Doctor of Philosophy in the Field of Environmental Health (STEM)

Program Directors: K. Applebaum and K. Fong

The mission of the doctor of philosophy (PhD) in the field of environmental health program is to educate individuals focused on developing new knowledge in the methods or applications of environmental health sciences that translates to environmental public health policy and practice. Program scholars will advance knowledge in analysis and laboratory sciences. 

Graduates can expect to be able to:

• Demonstrate skills across a wide range of epidemiologic and biostatistical theories and methods.
• Use knowledge in environmental public health risk sciences.
• Understand general and specialized concepts and methodologies for scientific research in environmental health.
• Understand and identify data that scientifically addresses environmental health disparity issues related to environmental justice, occupational exposures, and global inequities in exposures and susceptibilities.
• Demonstrate ability to work in interprofessional settings, such as in collaboration with quantitative, environmental, physical, and social scientists.
• Understand and abide by guidelines for ethical research practice and responsible conduct of research.
• Understand how to identify and appropriately work with communities from which research subjects are drawn and/or those who are most impacted by the conduct and results of the research.
• Conduct independent research, analyze data, and communicate results.
• Disseminate research findings to scientific and lay audiences.  

This is a STEM designated program.

Visit the program website for additional information.  

Visit the Milken Institute School of Public Health website for additional information about academic programs and information about GWSPH. Graduate admissions information, including application requirements and deadlines, can be found on the GWSPH Graduate Admissions website.

The following requirements must be fulfilled: 48 total credits, including 8 credits in PhD foundational core courses, 14 credits in program-specific courses, 12 to 18 credits in elective courses, and 8 to 14 credits in proposal writing and dissertation research.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required
Foundational core courses (8 credits)
PUBH 6080	Pathways to Public Health
PUBH 6247	Epidemiologic Methods I: Design of Health Studies
PUBH 6421	Responsible Conduct of Research
PUBH 6862	Applied Linear Regression Analysis for Public Health Research
PUBH 8001	Doctor of Philosophy Seminar on Cross-Cutting Concepts in Public Health
Program-specific courses (14 credits)
PUBH 6121	Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology
PUBH 8123	Applied Toxicology for Public Health
PUBH 8126	Assessment and Control of Environmental Hazards
PUBH 8144	Environmental Health Data Development and Modeling
PUBH 8411	Advanced Topics: Principles of Human Health Risk Science
Electives
12 to 18 credits in elective courses, the selection of which is tailored to meet students' career goals and done in consultation with the advisor.
Proposal Writing and Dissertation Research
8 to 14 credits
PUBH 8435	PhD Dissertation Proposal Development
PUBH 8999	Dissertation Research (6 to 12 credits)