Prospective Students
Interested in joining the Water & Society Lab?
We welcome inquiries from potential graduate students. The Water & Society Lab is a place where you can find the intellectual depth, breadth and resources to help you to pursue your own research and grow as a scholar, practitioner or both.
We encourage you to learn more about the Ph.D. programs and master’s degree programs available through the W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation and to read about the types of research questions pursued by the Water & Society Lab. We strive to create a vibrant and dynamic intellectual community, with research questions that span disciplinary boundaries and have both social and natural science dimensions. You’ll also find a community of scholars and students who enjoy a good potluck and a day of floating or fishing on any of our hometown streams.
Areas of study generally include but are not limited to: water law and policy, adaptive water governance, climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental justice, tribal and indigenous natural resource management, collaborative conservation, adaptive management, ecological resilience, Panarchy theory, political ecology and the food-energy-water nexus.
If you are interested in joining the Water & Society Lab, please send an email to Brian Chaffin and include the following items in one PDF document:
- A cover letter which includes a statement of your research interests and goals, previous research experience, other relevant experiences and program of interest
- A resume or CV
- Transcripts for all previous coursework (unofficial transcripts are acceptable at this stage)
- GRE scores (unofficial are acceptable)
Graduate Student Highlights
Amber Datta received the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship to fund her PhD research on the governance of marine resources in the Pacific region.
Jordan Jimmie completed his internship at the Woods Hole Research Center, where he worked with mentors to complete a policy brief presenting data on the importance of protecting old-growth rainforest located on indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon.
Kristin Sleeper presented her preliminary research results on the opportunities and challenges of administering tribal water compacts to the state of Montana’s Water Policy Interim Committee.
W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation
The W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation at the University of Montana is the ideal place for graduate students interested in the environment and understanding how to manage and protect it. The Ph.D. and master’s programs use rigorous science to examine ecological and social issues in the American West and around the world. Minimum requirements vary by degree and program area. Full requirements for each graduate degree can be found on the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation Graduate Program website or in the CFC Graduate Student Handbook.