Environmental Health Sciences
"The people in the School of Public Health are probably my favorite aspect of the School. They're fantastic, they're friendly, they are smart, and they're interdisciplinary, and we have so much fun together. I've made some really great friends just through my cohort. I've learned so much from them and hopefully they've learned a lot from me."
Degree Options:
Environmental factors are estimated to be responsible for 25 to 40 percent of the burden of human ill-health around the world and often seriously affect the most vulnerable members of society, such as young children, pregnant women, and the poor. The Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) curriculum prepares students to assess the health impacts of physical, chemical, and biological agents in the environment and workplace and to explore means for their measurement and control. EHS integrates several disciplines with emphasis in assessment of exposures to environmental contaminants, toxicology, environmental and occupational epidemiology, risk assessment, and policy analysis. Students learn to apply tools in these disciplines to problems in the United States and other parts of the world.
Environmental Health Sciences: 2-Year Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
Curriculum & Requirements
The 2-year M.P.H. program in Environmental Health Sciences requires 48 units with courses selected from public health, epidemiology, biostatistics and statistics, risk and exposure assessment, policy, regulation, and toxicology. A full-time summer internship is also required.
The M.P.H. program requires a comprehensive examination consisting of written and oral components covering subject matter in the core courses. The comprehensive examination is given during the student's last semester of attendance (usually at the beginning of April). The basic purpose of the examination is to inquire into the student's ability to synthesize the various components of the required subject matter as they apply to environmental health problems encountered in the real world.
Sample Curriculum (PDF)
Fall 2011 Admissions Statistics:*
Average GPA of admitted applicants: 3.58
Average GRE scores of admitted applicants:
Verbal: 610 (88%); Quantitative: 710 (72%)
*Statistics for 1, and 2-year Environmental Health Sciences M.P.H. programs are combined.
What we look for in competitive applicants:
Applicants should have completed undergraduate work in calculus, organic chemistry, andbiology.
- Common undergraduate majors for admitted applicants: Chemistry, biology, microbiology, molecular biology, nutrition, ecology, public health, environmental science
- Common work experience for admitted applicants: Applicants in past years have worked as lab technicians, student researchers, research scientists, post-graduate fellows, toxicologists, industrial hygiene engineers, and for the Peace Corps.
Employment Opportunities:
Excellent career opportunities are available for graduates of the Environmental Health Sciences program, especially for specialists in industrial hygiene and toxicology. M.P.H. graduates usually work for private industry or government. In the last few years, alumni have accepted job offers at organizations such as: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Hewlett Packard, the California Environmental Protection Agency, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Inc., and the California Department of Toxic Substances.
Environmental Health Sciences: 11-Month M.P.H.
Curriculum & Requirements
The 11-month M.P.H. program in Environmental Health Sciences requires 42 units with courses selected from public health, epidemiology, biostatistics and statistics, risk and exposure assessment, policy, regulation, and toxicology.
The M.P.H. program requires a comprehensive examination consisting of written and oral components covering subject matter in the core courses. The comprehensive examination is given during the student's last semester of attendance (usually at the beginning of April). The basic purpose of the examination is to inquire into the student's ability to synthesize the various components of the required subject matter as they apply to environmental health problems encountered in the real world.
Fall 2008 Admissions Statistics:*
- Admission Ratio: 56% (22/39)
- Average GPA of admitted applicants: 3.57
*Statistics for 1, and 2-year Environmental Health Sciences MPH programs are combined.
What we look for in competitive applicants:
Applicants must hold a Ph.D. or doctoral level clinical degree and should have completed undergraduate and graduate work in calculus, organic chemistry, and biology. Common undergraduate majors for admitted applicants include chemistry, biology, microbiology, molecular biology, nutrition, ecology, public health, and environmental science.
Employment Opportunities:
Excellent career opportunities are available for graduates of the Environmental Health Sciences program, especially for specialists in industrial hygiene and toxicology. M.P.H. graduates usually work for private industry or government. In the last few years, alumni have accepted job offers at organizations such as: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Hewlett Packard, the California Environmental Protection Agency, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Inc., and the California Department of Toxic Substances.Environmental Health Sciences: Master of Science (M.S.)
