Tsinghua University

Overview of the Program

Aiming at the development of technical and sustainable solutions that minimize the impact of human activities on the environment, the English Doctoral Program in Environmental Science, Engineering and Management covers the areas of environmental engineering and science, and environmental management and planning.

The program is designed to train students with solid theoretical and systematic professional knowledge and the skills in the field of environmental engineering and management, and to prepare to approach the forefront of environmental engineering and management with a combination of coursework and research components. Highly flexible learning is a distinguishing feature of this program that allows the development of either intensive or broadened abilities of the students.

Degree Offered

Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Science and Engineering

Students must complete the coursework to fulfill the minimum credit requirement and qualify for the degree conferral. A research-based thesis defense is an essential part of the degree.

Courses Offered in English

Coursework Structure:

The degree is research-oriented that requires in-depth knowledge of a specific topic of study. The doctoral program is highly individualized, but in general consists of two main components: coursework and independent research. Students are admitted to a specific project of study and assigned a supervisor. While most students enter in the fall, it is possible to begin studies in the spring term. Admission to the doctoral program does not naturally confirm a doctoral candidature. Doctoral candidature is a significant milestone towards a doctoral degree, and will not be confirmed unless candidates could present a scientifically feasible proposal with a novel research topic. Completion of the subsequent research occurs with a successful oral defense of a written dissertation. The study period of the program is 3-4 years.

During the study for doctoral degree, at least 16 credits, which include 4 credits for public compulsory courses, 7 credits for subjective specialized courses (containing at least 3 credits for basic theory courses and no less than 4 credits for basic theory courses), as well as at least 5 credits for required course, are required for the degree. Self-study courses are excluded.

Courses Offered:

Spring Semester:

Advanced Environmental Chemistry

Advanced Wastewater Treatment

Restoration Ecology and Application

Global Environmental Issues

Hazardous Waste Disposal Technology

Environmental Transport Processes

Atmospheric Chemical Transport Model

Urban Storm water Management: Theory and Practices

Autumn Semester:

Fundamentals of Environmental Biotechnology

Advanced Water Distribution System and Management

Advanced Water Supply Engineering

Environmental Management and Policy

Integrated Solid Waste Management

Air Pollution Control Technology

Biofilms: fundamentals to applications

Note: For the completion of thesis, relevant courses offered by other schools or departments can also be selected. Most courses given in Chinese are also available for international students.

Independent-study courses

Systematic independent-study on research topic related specialized knowledge should be developed under the guidance of supervisor, which can be listed into training program.

PhD Qualifying Examination

The PhD qualifying examination is aimed to assess how well the students understand the fundamentals and principles in the relevant fields, and whether the student has the ability to think scientifically and critically about both theoretical and practical researches. The examination is normally delivered after a formal presentation by the candidates and will not be approved unless all the examiners consent that the student has demonstrated sufficient content of research and is potentially capable to work out an acceptable dissertation within the required timescale. The examination should usually be taken in the second year of a PhD candidate; and passing of the examination gives students the advancement to candidacy.

Thesis

A dissertation proposal must be presented and approved at least 12 months before the dissertation defense. The proposal should be prepared in consultation with the dissertation committee. The dissertation committee decides the result of the proposal defense. Possible outcomes are fail and pass. A successful dissertation proposal is another significant milestone towards the completion of a doctoral degree.

The dissertation defense cannot proceed unless the minimum requirement for a PhD is satisfied. It is required that a successful doctoral dissertation MUST lead to at least one published or accepted paper in peer-reviewed, SCI indexed journal with impact factors ≥ 2.0. The candidates should send a final written thesis 3-4 months in advance to all the professors of the defense committee, who may have enough time to read it through before the defense. Doctoral defenses are open to the public in most cases. Candidates are required to submit the details (date, time location) of the meeting, a dissertation abstract, and a list of all committee members to the administrative staff prior to the scheduled defense. Possible outcomes include fail and pass, which will be decided by the committee. Failure of a thesis defense requires the student to substantially rework on the dissertation and defend the revised dissertation within 12 months. Candidates who pass the dissertation defense are also needed to make revisions to the dissertation according to the comments of the committee. In either case the candidate will be informed of the outcome in a meeting with the presence of his/her supervisor.