PhD in Anthropology and Environmental Policy in Orono United States | University of Maine

Numerous environmental challenges endanger communities worldwide. Emissions of greenhouse gases are altering planetary systems, global ecosystems, species habitats, disease transmission, and land utilization. Marine fisheries and forested areas across the globe, including those in Maine, are experiencing rapid deterioration. The combination of diminishing farmland, poor governance, and rising populations could trigger extensive food shortages in coming years. Additional concerns include excessive nutrient runoff, declining wildlife populations and biodiversity, topsoil loss, exhaustion of finite resources, and environmental deterioration. While these issues impact human populations, human activities also drive them. Furthermore, many problems originate globally but manifest locally. International demand pressures forests and fisheries, yet the ecological fallout appears in specific regions through deforested landscapes and collapsed fish stocks. Global human activities influence climate patterns, but climatic shifts will produce varied regional consequences. As Maine relies heavily on natural resources, these globally-rooted threats hold special significance for its residents, culture, and social fabric.

Anthropology professors maintain joint affiliations or collaborative relationships with multiple University of Maine departments. Partner units include the Climate Change Institute, School of Marine Sciences, School of Economics, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, Native American Programs, Maine Folklife Center, and Hudson Museum. Program participants can leverage these cross-disciplinary networks. Competitive Graduate Teaching Assistantships and Work Study opportunities exist for eligible candidates.

Program alumni develop sophisticated understanding of human-environment relationships across various scales, enabling them to contribute to policy formation at all governance levels. Through faculty mentorship and dissertation committee guidance, students acquire hands-on research experience using ethnographic methodologies. Graduates typically pursue careers in academia, government agencies, and private organizations, including institutions addressing environmental policy, conservation management, and the human aspects of ecological transformation at state, national, and international levels.