Environmental Health Science, Ph.D.

The PhD in Environmental Health Science (EHS) prepares students for senior-level positions in professions related to environmental health science in its broadest sense. Students in this biology PhD program will be trained in the fundamental understanding of environmental problems and their consequences on human health and well-being. 

The EHS program curriculum focuses on how environmental disturbances affect the ecosystem, community function, and species survival. Courses also explore the toxicological consequences of these environmental disturbances on physiological and cellular processes, as well as genome structure and gene function. 

PROGRAM DISTINCTIONS

• Faculty in UNCG’s Biology Department are funded by major agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the USDA, as well as a variety of private funding agencies.
• Biology faculty are nationally and internationally recognized for their research activities and publish in highly cited journals such as “Nature,” “Proceedings of the National Academy of Science,” “Current Biology,” and “Genetics,” among many others.  

THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

• The biology PhD program allows you to perform research under the direct guidance of internationally recognized faculty.
• Individualized plans of study are developed that meet the specific curricular and research training needs of each student. 
• UNCG houses state-of-the-art facilities that include confocal, fluorescence, and electron microscopes; environmental sampling and analytical equipment; high-throughput sequencing systems; quantitative PCR instrumentation; advanced documentation systems for biotechnology; growth chambers; greenhouses; and animal-care facilities.
• The Biology Department’s Plant and Pollinator Center is a research, teaching, and community outreach facility, supporting research that addresses global issues of food security, environmental sustainability, and growing agricultural economies.  

AFTER GRADUATION

• The Environmental Health Science PhD program boasts high placement rates of its graduates in positions at the postdoctoral and tenure-stream faculty levels and in research scientist positions in the private and public sectors. 

APPLY TO Environmental Health Science, Ph.D.

• The due date for applications is January 15. 
• An applicant must show training in the fundamentals of biology, which includes the successful completion of courses equivalent to our undergraduate core curriculum for a BS degree.
• A master’s degree is not required for entry into this program. 

Documents to be Submitted to the EHS PhD program:

• Official Transcripts*. All official undergraduate and graduate transcripts are required.
• GRE scores are not required.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• A current Curriculum Vitae.
• Personal Statement: Include highlights of educational background and prior professional activities; a discussion of research experience and interests; career goals; reasons for choosing the Ph.D. in EHS at UNCG; and indicate faculty members in the Biology Department  whose research activities are of particular interest.
• International applicants whose first language is not  English must provide evidence of English Language Proficiency.

Get more information