Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Ph.D.
Natural Resources Institute
Head: Dr. John Sinclair
Campus Address/General Office: 220 Sinnott Building
Telephone: 204-474-8373
Fax: 204-261-0038
Email Address: nriinfo@umanitoba.ca
Website: umanitoba.ca/environment-earth-resources/natural-resources-institute
Academic Staff: Please refer to the NRI website for academic staff information.
Natural Resources Management Ph.D. Program Information
The Doctor of Philosophy program is aimed at developing independent researchers in the areas of natural resources and the environment.
Admission Information
Admission to the Faculty of Graduate Studies
Application and Admission Procedures are found in the Academic Guide.
Admission requirements for doctoral students are found in the Doctor of Philosophy General Regulations section of the Guide.
Natural Resources Management Ph.D. Admission Requirements
An applicant should have a high academic standing in previous university work, a Master’s degree in a related discipline, as determined by the NRI Selection Committee, and an area of research interest that may be supported by an NRI faculty member. Students must be accepted by an advisor prior to submitting an application to enter the program. A 3.5 GPA (or equivalent) in their most recent 60 credit hours of coursework and evidence of scholarly ability are required.
Application Information
Students should complete and submit their online application with supporting documentation by the date indicated on the Natural Resources Management Ph.D. program of study page.
Degree Requirements
Program Requirements
PhD students entering with a Master’s degree may take up to 21 credit hours in total. Students must take NRI 7310 Ph.D. Thesis Research Seminar (3). A minimum of 6 credit hours of courses must be completed within the Natural Resources Institute. The remaining 9 credit hours of 7000 level NRI electives will usually include one of:
- NRI 7222 Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and Environmental Management (3)
- NRI 7232 Ecological Dimensions of Resource and Environmental Management (3)
- NRI 7182 Sustainability, Economics, and Natural Resources (3)
unless credit has already been received for one of the three courses above.
Individual programs of study will vary from student to student depending on each student’s research interest and the recommendations of each student’s advisor and Ph.D. advisory committee. Students will be encouraged to use the pool of Natural Resources Institute required and elective courses as well as appropriate graduate courses available outside of the Natural Resources Institute in order to select the best set of courses to complement their programs.
Student academic progress will be reported annually to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. A minimum Grade Point Average of 3.0, with no grade below C+, must be maintained in order to continue in the program.
Expected Time to Graduate: 4 years
Progression Chart
| Year 1 | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| GRAD 7300 | Research Integrity Tutorial | 0 |
| GRAD 7500 | Academic Integrity Tutorial | 0 |
| Select a minimum of 6 credit hours of NRI courses and select a minimum of 12 and maximum of 21 credit hours of the following or other U of M courses at the 7000 level or above: | 12-21 | |
| Ph.D. Thesis Research Seminar (Required) | ||
| Readings in Natural Resources Management 1 | ||
| Readings in Natural Resources Management 2 | ||
| Field Seminar | ||
| Projects in Natural Resources Management 1 | ||
| Projects in Natural Resources Management 2 | ||
| Sustainable Development and Natural Resources | ||
| Sustainability, Economics, and Natural Resources | ||
| Natural Resources Administration and Law | ||
| The Role of Information Management in Sustainable Resource Use | ||
| Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and Environmental Management | ||
| Ecological Dimensions of Resource and Environmental Management | ||
| Resource and Environmental Management Policy | ||
| Environmental Management Practice | ||
| Environmental Impact Assessment | ||
| Conservation Biology and Biodiversity Management | ||
| Environmental Risk and Hazards | ||
| Water Resources: Analysis, Planning and Management | ||
| Environmental Justice and Ecosystem Health | ||
| Study Design and Quantitative Methods for Resource and Environmental Management | ||
| Qualitative Field Methods for Community-based Resource and Environmental Management | ||
| Sustainable Livelihoods, Food Resources and Community Food Security | ||
| Hours | 12-21 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Doctoral Thesis | 0 | |
| GRAD 8010 | Doctoral Candidacy Examination | 0 |
| GRAD 8020 | Doctoral Re-registration | 0 |
| Hours | 0 | |
| Total Hours | 12-21 | |
The proposal, Candidacy Exam, first draft and oral defence meetings are required. The proposal meeting is held in year 1 followed by data collection, analysis and writing. The Candidacy exam takes place during the second year. For more information on the thesis process, please refer to the PhD student Handbook at the Natural Resources Institute.
