The PhD in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies [PhD (NRES)] offers students the opportunity to develop an advanced level of understanding and training in any one or a combination of scientific discipline(s) related to natural environments, the processes (e.g., biological, chemical, physical) that govern them, or the human dimensions (e.g., social, economic, political, cultural) that interact with them. The PhD (NRES) promotes an integration of the linkages between social, ethical, political, and cultural dimensions, and an understanding of basic ecological, biological, and physical attributes of natural resources. Emphasis is placed upon the student to acquire an interdisciplinary base upon which to found a “disciplinary” area of concentration. Graduates from this program who have an area of concentration and a familiarity with how other disciplines can contribute toward solving environmental problems should be capable of addressing a variety of natural resources and environmental issues from a number of perspectives.