The Best Universities for PhDs in Environmental Sciences in Australia (2026)

There are many reasons why someone might want to study Environmental Sciences at a university in Australia. Here are just a few:

• Australian institutions are at the forefront of sustainability education and research. PhD programmes often address sustainability challenges through cross-disciplinary studies encompassing environmental policy, renewable energy development, sustainable agriculture practices.
• Australian researchers are involved in many international partnerships allowing Environmental Science PhD candidates to participate in globally significant projects while networking with top researchers worldwide.
• There is growing interest in incorporating Aboriginal ecological knowledge into environmental science research in Australia. This provides unique opportunities for PhD students to explore indigenous approaches to land management and conservation efforts.
• Australia's unique flora and fauna, along with diverse ecosystems ranging from coral reefs (like the Great Barrier Reef) to rainforests and arid deserts, offer a living laboratory for studying biodiversity, conservation, and ecological resilience.

The following tables give the 10 top universities in Australia for Environmental Sciences, according to global and local university rankings. It can show you which Australian universities are amongst the best in the world - and help you compare institutions on an international level.

This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Times Higher Education, QS and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

Each ranking system uses its own methodology, with different factors having more or less influence on a university's result.

Our guide has more information on how to use international rankings to decide on the best research universities for PhD study.

The Times Higher Education rankings are strong in academic focus and diverse teaching metrics, but do not include employer-specific metrics. Additionally, the rankings may not include all specialist institutions.

The QS World University Rankings are designed to meet the needs of prospective students, with more weight given to student-centric metrics such as staff/student ratio, international recruitment and employer opinion. The rankings are balanced between qualitative and quantitative data, but give less weight to research than some other rankings.

The ARWU rankings reflect the presence of elite academics and the future academic success of graduates. However, they do not directly assess the quality of education at a university or take into account other aspects of university performance.