Content

1. Overview of the Program

2. Application Guidance

3. Scholarship

4. Graduate Research Areas

5. Campus Life

6. Appendix: Curriculum Plan

1. 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.

2. Application Guidance

2.1 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.

2.2 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. (see §2.4) 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

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.

2.3. 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.

2.4. 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.

2.5 Dissertation

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.

2.6. Eligibility of Applicants 

Applicants must be non-Chinese citizens with a valid passport.

Applicants for doctoral program should hold a master degree, or will receive a master degree by the time they enroll at Tsinghua University. Their degrees should be in Environmental Science and Engineering, Environmental Economics and Management, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or other relevant fields.

Applicants should hold a bachelor degree, which was obtained through a formal 4-year program with at least 100 credits or 30 courses. The master degree should be a formal program with at least 18 credits or 6 courses.

All the applicants are expected to have basic knowledge of calculus, general chemistry and biology. More specialized knowledge is required if the applicants want to conduct research on environmental science and engineering, including: water treatment, water supply, air pollution control, solid waste treatment and control, environmental biology and environmental chemistry. If the applicants want to focus on management and planning, they should have knowledge in probability and statistics. Each applicant should use a table to clarify how he/she can meet these requirements in the personal statement.

For NON- English native speakers, ONE of the following conditions shall be met.

a. Major courses in undergraduate period were given in English and this shall be clearly stated in the applicants’ transcripts.

Or

b. Applicants provide the transcript of either TOEFL (minimum 90 for overall score and 23 for writing component) or IELTS (minimum 6.5 for overall score and 6.0 for writing component) or equivalent.

2.7. Documents for Application:

Please upload all the listed documents below to the application system:

（1）Personal Statement. Applicants also need to submit a brief introduction of research experience within 2 pages.

（2）Degree Certificates. Applicants should submit both master ’s and bachelor’s degree certificates. Those who have not graduated yet must provide a proof of education in the current academic institution.

（3）Academic transcripts. Applicants should submit academic transcripts of both graduate and undergraduate studies.

（4）Two online recommendation letters from academic scholars who are holding a position of associate professor or higher, or are senior professionals in the related field. Please follow system instructions for the submission of online recommendation letters.

（5）Passport Personal Information Page (personal and ordinary passport).

Note：Use the online application to apply. The online application offers tools for collecting and submitting some, but not all, of the documents and information required for application.

2.8. Application schedule:

First Round: Nov 1, 2017 -- Jan 15, 2018

Second Round: Feb 15, 2018 -- Mar 1, 2018

Online application should be completed and the package be received by Mar 1, 2018

Please note that for the Government or other scholarship applicants, online application should be submitted before Dec 31st, 2017.

Step 1: Online Application

Applicants should complete the Online Application on the website of the THU Graduate Programs Application System for International Students during the designated THU application period. (http://gradadmission.tsinghua.edu.cn )

Applicants should fill in the application information online, upload the application documents listed below to the Online Application System, and pay the application fee online at the time of submission.

Step 2: Document Submission

All students should present the necessary original or notarized degree certificate upon registration at Tsinghua University for enrollment qualification review. Students who fail enrollment qualification review will be disqualified from enrollment.

2.9 Application remarks:

（1）Applicants are required to submit scanned images of all required documents at the time of application. All uploaded documents should be in Chinese or English; otherwise notarial translations in Chinese or English are required. Once translated, the original documents and certified translations are to be submitted together to the application system.

（2）Please scan the original or notarial application documents in color using a scanner. Documents images captured by mobile phone or camera are not acceptable. Copies are also not acceptable.

（3）Application fee must be paid at time of application submission. THU is not responsible for errors made by applicants during the application process. There are no application-fee refunds.

（4）Applications with incomplete documents or without application fee payment will not be processed.

（5）THU may request some applicants to submit original or notarial hardcopies of application documents for further qualification check if uploaded documents are not sufficient. Applicants shall guarantee all the information and application documents submitted in the application are authentic and accurate; otherwise, the admission will be disqualified.

（6）None of the above application documents will be returned.

