Desirable
Preparation
Nota Bene: Keep in mind that the EES Training Program is only open to current PhD students in the Economics Department and the Bren School. Once you are a PhD student in one of these departments/schools you may freely pursue the EES program should you so desire. If you are not a current Ph.D. student in one of these two departments/schools at UCSB, you must first gain admission and enroll.
Application for admission to UCSB is made to through the university in the context of either the Department of Economics or the Bren School, not to the EES Program.
Current students who
wish to participate in the EES program should contact the EES Program
office.
Desirable Interests and Career Goals
The EES Training Program is particularly well-suited for students interested in a research career in environmental and resource economics. This means you should have an interest in economics and in problems of environmental protection and natural resource use. If you are primarily interested in policy analysis or non-research dimensions of environmental problems, then EES is probably not for you. The program is designed for students who aspire to academic careers as well as those who prefer a non-academic career in government, industry, consulting or NGO's.
Desirable Backgrounds for EES
Students often ask what kinds of backgrounds are particularly appropriate for the EES program. Because of the multidisciplinary nature of the program, a variety of student backgrounds are entirely appropriate. A masters degree is not necessary (though having one is a definite plus).
1. Appropriate Undergraduate Majors. Many successful EES participants have majored in economics, one of the natural sciences, engineering, or mathematics.
2. Desirable Economics Preparation. Although students need not have majored or minored in economics prior to entering the program, they should have been successful in their economics coursework, have an understanding of basic principles, and demonstrate a strong interest in the field. Students with little formal training in economics should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the nature of an economics graduate program and a career in economics.
3. Desirable Natural Science Preparation. It is desirable that participants have some training in natural science at the university level. Students should have taken one (or more) of the introductory sequences in biology, chemistry and physics offered for science majors at most universities. Students without much preparation in natural science are advised to remedy this deficiency during the year and summer immediately preceding enrolling in the EES program at UCSB. This can be achieved, for instance, by enrolling in university physics and/or chemistry during the fall when application is made to graduate school and then continuing the sequence through the remainder of the academic year.
4. Desirable Mathematics Preparation. It is important that all prospective students have strong preparation in mathematics as well as comfort and facility with quantitative methods and problems. Most successful EES students have done well in a rigorous course sequence in single and multivariate calculus. It is helpful to have taken additional coursework such as linear algebra, differential equations, real analysis or mathematical statistics. Performance on the Quantitative portion of the GRE is one indicator of mathematical facility; a high GRE score, however, is no substitute for rigorous training in mathematics.