Department of Environmental Health Sciences (MPH, MSPH, DrPH, PhD)

The Department of Environmental Health Sciences focuses on understanding the causes, mechanisms and consequences of environmental and occupational hazards, as well as the prevention and management of these hazards.  Principal research areas include environmental toxicology, free radical biology, cell signaling, exposure assessment, environmental management and environmental disasters.

Edward Postlethwait, PhD, Professor and Chair
Steven M. Becker, PhD, Associate Professor and Vice-Chair

Faculty: Professors: Postlethwait  Associate Professors: Bailey, Becker, Doeller, Liu, Oestenstad, Squadrito; Assistant Professors: Ballinger, Dickinson, Garfinkel, Lungu, Maples, Norman

Career Opportunities

Graduate degree programs in environmental health sciences prepare students for basic and applied scientific careers in academic, industry, government, and non-governmental organizations.  In recent years, graduates from the department have been employed by federal agencies (e.g., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NIOSH, the U.S. Public Health Service, ATSDR, department of Veterans Affairs), the armed forces, local and state health departments (e.g., Alabama Department of Public Health, Florida State Department of Health, Jefferson County Department of Health, Kentucky State Health Department), hospitals (e.g., Children's Hospital), major research laboratories (e.g., Oak Ridge National Lab, Southern Research Institute), business and industry (e.g., Alcoa, 3M, Eli Lilly, Roy F. Weston, Proctor and Gamble, Arco, Honda, Lockheed Martin, Mercedes Benz, GE, Bayer, Booz Allen, Honeywell) , and a variety of well-know academic institutions (e.g., Vanderbilt, University of California).

Degree Options

The Department offers training in three broad areas: (1) Basic Science of Environmental Toxicology, (2) Industrial Hygiene/Occupational Safety, and (3) Environmental Management and Policy.  A combination of didactic, laboratory, and/or field-based training are provided to achieve the specific goals for each student.

At the doctoral level, two programs of study are offered:

• PhD in Environmental Health Sciences (ENH)
  With foci in Environmental Health Sciences Research (ENH), Industrial Hygiene (IHY), and Environmental Management and Policy (EMP)
• DrPH in Environmental Health Sciences (ENH)
  With foci in Environmental Health Sciences (ENH), Environmental Management and Policy (EMP) and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)

At the masters level, six programs of study are offered:

• MSPH in Environmental Health Toxicology (ETOX)
• MSPH Clinical Research
• MPH in Environmental Health/Toxicology (ETOX) or in Occupational Health and Safety (OHSM)
• MPH in Industrial Hygiene (IHY) or Industrial Hygiene/Hazardous Substance (IHHS)
• MPH - Accelerated Program in Industrial Hygiene (AIHY)
• MPH in International Health and Global Studies with an Environmental Health Sciences concentration - Plan A (IGSA)
• MPH in International Health and Global Studies with an Environmental Health Sciences concentration - Plan B (IGSB)

More detailed descriptions of these degree programs may be found in the sections that follow