ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES, PHD
Environmental Health Sciences
Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Health Sciences
The PhD in Environmental Health Sciences is an academic research degree. The doctoral program prepares scientists for careers in research, environmental program management, risk assessment and policy. Didactic training and research in the identification, evaluation, and control of hazards to human health are emphasized in this program. Students may concentrate on a wide variety of areas including exposure assessment, toxicology, environmental chemistry, air and water pollution, risk assessment and management. In addition to understanding the advanced concepts of environmental health sciences, graduates of this program are expected to develop skills that will enable them to identify and define questions of environmental health importance, design research studies to address these questions, and to complete a program of research that demonstrates abilities as an independent investigator. Graduates are qualified to assume upper-level positions in the public or private sector in research, management, teaching, or consulting.
Curriculum
PhD students are expected to complete departmental required courses, electives and research. Other courses preparatory to dissertation research will be determined by the academic advisor or dissertation committee in consultation with the student.
Students who are admitted to the PhD program with a relevant master's degree will be required to complete a minimum of 72 hours. Students without a relevant master's degree will be required complete a minimum of 78 hours. The admissions committee will decide which schedule the student is required to follow. These are the minimum number of required hours; additional coursework that the dissertation committee deems necessary, or additional research hours needed to complete the dissertation may increase the total number of credit hours.
All students in an MSPH, MS, DrPH, or PhD program are required to complete PUH 600: Overview of Public Health. The course must be completed in a single semester (Fall or Spring); students must complete the course by the end of their second semester in the program. Students with prior public health education (BS in Public Health or MPH) or extensive public health experience (5+ years in public health practice) may be waived from this requirement by permission of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, but this is rare.
PhD curriculum for students with a relevant masters degree.
| Requirements | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| School Core Requirement (15 hours): | ||
| BST 612 | Intermediate Statistical Analysis II | 3 |
| ENH 700 | Scientific Basis of Environmental Health | 3 |
| EPI 616 | Environmental Epidemiology | 3 |
| GRD 717 | Principles of Scientific Integrity | 3 |
| PUH 703 | Public Health Grant Writing | 3 |
| or GRD 704 | Specialized Instruction | |
| or GRD 723 | Writing Research for Academic Audiences | |
| Department Core Requirement (8 hours): | ||
| Select two of the following: ENH 611, ENH 660 and/or ENH 661L | 6 | |
| Environmental & Occupational Exposure Assessment | ||
| Fundamentals of Air and Water Pollution | ||
| Environmental Sampling and Analysis Laboratory | ||
| ENH 790 | Seminar: Current Topics in ENH Sciences Research | 1 |
| ENH 790 | Seminar: Current Topics in ENH Sciences Research | 1 |
| Electives (13 hours): | ||
| Selected through discussion between advisor, committee, and student; courses could be outside SOPH | 13 | |
| Directed Research (minimum 12 hours): | ||
| ENH 798 | Doctoral Level Directed Res | 1-9 |
| Dissertation Research (minimum 24 hours, atleast 2 semester of candidacy): | ||
| ENH 799 | Dissertation Research | 1-9 |
| Minimum Credit Hours Earned for Degree: | 72 | |
PhD curriculum for students without a masters degree or relevant masters degree.
| Requirements | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Required for Students without Masters (6 hours): | ||
| BST 611 | Intermediate Statistical Analysis I | 3 |
| EPI 610 | Principles of Epidemiologic Research | 3 |
| School Core Requirement (15 hours): | ||
| BST 612 | Intermediate Statistical Analysis II | 3 |
| ENH 700 | Scientific Basis of Environmental Health | 3 |
| EPI 616 | Environmental Epidemiology | 3 |
| GRD 717 | Principles of Scientific Integrity | 3 |
| PUH 703 | Public Health Grant Writing | 3 |
| or GRD 704 | Specialized Instruction | |
| or GRD 723 | Writing Research for Academic Audiences | |
| Department Core Requirement (8 hours): | ||
| Select two of the following: ENH 611, ENH 660 and/or ENH 661L | 6 | |
| Environmental & Occupational Exposure Assessment | ||
| Fundamentals of Air and Water Pollution | ||
| Environmental Sampling and Analysis Laboratory | ||
| ENH 790 | Seminar: Current Topics in ENH Sciences Research | 1 |
| ENH 790 | Seminar: Current Topics in ENH Sciences Research | 1 |
| Electives (13 hours): | ||
| Selected through discussion between advisor, committee, and student; courses could be outside SOPH | 13 | |
| Directed Research (minimum 12 hours): | ||
| ENH 798 | Doctoral Level Directed Res minimum 7 hours | 1-9 |
| Dissertation Research (minimum 24 hours, atleast 2 semesters of candidacy): | ||
| ENH 799 | Dissertation Research minimum 24 hours | 1-9 |
| Minimum Credit Hours Earned for Degree: | ||
