Students admitted into the Ph.D. program may elect to satisfy the degree requirements of a participating department or School or to receive the interdisciplinary degree. In addition to the resources available at Tulane, students may draw upon the expertise and resources of researchers at several affiliated regional research institutions, and the Organization for Tropical Studies, of which Tulane is a member. Students are supported by teaching assistantships, research assistantships and a few research fellowships. The Institute sponsors an annual seminar series on topics within the broad scope of earth science, ecosystem ecology and global climate. Invited speakers usually meet with faculty and students at Tulane and give one or two seminars on their research.
All seminars are open to the public.
In the 1997-98 academic year the Institute initiated this program with a Distinguished Speaker series, bringing several leaders in earth and ecosystem sciences to Tulane to discuss their research and the state of interdisciplinary training in these fields. The IEES provides an intellectual and physical home for visiting scholars, from postdoctoral fellows to senior scientists. For IEES members, visiting scholars bring fresh ideas and perspectives into our intellectual community. Although the IEES has no undergraduate curriculum of its own, it is closely affiliated with Tulane and Newcomb Colleges' Environmental Studies coordinate major program. This program enables undergraduate students to supplement work in a traditional discipline with a broader curriculum of environment-relevant courses, including courses taught in Tulane's professional schools.