Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social and Ecological Sustainability - Water

The program information below was valid for the spring 2023 term (May 1, 2023 - August 31, 2023). This is the archived version; the most up-to-date program information is available through the current Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

The Graduate Studies Academic Calendar is updated 3 times per year, at the start of each academic term (January 1, May 1, September 1). Graduate Studies Academic Calendars from previous terms can be found in the archives.

• Admit term(s) 
  • Fall
• Delivery mode 
  • On-campus
• Length of program 
  • The University has set the minimum required enrolment period for the Doctoral degree at six terms (two years) from completion of a Master's degree, and has set the maximum period for full time students as twelve terms (four years) from completion of the Master's degree, though time extensions may be granted.
• Program type 
  • Collaborative
  • Doctoral
  • Research
• Registration option(s) 
  • Full-time
  • Part-time
• Registration option(s) information 
  • This program will not normally be offered on a part-time basis. In exceptional circumstances, students may assume part-time status after their formal course work has been completed.
• Study option(s) 
  • Thesis

• Minimum requirements 
  • Students must hold a Master's degree with distinction (typically an overall average of at least 83%) or the equivalent.
• Application materials 
  • Résumé
  • Supplementary information form
    • Outlining the main areas of academic and other expertise, experience and curiosity.
    • The main area(s) of research the student hopes to emphasize in course and thesis work.
    • Information on prior education, training, practical experience, field work, publications, or other accomplishments pertinent to areas of interest.
  • Transcript(s)
• References 
  • Number of references:  3
  • Type of references: 

    at least 2 academic

• English language proficiency (ELP) (if applicable)

Thesis option:

Graduate Academic Integrity Module (Graduate AIM)

Courses 

• Students must complete 4 courses including the 2 ERS core courses and the 2 Water core courses.
• Core courses:
  • ERS 701 Sustainability in Complex Socio‐Ecological Systems
  • ERS 702 Critical Analysis and Advanced Research in Environmental Studies
• Water core courses:
  • WATER 601 Integrated Water Management
  • WATER 602 Integrated Water Management Project
• This degree is offered through the Collaborative Water Program. This program, jointly offered by a range of departments across several academic faculties, promotes the development of interdisciplinary perspectives on water. Collaborative Water Program students complete their specialist training in their respective home departments, while working with colleagues from a variety of other departments in core interdisciplinary courses (WATER 601 and WATER 602).
• Students who have already completed WATER 601 and WATER 602 as part of their Masters Water degree, must complete the following course requirement:
  • 1 graduate level water course from outside the student’s home Faculty agreed to by the student’s Supervisor and the Collaborative Water Program Director.
• The Department will determine whether or not collaborative program courses can be used as electives. It is therefore possible that students will need to take additional courses in order to meet the specific requirements of the Water program.
• Students must maintain an overall average of 80% or greater.
• Students may be required to take additional courses to ensure they have the requisite research skills in their field, particularly related to methodology and statistics. The Master of Environmental Studies (MES) curriculum includes both a methods course (ERS 669 Research Design and Methods) and a proposal development course (ERS 670 MES Research Development), but it is assumed that, normally, students coming into the PhD program will have equivalent training and experience. Students may also choose to take supplemental courses later in their program based on discussions with their advisory committee. They will also need to do so if they fail their comprehensive examination.
• Students entering the PhD program from the MES may be required to take the PhD core courses but they may also be exempted from some coursework if their committee concludes that this is warranted based on their previous training.

Link(s) to courses

• Environment and Resource Studies (ERS) courses
• Water (WATER) courses

PhD Seminar

• Students must publicly present some part of their PhD research to an audience in the Faculty of Environment. The purpose is not only to provide students with an opportunity to share their research work and to develop their communication skills, but to encourage an environment of collective knowledge development in the Department.

Collaborative Research Seminar I

• Students are required to present a seminar on their thesis or major paper research proposal and, if appropriate, early stage results to current and past Water students and Water Institute faculty members. Seminars will normally occur following the completion of WATER 601 and WATER 602. Seminars will provide the opportunity for students to discuss how learnings from Water courses were applied in, or influenced, research proposals or research work in the student’s home department. Seminars will normally be poster presentations at Water Institute organized events. The seminar is not an oral examination of the thesis or paper; rather, its purpose is to develop the student's ability to communicate their research in an organized and informative manner.

