University of São Paulo Dual PhD
PhD

The School for Marine Science & Technology (SMAST) offers a dual PhD degree program established between the University of São Paulo, Brazil, Institute of Oceanography (IOUSP) and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

The dual-degree framework allows graduate students to participate in the program at each institution, while being co-supervised by one faculty member from each institution.

Students are taught by some of the most distinguished faculty in the fields of marine science. SMAST faculty pursue cutting-edge research in biogeochemical cycling, coastal ecosystem dynamics and restoration, marine computational modeling, fisheries science and management, marine renewable energy, ocean observing/remote sensing, and ocean physics.

Highlights

Applicants to the dual-degree PhD program of either institution may indicate on their application their intent to participate in the dual-degree program
Participating students have two co-advisors, one at each university
Upon passage of the PhD exams (written and oral) and dissertation proposal presentation, dual-degree students are required to conduct at least 30% of their research at the alternate institution
Students are advised to choose research areas of mutual interest to the two institutions

At a glance

The achievements of SMAST students include:

Fulbright Fellowships
Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships
Nancy Sayles Day Foundation Research Award
NOAA Sea Grant Fellowship in Population Dynamics
Awards for presentations at the following professional meetings:
- American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists
- American Fisheries Society
- American Meteorological Society
- International Council for the Exploration of the Sea
- International Pectinid Workshop
- National Shellfisheries Association

Funding

UMass Dartmouth has several financial programs to assist graduate students with the cost of advanced studies. These programs apply to degree-seeking, matriculated students only.

Applicants should take an active role in contacting faculty member(s) who could potentially advise them, as well as make an effort to seek funding before applying.

Student placement

SMAST alums succeed at becoming involved in research, teaching, and project management in academia, private industry, and governmental agencies.

Student success

Filipe Pereira PhD '23

Filipe Pereira was the first person in his family to graduate from college. With the support of his advisors and mentors at SMAST and the University of São Paulo’s Oceanographic Institute (IOUSP), Pereira not only earned his PhD, but was also awarded one of the world's most competitive postdoctoral fellowships at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Degree requirements

Program includes four core courses (12 credits total), courses in a concentration area beyond the core, seminars, and dissertation research
Concentration area work includes a minimum of 24 credit hours of courses (includes elective and seminar courses) and helps students prepare for the written and oral candidacy examinations
A minimum of 18 credit hours must be applied toward thesis research, after completing a rigorous comprehensive exam
Overall average of 3.0 in the PhD degree program is required. (IOUSP students are referred to the degree requirements of their home institution.)

Graduate admissions requirements

University requirements for graduate admissions

Submit an application via the online portal. Be sure to provide your full legal name and to capitalize the first letter of all proper nouns.
Pay non-refundable $60 application fee (American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa) via the online portal. For Nursing applicants, the non-refundable application fee is $75.
Statement of Purpose, minimum 300 words. Unless otherwise indicated in the program requirement details, indicate your graduate study objectives, research interests and experience, and business or industry experience if applicable. If you are applying for a teaching or research assistantship, include any special skills or experience that would assist us in making assistantship decisions.
Resume
Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended (regardless of whether a credential is earned or not). Unofficial transcripts are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled a final official transcript is required. International students applying with an transcript evaluation, please submit that document with your unofficial transcripts. International applicants for Data Science must submit semester-by-semester transcripts as well as consolidated transcripts.
Many programs have specific recommendations/requirements, please see the additional program-specific requirements for more information.
International students: official TOEFL iBT, IELTS, Pearson PTE or Duolingo (if accepted by program) score. Unofficial scores are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled official scores are required and must be sent by the testing agency (copies/scans not accepted). This is required of any applicant who did not earn a bachelor’s degree or higher degree from an accredited academic institution in the U.S. or accepted English-speaking country, see exemptions for more details. We require an overall/total minimum score of 72 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.0 on the IELTS or a 52 on the Pearsons PTE Academic for entrance to any program and a minimum score of 79 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.5 on the IELTS for consideration for a teaching assistantship. Some programs require higher minimum scores (see program-specific requirements). Most programs also accept the Duolingo with a minimum score of 95. The following programs do not accept the Duolingo: Art Education, Biology/Marine Biology, Nursing (MS, DNP, PhD), Psychology: Clinical, and Public Policy.
All official documents are required for enrollment, please have documents (ie. test scores) sent prior to the expiration.