of its total population. Increasing pressures on these considerable and important regions demand increased attention be given to the ecological, economic, and socio-cultural factors that affect them. ALRS is a unique interdisciplinary doctoral program aimed at addressing the complex problems of sustainability of arid lands.
The breadth of research opportunities ALRS PhD program provides can be recognized through the research performed by its graduates and current students. Some of these areas include international development; famine, famine early warning systems, and food security; land use, history, change, degradation, desertification, management, and policy; sustainable agriculture and farming systems; remote sensing and spatial analysis; carbon sequestration; political-ecology of natural resources; ethnoecology and other ethno-sciences; economic and agricultural policy and development; economic botany; borderlands issues; globalization; civil conflict; and urban development as they relate to the arid and semi-arid lands of the world
Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs
The Graduate College sponsors several Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs (GIDPs) in addition to the many interdisciplinary possibilities available through regular graduate degree programs. GIDPs transcend departmental boundaries by facilitating cutting edge teaching and research at the nexus of traditional disciplines. The high value placed on interdisciplinary research and education is indicative of The University of Arizona's enthusiasm and commitment to fostering innovation and creativity among its faculty and students.
Graduate College/GIDP
University of Arizona - Main - Tucson
Students admitted to a PhD program in other disciplines can elect to complete a doctoral minor program in ALRS. The requirements for the ALRS minor degree are completion of 12 credits, consisting of the core classes ARL 565 (3 credits), ARL 641 (3 credits) and ARL 642 (3 credits); and the elective coursework (3 credits). These requirements can be modified based upon prior experience and coursework if approved by the ALRS Program Chair upon the recommendation of the Minor Advisor.
12
The Core Coursework requirements for the ALRS minor degree are completion of 12 credits, consisting of the core classes ARL 565 (3 credits), ARL 641 (3 credits) and ARL 642 (3 credits).
3 credits should be completed by selecting from: ARL 595A (1 credit, may be taken up to 3 times); ANTH631 (3 credits), ENVS596B (3 credits), GEOG696O (3 credits), RNR526A (3 credits), RNR541A (3 credits), RNR576 (3 credits), RNR580 (3 credits), RNR582 (3 credits), and RNR596G (3 credits). Alternative classes may supplement these elective classes with prior approval by the ALRS Chairperson, upon the recommendation of the Minor Advisor of the student.
The ALRS minor should be represented by 2 faculty members on the Student’s Graduate Committee, one of which will act as the Minor Advisor. Both members are required to participate in the written and oral comprehensive examination. The minor committee members should review the dissertation and are expected to participate in the final defense. The members of the minor should be faculty members of ALRS, but on a case-by-case basis we can substitute other tenure-track faculty with prior approval by the ALRS Chairperson in consultation with the student’s Minor and Major Advisor. Also, continuing eligible faculty who has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate College upon the recommendation of the Program Chair as “tenure equivalent faculty” may serve on committees. THIS HAS TO BE REPLACED WITH THE CURRENT LANGUAGE ON SPECIAL MEMBERS.
Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.