Graduate Degree

Sustainable Tourism and Protected Area Management - Doctor of Philosophy

Program:
Sustainable Tourism and Protected Area Management - Doctor of Philosophy
Plan Code:
STOURI_PHD
Program Level:
Graduate
Award Type:
Doctor of Philosophy
College:
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Department:
Community Sustainability


Excerpt from the official Academic Programs Catalog:

Listed below are the approved requirements for the program from the official Academic Programs Catalog.
Students must consult their advisors to learn which specific requirements apply to their degree programs.


College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Department of Community Sustainability

Graduate Study
Sustainable Tourism and Protected Area Management - Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Sustainable Tourism and Protected Area Management is designed to enable students to generate new knowledge in the complementary fields of tourism and protected area management under the overarching concept of community sustainability.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

To be admitted to the Doctor of Philosophy degree program in Sustainable Tourism and Protected Area Management, a student must have completed a master’s degree in any field. Relevant experience and strong academic backgrounds in the natural, physical, or social sciences, including independent research experience, are strongly encouraged. All applicants are required to submit scores from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination.

Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Sustainable Tourism and Protected Area Management

The student’s program of study must be developed in cooperation with and approved by the student’s guidance committee and must include the requirements specified below:

               
1. All of the following courses (12 credits):
CSUS 800 Foundations of Community Sustainability I 3
CSUS 801 Foundations of Community Sustainability II 3
CSUS 802 Introduction to Interdisciplinary Inquiry 3
CSUS 814 Sustainable Tourism and Protected Area Management: Theories and Applications 3
If a student already has credit in any of these courses, these credits must be replaced by another 3 credits of related courses chosen in consultation with their advisor.
2. Complete a minimum of 9 credits of course work in advanced research methods, to be selected in consultation with the student’s guidance committee, including at least 3 credits respectively in quantitative and qualitative methods with the remaining credits in statistics, quantitative and qualitative, or other advanced research methods courses.    
3. Complete a minimum of 15 credits in course work grouped in two focus areas, with a minimum of 9 credits in one and 6 credits in the other. Of these, at least 3 credits in each focus area must be selected from Community Sustainability (CSUS) courses related to the student's professional goals in Sustainable Tourism and Protected Area Management.
4. Prepare a comprehensive examination program statement that presents the student’s learning and professional background and goals, and provides a rationale for the student’s declared focus areas plus integrating and summarizing the related research literature. This statement is prepared in consultation with the student’s guidance committee and is presented to the full faculty for review.
5. Pass a comprehensive examination based on the student’s comprehensive examination program statement.
6. Complete 24 credits of doctoral dissertation research, publicly defend the research proposal, and successfully defend the final dissertation, including presenting results of the research in a public seminar during the final oral examination.
All students are encouraged to prepare at least one paper from the dissertation research suitable for submission to a professional and/or refereed academic journal.