Contact information:

Associate Dean: Dr. WU Ye

Assistant Dean & Manager of SOE International Office: Dr. ZHAO Ming

E-mail: ming.zhao@tsinghua.edu.cn

Assistant Manager of SOE International Office: Ms. PENG Xiaojuan

E-mail: hjxgs@tsinghua.edu.cn

Tel: 86-10-62797857

Fax: 86-10-62785687

Mailing Address:

Office of International Graduate Programs

School of Environment

Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China

2.10. Admission Process

After the complete application documents are received, the application materials will be reviewed and pre-screened by a group of faculty members in the school. Usually the top 30 applicants will be shortlisted for an online interview via Skype. The shortlisted students will likely be notified in March. During the interview, they will be re-ranked by the interview committee. The number of admitted students varies each year depending on the scholarship funding of that year. Furthermore, NOT all of the accepted students could be granted full scholarship.
Decisions of the committee will be reviewed and confirmed by the Associate Dean for Educational Affairs. Each accepted applicant is required to sign and submit a formal letter to declare one’s acceptance of the offer and the full understanding of the acceptance conditions. Offers of admission that are not accepted by the applicants within the required time will be withdrawn.
Admission to the graduate programs of School of Environment is competitive: not all the applicants who satisfy the minimum requirements can be accepted. The international office is not responsible for explaining the admission results.
Furthermore, the scholarship granted by the government and university covers full-time students only. The spouse of students is not considered.

No enrollment will be processed in case an applicant is absent during the required time period for registration without notifying in advance. We will regard this case as the automatic withdrawal by the student.

Note: Admission to the graduate program is determined at the school level with oversight by Tsinghua University according to the result of document review, result of interview, and other factors. THU Graduate Admission Office will issue the certificate of admission after the final admission result is released. Prior to this, applicants may check admission status via the THU Graduate Programs Application System for International Students.

2.11. Visa Application and Admission Registration

（1） Admitted students should bring their personal and ordinary passport, Certificate of Admission, Visa Application Form (JW202/JW201), and original Form of Physical Examination Record for Foreigners as well as other original documents of physical examination to the Embassy or Consulate of the People's Republic of China, and apply for a student visa (X1 visa). Students who intend to live in an on-campus dormitory shall apply for the room online during the dates specified in the university instructions. Students shall come to THU for registration during the dates indicated in the admission package with the required documents. Normally, registration is held in late August. Students must enter Mainland China with an ordinary passport and X1 visa; and must apply for a Residence Permit within 30 days after arrival in China.

（2） All students should present the necessary original or notarized degree certificate upon registration at Tsinghua University for enrollment qualification review. Students who fail the enrollment qualification review will be disqualified from enrollment.

2.12. Accommodation

Due to limited dormitory capacity, on-campus rooms can only be reserved for those who have successfully applied online. For Chinese Government Scholarship (full-scholarship) recipient, a dormitory on campus will be reserved by the University. Those who fail to apply for the dorm online have to find off-campus accommodation independently.

Detailed information regarding THU academic life, accommodation, student activities, visa, and residence permit application, as well as other useful information, is available at http://is.tsinghua.edu.cn/.

Application Fee, Tuition, and Other Costs:

（3） Application Fee (Non-refundable): RMB 800

（4） Tuition: RMB 40,000/year.

（5） Accidental Injury and Hospitalization Insurance: RMB 600/year.

Accommodation:

For details, please refer to the link: http://is.tsinghua.edu.cn

3. Scholarship

a. International students of Tsinghua University may apply for Chinese Government Scholarship (CGS), Beijing Government Scholarship (BGS), or Tsinghua University Scholarship (TUS).

For detailed information, please refer to the link: http://www.is.tsinghua.edu.cn

b. School of Environment Financial Support

To support those who have not been granted the full scholarship and are not in a good economic condition, accommodation fee could be fully covered by the School after a full consideration of the applicants’ potential in study and research. The amount is around RMB 22,000 but may be adjusted each year. The application of financial support can be submitted to the School before or after getting the admission.     The students, who already get full scholarship from other sources, will NOT be supported.

4. Graduate Research Areas

There are 12 divisions in SOE.

For detailed information, please refer to the link:

Research Divisions.docx

5. Campus Life

SOE is a friendly and welcoming community where students can get involved in a variety of clubs and activities. Students may choose from more than 100 student associations of the university and activities, such as sports competition, community service, social and environmental awareness, New Year’s party, tourist visits to Chinese cultural and historical destinations, concerts etc.

SOE also hosts a variety of academic events that are open to all the students across the country, such as the National Doctoral Candidates Conference and Tsinghua Environmental-Friendly Science & Technology Competition.

Students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities, so that they can achieve a well-rounded development.

In 2010, Forbes listed 14 of the world’s most beautiful college campuses. Of which ten are from U.S., three from Europe, and Tsinghua is the only one from Asia. Besides the unique historical architectures, pleasant natural environment, Tsinghua provides the students with various services that are convenient for everyone and make the school life here enjoyable.
For detailed information, please refer to the link:

Campus Life.docx

The School of Environment launched the International Student Ambassador Program in 2016. Ambassadors are assigned a group of incoming students, to whom they provide guidance on a range of matters relating to studying and living in China.

6.Appendix

Curriculum Plan.docx