MS in Environmental Health Sciences

About

The Master of Science in Environmental Health Sciences degree, offered by the Department of Environmental and Occupational, grew out of the Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program (formerly under the UCI School of Medicine), which has trained PhD and MS students and postdoctoral scholars for more than 40 years at UCI. 

The MS degree program in Environmental Health Sciences provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary and appropriate to teach and/or conduct basic and applied research programs in inhalation/pulmonary toxicology, neurotoxicology, reproductive and developmental toxicology, chemical pathology, toxicokinetics, radiation toxicology, molecular carcinogenesis, exposure sciences, environmental and occupational epidemiology, risk assessment, injury and violence prevention, social stressors, environmental justice, and community-based participatory research.

Students entering the program have varied backgrounds, including chemistry, biology, physiology, environmental science/engineering/health, epidemiology, and public health. The curriculum is based on a foundation of basic and health sciences with applications of scientific principles to environmental exposures and their potential health effects. Formal course work is enriched by a strong commitment to student-professor interaction throughout the program.

An important and integral part of the learning process is an early and intensive involvement of the student in ongoing original research projects in environmental health sciences.

The UCI EHS program is a participant in several special graduate training programs, including GPS-STEM, Ridge 2 Reef, and Environmental Racism and Health Equity.

Please note that the courses listed in the UCI Course Catalogue may vary. For the most accurate and up-to-date list of classes, please consult with your academic counselor.

Environmental Toxicology

Environmental Toxicology involves the scientific study of the entry, distribution, biotransformation, and mechanism of the action of chemical and physical agents that are harmful to the body. The graduate program interprets environmental toxicology as the study of the effects and mechanisms of action of hazardous chemical and physical agents in food, air, water, and soil in the home, the workplace, and the community. It considers experimentally and theoretically such diverse research problems as:

  • New scientific approaches to toxicological evaluation of environmental chemicals (e.g. air and water pollutants, food additives, industrial wastes, and agricultural adjuvants) and physical agents (e.g. radiation, extreme temperature) at the molecular, cellular, and organism levels
  • Mechanisms of action in the toxicity of chemical and physical environmental agents
  • The molecular pathology of tissue injury in acute and chronic toxicity
Environmental Epidemiology

Environmental Epidemiology involves the study of the effects of human exposures to broad environmental and occupational exposures on health outcomes. Human exposures cover social stressors, behavior factors, and chemical and physical exposures through in different media such as air, water, food, and soil and via multiple routes including inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact. Research areas includes:

  • Assessing individual level exposures to social, behavioral, and chemical and physical factors in environmental and occupational settings and examining associations of these exposures with health and disease outcomes
  • New approaches to evaluate human exposures and health risks to environmental and occupational agents, including measurement, modeling, and biomonitoring
  • Social and environmental justice and community-based participatory research to improve health

Learning Outcomes

  • Develop a broad knowledge of principles of environmental and occupational health sciences and apply these principles in the context of public health.
  • Conceive, develop, conduct, and interpret original research using a range of approaches, leading to advances in knowledge, methods, and practices in environmental and/or occupational health.
  • Develop and demonstrate written and oral communication skills by preparing papers, summaries, briefings and presentations regarding environmental and/or occupational health.

Time to Degree

For students enrolled full-time, the normative time for the MS degree is 4-6 quarters depending on the plan that the student follows. Under Plan I, students will complete coursework and develop a thesis. Under Plan II, students will complete coursework, pass the comprehensive exam, and submit a scholarly paper in 4 quarters.

Questions?

AndreaDeVizcaya_Ruiz_Thumbnail
Andrea De Vizcaya Ruiz, PhD
Professor of Environmental & Occupational Health; Director, Graduate Programs in Environmental Health Sciences