Environmental Health Sciences

Program | Faculty | Master's | Doctoral | Courses

Website: www.umass.edu/sphhs/ehs/

The Environmental Health Sciences program combines the public health sciences of biostatistics, environmental health, and epidemiology with natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Students are prepared to provide a quantitative approach to measure and monitor the effects of environmental stress on human health. Environmental Health Sciences professionals meet the public health needs of society by developing and applying the modern tools available in industrial hygiene and environmental toxicology and risk assessment.

In addition to its traditional degree offerings in environmental health sciences, the program collaborates with the Environmental Sciences Program in the College of Natural Resources and the Environment to offer M.S., M.P.H., and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment (ETRA). ETRA students develop specialized expertise in the physiological, biochemical, and molecular aspects of toxic contaminants; analytical training to couple new technologies to more efficient and extensive environmental monitoring practices; and the skills and methods required to apply information on contaminants in quantitative risk assessments and remediation strategies.

Admission Requirements for M.S. and M.P.H. Degree Programs

Applicants for admission to the Environmental Health Sciences program must meet the general admission requirements of the Graduate School, with an overall cumulative grade point average of 2.75 on a scale of 4.0. The department's basic admission requirements are a grade point average of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 in the following courses: two years of chemistry including organic chemistry, one year of physics, and one year of mathematics including calculus. Students with deficiences in any of these areas may be accepted provided that they make up the deficiency(s) without graduate credit. Other requirements are:

1. A bachelor's degree or equivalent from any college or university of recognized standing.

2. Two letters of recommendation from persons in the field of the applicant's academic major at the institution most recently attended. Applicants whose academic records go back more than five years may substitute other references, subject to departmental acceptance.

3. Two official transcripts of all previous university or college work (undergraduate and graduate).

4. Results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), taken within five years of application. All applicants should have a transcript of their scores sent to the Graduate Admissions Office. No application will be complete until scores have been received. NOTE: Foreign students must submit their TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores as well.

5. Acceptance by the Environmental Health Sciences program and the Graduate Admissions Committee of the Graduate Council.

Application Deadlines: For Fall admission, completed applications should be submitted no later than February 1. Applications for Spring admission should be submitted no later than October 1. Late applications will be accepted only if space is available.