After completing all coursework and successfully passing the written and oral qualifying exams upon completion of year two, students advance to doctoral candidacy and embark on their doctoral residency and dissertation.
In year three, students begin residencies at businesses, regulatory agencies, private consulting firms, environmental groups, non-profit organizations, government and non-government organizations. The residency provides practical experience in environmental analysis and management, as well as the opportunity to conduct dissertation research under the supervision of a UCLA doctoral committee.
Successful completion of the dissertation and residency results in the award of the Doctorate in Environmental Science and Engineering (D.Env.).
Example Host Institutions for ESE Residents
| Host Institution |
| Pacific Institute |
| Tetra Tech |
| Orange County Water District |
| U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles |
| South Coast Air Quality Management District |
| Southern California Edison |
| Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority |
| Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board |
| NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| CalEPA Department of Toxic Substances Control |
| Metropolitan Water District |
ESE Dissertation
An Environmental Science and Engineering dissertation must be scholarly and original work applied towards solving a significant environmental problem. As with Problems Courses, dissertations typically address policy as well as technical dimensions of a particular problem. The dissertation is usually completed in 18-36 months.
Example Dissertation Titles
- Maggie Isied. 2023.
“An Evaluation of Methods and Technology to Estimate Localized Environmental and Health Impacts from Air Pollution and Pesticide Use”
Tim Malloy, Chair - Shannon Pankratz. 2022.
“Assessing the Functions and Services of Non-Perennial Waters in Arid Regions”
Richard Ambrose, Chair - Sonali Abraham. 2022.
“Assessing the Potential of Urban Water Efficiency: with Focus on Outdoor Efficiency and the Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional (CII) Sector”
Mark Gold and Jennifer Jay, Co-Chairs - Li Zhang. 2021.
“Achieving the ‘Dual Targets’ of CO2 Emission Reduction and Air Quality Improvement for Chinese Cities”
Yifang Zhu, Chair - Lucy Lin. 2020.
“Environmental Risk and Delay Analysis: Lessons Learned from the California High Speed Rail Project”
Tim Malloy, Chair