Doctor of Philosophy in Natural Resources Management (PhD)

Please Note: Students in this program are expected to complete all requirements within a minimum of nine terms (3 years) up to a maximum of twelve terms (4 years) of continuous full-time registration. Candidates must meet a minimum residency of three terms, two of which must be consecutive.

The PhD in Natural Resources Management is an interdisciplinary research-based program. The following is a list of research areas you may be interested in.  You are encouraged to contact the potential supervisors linked to each of the research areas to discuss the availability of specific research projects, positions, and funding.

If you have specific questions about the program, please contact the program coordinator, Dr. Qing-Lai Dang

Research areas of potential supervisors:

Admission Requirements for PhD

Applicants for admission must be graduates of a recognized university and show evidence of scholarly achievement. Except where otherwise stated in the Admission Requirements of a particular program, students must have a Masters degree or its equivalent with an academic average as specified by the academic unit. An applicant holding a degree other than one in the discipline area to which admission is sought will be considered on the basis of Master's courses taken and academic standing. 

Meeting the minimum requirements does not necessarily guarantee admission. No candidate will be admitted unless the academic unit recommends admission. All applicants will be advised in writing by the Office of Graduate Studies of their admission status.

Program Specific Requirements

In addition to the general admission requirements for PhD programs, the following requirements also apply:

  • Availability of a Supervisory Committee for the student
  • Normally, an applicant to the program would be expected to have completed a Master's degree in Forestry, related science or an allied discipline; however, students lacking the appropriate background will be required to complete additional courses (up to 2 FCEs at the graduate level) to cover deficiencies as determined by the Supervisory Committee and approved by the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee
  • Successful completion of a Qualifying Examination - Qualifying examinations are to be held within twelve months of registration in the PhD in Natural Resources Management program. In the case of a graduate student enrolled in a Master's program who requests to transfer to the PhD program without completion of the Master's program, a qualifying examination will be arranged as soon as reasonably feasible; the successful completion of the examination will permit the student to register in the PhD program, otherwise the student will remain registered as a Master's candidate
  • Applicants whose native language is NOT English AND who have NOT studied in an English school system for more than three years will be required to present proof of English proficiency by achieving a total score of at least 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and a score of at least 4.0 on the Test of Written English (TWE)

Graduate Funding

At Lakehead University, we realize the importance of financial support for graduate students.

Therefore, financial assistance opportunities are available in several forms and are generally awarded to students by individual programs on the basis of academic promise and financial need.

The different funding options available include:

For your convenience, a searchable database of graduate scholarships, bursaries, and awards is provided below. Award eligibility, criteria, and application procedures for graduate funding is indicated for each award. Please use the general search tool to find available funding by program. Alternatively, you may also click the advanced search link to specify available funding by program level, award category and/or award amount.

Although financial support cannot be guaranteed to all graduate students in all programs, we encourage you to inquire about financial assistance with your Graduate Coordinator in your program of study. You may also contact the Graduate Funding Officer in the Faculty of Graduate Studies to learn more about your graduate funding options.

Conditions of Graduate Awards

Graduate scholarships are based on academic merit. Graduate bursaries are based on financial need, although there may be a merit component to the bursary. Where the award designates that an application is required, only those students who have submitted the specified application by the deadline will be considered for those awards. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be considered. Only successful applicants will be notified.

Recipients of scholarships, awards and bursaries must be registered in order to receive funding. Graduate awards are applied to any outstanding balance on the student's account. Students are entitled to their awards only after their fees are paid in full. Only students with credit account balances will be refunded the balance of the overpayment. Overpayment refunds of these awards will be issued at the end of September, January and May each year.

The University reserves the right to make changes without prior notice to the terms, conditions and award values listed in the University Calendar.

The most up-to-date internal awards and applications are on our new award system MyAwards

Graduate Studies Funding Database

Select any filter and click on Apply to see results

Required Application Documents

Applicants for admission must be graduates of an accredited university, college, or institute as well as show evidence of scholarly achievement. Doctoral applicants must have a four year bachelor's degree and a master's degree.

Meeting the minimum application requirements does not guarantee admission. The Faculty of Graduate Studies will advise all applicants in writing of admission decisions once they are received from the program. Applicants are encouraged to regularly monitor their Lakehead University email and application portal for the most current information.

The first step in the application process is to complete the online graduate studies application form.

After you have submitted the online form along with the required $125 CAD application fee, you will be provided with an online account where you can complete the remaining steps of the application process which include uploading the required supporting documents and monitoring the status of your application.

Click here to Apply to Graduate Studies

After you have applied 

After you have submitted the online application form, you can access your account here. Any change in your application status will be reflected in this portal.

Graduate Studies Reference Form
  • An electronic reference form will be automatically sent by email to the references you identify on the graduate studies application form
  • This form is requested in support of the applicant's ability to undertake advanced study and research
Official Transcript
Proof of Degree
Program Specific Supporting Documents (If required)
  • For a list of program specific documents, please see this program's Additional Application Information section (if required, see above)
Official English Test Results (If required)

Next Steps

Registration Procedures

Before Registering!

Check to make sure all of your course selections are currently being offered by referring to the University Course Calendar and the University Course Time Tables.

University Graduate Studies & General Regulations & Policies

Application Availability

Fall 2026 (September)

Open

International Application Deadline - April 30, 2026

Spring/Summer 2026

Open (limited options)

International Application Deadline - January 15, 2026

Campus

Thunder Bay

Program Type

Doctoral

Degrees

  • Doctor of Philosophy in Natural Resources Management (PhD)

Routes

Thesis