Degree Pathways
Requirements for the MS degree in Environmental Health Sciences may be satisfied in one of two ways:
Plan 1 requires the completion of 20 program-wide core course units, at least 8 seminar (EHS 298) course units, and 8 units of approved electives for a total of 36 course units, plus at least 8 Independent Study (EHS 290) units.
The student completes the core program with all grades of B or above and, under the direction of a faculty advisor, prepares a thesis that is acceptable to the thesis committee. Plan I requires a minimum of 5 quarters and generally 7 quarters to complete.
Advising
The first-year MS student in Plan I and all first year doctoral students are expected to get involved in a research project at the earliest possible time, usually in the first quarter of the program. When a student is unsure of where to work, that student is encouraged to take advantage of the research rotation option. A rotation will consist of up to one quarter residence in a laboratory/research group of the student’s choice; two or more rotations per academic year are possible. Professors will be responsible for acting as an advisor/mentor to the student and instructing the student in proper research procedures, experimental design, and data analysis/scientific interpretation. If the entering student is sure of the area in which he/she wants to work, a research rotation is not necessary.
| Year 1 | fall | winter | spring |
|---|---|---|---|
| PUBHLTH 200: Foundations of Public Health | EHS 264: Introduction to Environmental Health Science | PUBHLTH 294: Research Communication in Public Health | |
| PUBHLTH 204: Biostatistics I | EHS 206A: Target Organ Toxicology I * | EHS 206B | |
| PUBHLTH 206A | Elective Course | Elective Course | |
| EHS 202: Principles of Environmental Toxicology * | EHS 299: Research Problems | EHS 299: Research Problems | |
| EHS 299: Research Problems | EHS 298: Seminar | EHS 298: Seminar | |
| EHS 298: Seminar |
Comprehensive Exam at the end of Year 1 / Advancement should occur before Year 2
| Year 2 | FALL | WINTER | SPRING |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elective Course | Elective Course | Elective Course | |
| Elective Course | Elective Course | EElective Course | |
| EHS 290: Independent Study (10-units) | EHS 290: Independent Study (10-units) | EHS 290: Independent Study (10-units) | |
| EHS 298: Seminar | EHS 298: Seminar | EHS 298: Seminar |
Advancement to Candidacy
The Master’s student in Plan I is required to write a thesis based on research the student has done under faculty supervision in the area of Environmental Toxicology or Exposure Sciences and Environmental Epidemiology. A committee of three faculty members is appointed to guide the student through the research problem and determine when a sufficient amount of work has been completed satisfactorily. At that time, the student presents the research results to the committee; after successful presentation of the results, the student can advance to candidacy for the Master of Science degree. The student must advance to candidacy no later than one quarter before the quarter in which the degree is expected to be awarded. Plan I requires a minimum of 5 quarters and usually 7 quarters to complete.
Plan II:
The student completes the core program with all grades of B or above; prepares a scholarly paper based on individual study in an area of toxicology under the supervision of a faculty member, and satisfactorily passes the written comprehensive examination at the M.S. level. Plan II takes 4 quarters to complete.
Advising
The first-year MS student in Plan II is expected to get involved in individual study of a specialty area in environmental health sciences at the earliest possible time, usually in the first quarter of the program. The student works under the supervision of a faculty member, who is generally also their first year advisor, and is given credit for this work under course EHS 290 Independent Study in Environmental Health Sciences. The product of this independent study is the scholarly paper. The comprehensive examination is always held at the beginning of summer quarter.
| Year 2 | fall | winter | spring |
|---|---|---|---|
| PUBHLTH 200: Foundations of Public Health | EHS 264: Introduction to Environmental Health Science | PUBHLTH 294: Research Communication in Public Health | |
| PUBHLTH 204: Biostatistics I | EHS 206A: Target Organ Toxicology I * | EHS 206B | |
| PUBHLTH 206A | Elective Course | Elective Course | |
| EHS 202: Principles of Environmental Toxicology * | EHS 299: Research Problems | EHS 299: Research Problems | |
| EHS 299: Research Problems | EHS 298: Seminar | EHS 298: Seminar | |
| EHS 298: Seminar |
Comprehensive Exam at the end of Year 1 / Advancement should occur before Year 2
Advancement to Candidacy
The Master’s student in Plan II is required to write a scholarly paper based on individual study the student has done under faculty supervision. The student must also pass a written comprehensive examination based on the course work in the specific focus area taken. After completion of the examination, the student can advance to candidacy for the Master of Science degree. The student must advance to candidacy no later than one quarter before the quarter in which the degree is expected to be awarded. Plan II takes 4 quarters to complete.
Additional courses may be added to this pool upon approval of the Program Faculty.
| EHS 201 | Case Studies in Environmental Toxicology |
| EHS 204 | Neurotoxicology |
| EHS 212 | Inhalation Toxicology |
| EHS 220 | Industrial Toxicology |
| EHS 269 | Air Pollution, Climate and Health |
| EHS 270 | Human Exposure to Environmental Contaminants |
| EHS 275 | Environmental Modeling and Risk Assessment |
| EHS 294 | Occupational Health Psychology |
| EHS 203 | Psychosocial Occupational Epidemiology |
| PUBHLTH 260 | Human Exposure Modeling |
| PUBHLTH 276 | Toxic Chemicals in the Environment |
| MBB 203 | Nucl. Acids Structure and Function |
| MBB 204 | Protein Structure and Function |
| DCB 231B | Cell Biology |
| PATH 225 | Molecular Mechanisms of Disease |
| ANATOMY 203A,B | Human Microscopic Anatomy |
| PHYSIOLOGY 206A,B | Introduction to Medical Physiology |
| PUBHLTH 283 | Geographic Information Systems |
| EPIDEM 205 | Environmental Epidemiology |
| PUBHLTH 265 | Advanced Environmental Health Science |
