Ph.D. Program in Sustainable Development
Director of Graduate Studies: John Mutter – jcm7@columbia.edu
Program Co-Director: Joseph Stiglitz – jes322@columbia.edu
Program Co-Director: Jeffrey Sachs – sachs@columbia.edu
Assistant Director of Graduate Studies: Mona Khalidi – mk2388@columbia.edu
Admission Deadline: December 15th
Program website: http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/phd/index.html
The interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Sustainable Development is designed to train future researchers, university teachers, and world leaders in the social and natural science disciplines germane sustainable development. By combining elements of a traditional graduate education in social science, particularly economics, with graduate level training in the natural sciences, the program's graduates will be uniquely situated to undertake serious quantitative analytical research and policy assessments with the goal of sustainable development. There are a wide variety of potential employers for the program's graduates. Many graduates will pursue academic careers in interdisciplinary graduate and undergraduate programs with foci that could include policy and the environment, development economics, energy policy as well as in the more traditional disciplines. Others will choose nonacademic positions, taking leadership roles in government ministries in the United States and throughout the world, working on environmental protection and sustainable development programs; as well as in a variety of international and non-governmental organizations, such as the UN, the IMF and the World Bank; in private firms engaged in large-scale development projects; or in consulting firms analyzing development issues for private and public clients.
Any additional questions about the program can be emailed to Assistant Director of Graduate Studies, Mona Khalidi at: sipa_phd@columbia.edu
Admission Requirements
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Four semesters of college-level social science, including two semesters of economics, and six semesters of college-level math and science.
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Two semesters of college-level calculus
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Understanding of multivariate calculus and linear algebra
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Submission of scores from the GRE General test
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The English Placement Test and submission of TOEFL scores (only for non-native English speakers)
Program Requirements
The curriculum consists of twelve core courses including three semesters of economics, three quantitative methods (econometrics) courses; Environmental Economics; Human Ecology; Comparative Development; Politics of Sustainable Development; Environmental Science for Sustainable Development; and Science and Technology Policy for Development. Students must also complete two social science electives and a coherent sequence of four natural science courses. In addition to this course work, students will participate in mandatory integrative seminars; complete an MA thesis by the end of the second year; successfully complete the M Phil Qualifying Exams and submit the dissertation prospectus before the end of the fourth year; and finally write a Ph.D. dissertation. Students are expected to complete their studies in five years. A sixth year is permitted but normally cannot be funded by the School.
The Ph.D. Dissertation
The Ph.D. dissertation will be on a topic in sustainable development. Social science research toward the degree will be matched with a deep understanding of physical and natural systems influencing economic development.
Students should possess at least two research tools before starting the dissertation portion of this program. Among these is an advanced understanding of quantitative methods, to be gained through the mandatory core courses. The other research tool should be appropriate to the student’s dissertation work. In consultation with the student’s academic advisors, this second tool could be a two-course sequence in GIS or other analytic modeling systems, or a proficiency exam in a language other than English.
Students with a regional area of interest to their dissertation may wish to conduct research abroad, either for the use of archives, to improve language skills, or to confer with local experts. In order to ensure that students complete the Ph.D. program without delay, it is preferred that they make use of summers to conduct such research. Students may not receive extended residence credit for study or research away from Columbia before the completion of all coursework requirements and comprehensive examinations.
Teaching Requirements
Students have to fulfill a teaching and research requirement by working six semesters as a Teaching or Research Assistant as assigned by the Director of the Program. Students who secure external funding may reduce this requirement, but in all cases every student must teach at least two semesters.
Faculty
Douglas Almond, Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs and Economics
Lisa Anderson, James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations
Guillermo Calvo, Professor of International and Public Affairs
Mark Cane, G. Unger Vetlesen Professor, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Professor of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Pierre Andre Chiappori, E. Rowan and Barbara Steinschneider Professor of Economics
John Coatsworth, Professor of International and Public Affairs and of History; Dean, School of International and Public Affairs
Geoffrey Heal, Paul Garrett Professor of Public Policy and Business Responsibility, Business School
Patrick Kinney, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health
Klaus Lackner, Maurice Ewing and J. Lamar Worzel Professor of Geophysics
Upmanu Lall, Alan and Carol Silberstein Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering and of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics; Department Chair, Earth and Environmental Engineering
Leigh Linden, Assistant Professor International and Public Affairs, and Economics
W. Bentley MacLeod, Professor of International and Public Affairs and Economics
Vijay Modi, Professor of Mechanical Engineering
John C. Mutter, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences and of International and Public Affairs; Director of Graduate Studies
Shahid Naeem, Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology
Jose Antonio Ocampo, Professor in the Professional Practice of International and Public Affairs
Sharyn O'Halloran, George Blumenthal Professor of International and Public Affairs and of Political Science
Arvind Panagariya, Jagdish Bhagwati Professor of Indian Political Economy, International and Public Affairs and of Economics
Christian Pop-Eleches, Assistant Professor International and Public Affairs, and Economics
Sanjay Reddy, Assistant Professor of Economics, Barnard College
Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of The Earth Institute; Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development; Professor of Health Policy and Management; Co-Director of PhD Program in Sustainable Development
Bernard Salanie, Professor of Economics
Bhaven Sampat, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management
Pedro Sanchez, Senior Research Scholar, Tropical Agriculture and Rural Environment Program, The Earth Institute
Wolfram Schlenker, Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs, and Economics
Joseph E. Stiglitz, University Professor; Co-Director of PhD Program, SDEV.
Miguel Urquiola, Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs
Bogdan Vasi, Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs And Sociology
Eric Verhoogen, Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs, and Economics
Paige West, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Barnard College
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