Registration Information
Students should familiarize themselves with the Faculty of Graduate Studies ‘GRAD’ courses applicable to their program. If you have questions about which GRAD course(s) to register in, please consult your home department/unit.
All returning and newly admitted students to the Natural Resources Institute are required to see their faculty advisor to complete their Degree Requirement form prior to attempting to register. Appointments can be made by calling the general office. Only courses that have been approved by the faculty advisor will be credited to a student’s program.
Regulations
Students must meet the requirements as outlined in both Supplementary Regulation and BFAR documents as approved by Senate.
Supplementary Regulations
Individual units may require specific requirements above and beyond those of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and students should consult unit supplementary regulations for these specific regulations.
Bona Fide Academic Requirements (BFAR)
Bona Fide Academic Requirements (BFAR) represent the core academic requirements a graduate student must acquire in order to gain, and demonstrate acquisition of, essential knowledge and skills.
All students must successfully complete:
- GRAD 7300 prior to applying to any ethics boards which are appropriate to the student’s research or within the student’s first year, whichever comes first; and
- GRAD 7500 within the first term of registration;
unless these courses have been completed previously, as per Mandatory Academic Integrity Course and Mandatory Research Integrity Online Course.
Students must also meet additional BFAR requirements that may be specified for their program.
General Regulations
All students must:
- maintain a minimum degree grade point average of 3.0 with no grade below C+,
- meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum course requirements, and
- meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum time requirements (in terms of time in program and lapse or expiration of credit of courses).
Courses
Natural Resources Management
Student planned research in an area of interest. Course syllabus designed by student and approved by NRI faculty.
Student planned research in an area of interest. Course syllabus designed by student and approved by NRI faculty.
Exploration of selected issues in resource and environmental studies in field settings, arranged for groups of students. This course is subject to a field trip fee.
This course provides an interface between managers and mineral resources, focusing on a selection of practical topics related to minerals and mining. Role of mining activities in the development process; global, national, and provincial distribution of resources; policy issues relating to environmental, economic, and political consequences of non-renewable resource exploitation.
This course covers global energy issues, objectives, strategies, and policies, and the environmental impacts of alternative energy sources; Canadian energy issues, objectives, strategies, and policies. The course stresses the need for a sound understanding of energy issues of fundamental importance, ability to assess alternatives, appreciation of policy strategies and instruments, and the ability to formulate an energy policy for a region.
Team research project in an area of interest. Application of problem-solving skills to current issues in natural resources management.
Team research project in an area of interest. Application of problem-solving skills to current issues in natural resources management.
An examination of the context, concepts, principles, and applications of sustainable development and natural resources at the international, national, and regional levels. Sustainable development is considered from three perspectives - environment, economy, and peoples' well-being. Particular attention is focused upon the implications of sustainable development for natural resources and environmental management. Permission of the instructor required. Students are advised to consult with Institute faculty prior to admission.
Economic aspects of sustainability are a critical component of sustainable development. The relationship between environment, economy, and the human dimensions of natural resources comprise the primary focus of the course. Specific topics include environmental/ecological economics, externalities, project assessment, benefit cost analysis, the economics of renewable and non-renewable resource management and economic aspects of globalization.
The objective of this course is to explore the legal frameworks and processes in Canada related to natural resource management. After a general review of the Canadian legal system with a particular focus on administrative law, national and international regulatory frameworks related to the ownership and disposition of specific natural resources are explored. Through class discussion, case studies and presentation, the law governing the use and development of natural resources is examined and critiqued. This course is cross-listed with LAW 3980 "Natural Resources Law."
This course reviews some of the key concepts of spatial analysis including geographic information systems, remote sensing, image processing, and cartography. The second part of the course is based on the application of these concepts to a resource management issue using a case study approach. Students will gain familiarity with the following software: Idrisi for GIS; Adobe Photoshop for image processing; and Adobe Illustrator for cartography. Classes will have three components, discussion/presentation; lecture; and lab.
