PhD in Wildlife, Aquatic, and Wildlands Science and Management in Lubbock United States | Texas Tech University

Individuals considering a Ph.D. program in the Department of Natural Resources Management should first discuss their plans with a prospective faculty advisor and the department chair. Doctoral students can specialize in diverse research areas such as rangeland conservation, range enhancement, livestock nutrition, fire ecosystem studies, vegetation ecology, plant environmental physiology, wildlife habitat conservation, large mammal ecology, game bird population studies, wildlife demographic research, geospatial mapping techniques, environmental genetic analysis, aquatic resource management, or wetland ecosystem studies. All Ph.D. candidates must complete preliminary oral and/or written assessments. Should these evaluations identify any gaps in the student's knowledge, the graduate advisory committee may prescribe additional coursework. This committee also guides students in selecting complementary courses from other disciplines. Following Graduate School guidelines, the advisory committee (with potential input from additional faculty) designs and administers a comprehensive qualifying exam. Typically, the doctoral program mandates completion of 72 or more graduate-level credit hours beyond undergraduate studies, not counting dissertation credits. Along with major requirements, doctoral candidates must complete at least 15 graduate credits from outside the department. These external courses may form a cohesive minor specialization if approved by the advisory committee, though they can also be distributed across supporting fields without formal minor designation.