Graduate Program: Indigenous Food, Energy, and Water Systems (Minor)

General Information

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Program/Degree
Indigenous Food, Energy, and Water Systems (Minor)  
Program Description

The Indige-FEWS GIDP PhD Minor integrates engineering and science disciplines with humanities to fully prepare students for the interdisciplinary collaboration required to tackle the FEWS challenges of Indigenous communities with skill, respect and fellowship. 

The purpose of the Indigenous Food, Energy, and Water Systems (Indige-FEWS) GIDP PhD Minor is to prepare students through research and scholarship to develop novel and sustainable solutions to real-world Food, Energy, and Water Systems (FEWS) challenges facing Indigenous communities. The GIDP PhD Minor coursework integrates fundamentals of systems thinking with cross-disciplinary pedagogy to support discovery and development of materials, technologies and unit operations for fit-for-purpose water systems and controlled environment agriculture (CEA) systems. Solutions will be fully integrated with the policies, decision-making and public acceptance of Indigenous communities, and will be grounded by an understanding of Indigenous societies, their governance and culture, and the ability to work effectively in these contexts.

Students will earn 13 credit hours to satisfy the Minor, completing one Indigenous research and outreach ethics seminar (1 credit unit) and one course from each of four "blocks": Systems (3 credit units), Fundamentals (3 credit units), Society (3 credit units), and Unit Operations (3 credit units). Courses may be completed in any order; however students are encouraged to take the Indigenous research ethics seminar early in the degree pursuit. 

Courses are offered by the following departments: Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering, American Indian Studies, Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Geography, Materials Science & Engineering, and Optical Sciences.

Graduates will be uniquely positioned to work with Indigenous communities to address food, energy, and water challenges with a systems approach and a collaborative process.

 
Department/Academic Unit(s)

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.

 

 
College

Graduate College/GIDP

 
Campus where offered

University of Arizona - Main - Tucson

 
Contacts
Admissions Contact
Cara M Shopa
520-621-3791
Graduate Program Coordinator
Cara M Shopa
520-621-3791
Director of Graduate Studies
Karletta Chief
520-222-9801
Graduate College Degree Counselor
Tammy Tran
520-621-0119
 
Tuition and Fees
Please refer to the UA Bursar's Office Tuition and Fees Calculator for up-to-date information about tuition and fees. 
Please refer to the UA Registrar's's Office Special Course Fees for up-to-date information about special course fees. 

Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

Interested students should contact the program coordinator. No application required; however documentation regarding the intent to declare the Minor is strongly encouraged. Indige-FEWS PhD Minor students are required to have a Minor faculty member serve on the dissertation committee. Students must engage written consent from the faculty member. 

Minimum GPA requirements follow that of the primary PhD program. 

 

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

13 

Core Coursework Requirements

Minimum credit hours for PhD Minor: 13

Required Courses: 5 courses

Students will complete the seminar and one course each from Block 1, Block 2, Block 3, and Block 4: 

Seminar: Indigenous Research and Outreach Ethics Seminar

  • ENVS 696N - Indigenous Food, Energy, and Water Security and Sovereignty Seminar (Fall, 1 unit)

Block 1: Systems

  • ABE 579 - Applied Instrumentation for Controlled Environment Agriculture (Spring, 3 units)
  • ABE 582 - Integrated Engineered Solutions in the Food-Water-Energy Nexus (Spring, 3 units)
  • ENVS 596B - Water Policy in Arizona and Semi-Arid Regions (Spring, 3 units)
  • GEOG 596J - Water Mangement and Policy: The Water-Energy-Food Nexus (Fall & Spring, 3 units)

Block 2: Fundamentals

  • ECE/OPTI 514A - Photovoltaic Solar Energy Systems (Spring, 3 units)
  • ECE/MSE/OPTI 534 - Advanced Topics in Optical and Electronic Materials (Spring, even years only, 3 units) 
  • MSE 530 - Organic Electronic Materials and Devices (Fall, 3 units)
  • MSE 550 - Materials Selection for the Environment (Spring, 3 units)

Block 3: Society

  • AIS 526A - Principles of Indigenous Economics (Fall & Spring, 3 units)
  • AIS 531A - Traditional Ecological Knowledge (Fall, 3 units)
  • AIS 541A - Natural Resource Management in Native Communities (Fall & Spring, 3 units) 

Block 4 -  Unit Operations  

  • CHE 514 - Sustainable Water Supplies for Remote Communities (Spring, 3 units)

 

 
Elective Coursework

There are no electives for this program. Students wishing to request a course subsititution must contact the program coordinator for paperwork and procedures. 

 
Additional Requirements

Indige-FEWS PhD Minor students are required to have a GIDP Minor faculty serve on the dissertation committee. Students must engage written consent from the faculty member. 

 
Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 
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Last revised 22 Nov 2022