The human dimensions of Natural Resources and Environmental Management will be considered through the following thematic units: definitions, history, and paradigms of management; intersection of science with politics, actors, groups and participatory processes; Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), communications and environmental perception; institutions, common theory and adaptive co-management.
Current concepts and theories in landscape ecology, plant and animal ecology, life-history strategies, food webs, and population and community ecology are discussed as they relate to management. Common themes throughout the course include the importance of scale, the influence of science on management, adaptive management, and critical thinking.
The complexity of natural resources and environmental policy formulation, implementation, and analysis is the primary focus. Specific topics include: modern state, government and policy development processes; policy community and stakeholders, and role of pressure and interest groups; policy analysis, research and evaluation are examined from a variety of perspectives. Theory and practice are linked in addressing course objectives.
Environmental Management systems (e.g. 14001 and Natural step), best management practices and project management. Tools: Awareness (Environmental Policy, Environmental Impacts, Risk Assessment, Life Cycle Assessment), Action (Objectives, Targets, Risk Reduction, Indicators, Monitoring, Activities), Advance (Sustainability Report, Triple Bottom Line, Environmental Audit).
This course will provide a practical introduction to thesis research. The core objective is to assist students in designing their research, including such tasks as considering an appropriate research paradigm, establishing researchable problems, setting goals and objectives, choosing appropriate methods, analyzing data, preparing research proposals, project administration, among other topics. Special attention will be paid to conducting interdisciplinary research in the field of natural resources management.
A comprehensive examination of natural resources, socio-economic conditions, and institutional structures forms the basis for an evaluation of long-term sustainability and developmental strategies for Manitoba's North. Permission of the instructor required. Students are advised to consult with Institute faculty prior to admission.
Course is a fundamental tool of decision making regarding natural resources and the environment and will provide students with an understanding of how environmental assessment is designed, administered and operates in the field.
The course explores management and conservation of biodiversity at the genetic, species, and ecosystem levels of biological organization, and from local to global scales. Emphasis is placed on understanding human impacts on biodiversity, critically evaluating the importance of biodiversity conservation, and political, economic, ecological, and philosophical implications and drivers of conservation.
Designing research and methodology specific to a project; reviewing the philosophy of interdisciplinary approaches to Natural Resources and environmental management and trends in the field; analyzing appropriateness of a project with trends and directions in interdisciplinary research; conducting and administering research; communicating and disseminating results of research.
Environmental risk and hazards are viewed in terms of complex processes of natural systems and social formation. Analysis of processes and events is assisted by theoretical formulation, development of models and examination of site- or type-specific empirical cases.
Considering fresh water as a resource, this course initially examines theoretical models and management approaches and practices; water supply requirement, measurements, and management; demand management; and environmental sustainability. The second part encompasses selected aspects of watershed hydrology and management; water and ecosystem health; and river basin management strategies and policies. The final part evaluates institutional arrangements and jurisdictional responsibilities; transboundary issues, opportunities and implications.
Explores Ecosystem health and environmental justice issues to realize both the possibilities and barriers to sustainability. Risk, resource distribution and power/decision-making are analyzed across race, gender and class differences. Diverse views, theories and methods on community health consider well-being, quality of life, vulnerability and ecological integrity.
This course addresses the quantitative analysis of environmental and natural resources data, emphasizing strong study design to prevent analytical difficulties. Focus is on preparing graduate students in environmental and resources management for dealing with the typical characteristics of environmental data, and for analyses specific to resources data.
The purpose of this course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to undertake qualitative research relevant to CBRM. The course will be offered in a studio format with an emphasis on student participation in a research team and the practical application of data collection procedures in field setting.
About one third of a household's total environmental impact is related to food considering all the effects of livestock, agriculture and the food industry on water, soil and air, the overuse of fish resources, transport and packaging waste. This course analyzes sustainable livelihoods and food security/sovereignty in the food system (production, processing, marketing, etc.).
This pass/fail course will provide students with a grounding in the knowledge and skills required to under take a project within a professional workplace. The core objectives of this course are to encourage critical thinking about project management and develop the skills necessary to formulate, undertake and evaluate a project in the field of NREM.