Collaborative Research Seminar II

• Students who have completed the Collaborative Research Seminar 1 as part of their Masters Water degree, must complete the Collaborative Research Seminar 2.

• Students are required to present a seminar on their PhD thesis proposal to current and past water students and Water Institute faculty members. Seminars will normally occur following the completion of required courses and the comprehensive exam. Seminars should present how learnings from the Collaborative Water Program were applied in, or influenced, thesis proposals. Seminars will normally be poster presentations or talks at Water Institute organized events. The seminar is not an oral examination of the thesis proposal; rather, its purpose is to develop the student's ability to communicate their research in an organized and informative manner.

Collaborative Academic Contribution

• Students who have completed the Collaborative Water Program Research Seminar 1 as part of their Masters Water degree, must complete the Collaborative Academic Contribution milestone.

• Students are required to make an academic contribution to the Collaborative Water Program. The proposed contribution will be documented by the student and approved by the student’s Supervisor and the Collaborative Water Program Director. Potential contributions may include, but not be limited to:

  • Development of new or improved curricula or course content;

  • Delivery of a lecture(s);

  • Preparation of a publication;

  • Preparation of a case study;

  • Mentorship of a group of students.

PhD Comprehensive Examination

• Students are required to meet the University-level PhD Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements outlined in the “Minimum requirements for the PhD degree” section of the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar (GSAC).
• Detailed procedures are available in the “PhD comprehensive examination process” section of the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability website.

PhD Thesis Proposal

• A dissertation supervisory committee, composed of a supervisor and two faculty of the SERS program (or one SERS faculty and one from another department), will be formed by the student with the agreement of the Program Director and the approval of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. Each supervisor must be accredited at the University of Waterloo as an Approved Doctoral Dissertation Supervisor (ADDS).
• The candidate will be required to submit a dissertation proposal to his or her committee in time to defend it by the end of his or her second year (sixth term) in the program. In exceptional cases an extension to allow defence of the proposal in the seventh term may be permitted.
• Before approving the proposal in cases where the proposed dissertation research depends significantly on texts and/or interviews and/or other communication in a language other than English, the dissertation supervisory committee must determine whether the candidate has sufficient proficiency in that language. If the candidate does not have sufficient proficiency in the view of the committee, the committee must prescribe suitable means for the candidate to achieve the necessary proficiency for the particular circumstances of the case. This may include requirements to take formal courses at the University and/or special training courses at the research location.
• Upon formal approval of the proposal by the dissertation supervisory committee, the candidate proceeds to the research and writing of the dissertation. Candidates who fail to satisfy the dissertation proposal presentation and defence requirement within the established time frame will be asked to leave the program.

PhD Thesis

• Doctoral students in the SERS are expected to define their own area of focus and research agenda, though in consultation with their advisors and other committee members.
• Each student’s work in developing the dissertation proposal, conducting the research, and completing the dissertation will be done in close communication with the advisor and assisted by other members of his or her advisory committee. The advisory committee must be formed during the student’s first year in the program.
• Normally, and in keeping with University of Waterloo regulations, students should complete and defend the dissertation within four years of starting the program. This time limit can be extended only by following the procedures outlined in the University of Waterloo’s Graduate Studies Academic Calendar. Students may also fast‐track and complete the program more quickly, but in no less than three years. The dissertation must draw upon transdisciplinary inquiry and it must be no more than 70,000 words in length.
• Before the oral defence is scheduled, each student will be expected to have presented an element of his or her research at a minimum of one academic conference and submitted at least one paper from the research to a refereed journal.
• When the dissertation is ready for defence, including completion of revisions recommended by the committee, an oral defence will be scheduled. The Doctoral Dissertation Examination Committee will consist of all members of the Supervisory Committee; an External Examiner chosen by the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies who shall be provided with a list of appropriate External Examiners recommended by the thesis supervisor and the Program Director; an Internal‐External Examiner nominated by the supervisor; and a Dissertation Examination Chair appointed by the Associate Provost, Graduate Studies.