Curriculum & Requirements
The MS program in Environmental Health Sciences is a 2-year course of study which requires 20-24 units of upper division graduate coursework in biostatistics and statistics, risk and exposure assessment, policy and regulation, epidemiology, and toxicology. A thesis or original research project required.
Sample Curriculum (PDF)
Fall 2011 Admissions Statistics:
Admissions Ratio: 2/9 (22%)
Average GPA of admitted applicants: 3.59
Average GRE scores of admitted applicants:
Verbal: 740 (99%); Quantitative: 740 (82%)
What we look for in competitive applicants:
Applicants must have completed undergraduate coursework in chemistry and biology.
- Common undergraduate majors for admitted applicants: Biology, microbiology, immunology, environmental science, toxicology, chemistry
- Common work experience for admitted applicants: Applicants in past years have worked as lab technicians, student researchers, research scientists, post-graduate fellows, toxicologists, industrial hygiene engineers, and for the Peace Corps.
Employment Opportunities:
Excellent career opportunities are available for graduates of the Environmental Health Sciences program, particularly for specialists in industrial hygiene and toxicology. In the last few years, alumni have accepted job offers at organizations such as: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Hewlett Packard, the California Environmental Protection Agency, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Environmental Toxicology Inc., and the California Department of Toxic Substances.
Master of Science (M.S.) in Global Health & Environment
Curriculum & Requirements
Founded in 2000, the Global Health & Environment (GHE) program is a unique, interdisciplinary, campus-wide program based in the School of Public Health. The objective of the program is to help people in developing countries achieve health, reach a reasonable level of well being, and stabilize populations, while at the same time protecting the local, community, and global environments.
The program requires 2 years (plus one summer) with 52 semester units in several departments across campus encompassing environmental health sciences, biostatistics, and epidemiology, development trends, theory, economics, and policy, and risk analysis.
An original research project is required. The GHE research project may be done using secondary data sources without the need to do fieldwork. Most GHE students; however, take advantage of the many opportunities available within the School of Public Health to conduct fieldwork during the summer between their two academic years to investigate an environmental health problem in a developing country.
Sample Curriculum (PDF)
Fall 2011 Admissions Statistics:
Admissions Ratio: 7/10 (70%)
Average GPA of admitted applicants: 3.73
Average GRE scores of admitted applicants:
Verbal: 620 (89%); Quantitative: 740 (80%)
What we look for in competitive applicants:
Applicants must have completed undergraduate coursework in calculus, chemistry, and biology.
- Common undergraduate majors for admitted applicants: Engineering, teaching, chemistry, and medical fields
- Common work experience for admitted applicants: Applicants in past years have worked as lab technicians, student researchers, research scientists, post-graduate fellows, toxicologists, industrial hygiene engineers, and for the Peace Corps.
Employment Opportunities:
Graduates of the GHE program are currently employed at the Environmental Protection Agency—one in the Office of Air and Radiation and another in the Office of Pesticide Safety—as well as at other organizations listed here. Four other graduates have continued their educations in PhD programs in environmental health.
Environmental Health Sciences: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Curriculum & Requirements
The Ph.D. program can last from 2-5 years; students normally take courses during their first or second year in preparation for the Qualifying Examination. In the first year, depending on the nature of their masters program, doctoral students will work closely with their academic advisers to ensure they have mastered the material discussed in the EHS core courses. Courses taken are chosen in consultation with the student's academic adviser, and students should have an early discussion of this issue with their advisers. Students must develop expertise in their major (Environmental Health Sciences) as well as two minor fields, such as biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental law, policy, or molecular cell biology. One of the student's minor fields must be outside of EHS.
Doctoral students are expected to carry at least 3 units of directed research in each of the first two semesters and increased units in subsequent semesters. Part of this research effort will be devoted to the development of two minor fields as well as a dissertation prospectus in preparation for the qualifying exam. Students are encouraged to take courses outside the School of Public Health to enhance their understanding of other disciplines that may be important to their research areas.
This program requires a Graduate Group Examination, Qualifying Examination, and formal approval and acceptance of your dissertation. A committee of three Berkeley Academic Senate members will guide you in research and judge the merits of your dissertation. Your principal research advisor is generally the chair of this committee and it is expected that you will be in close touch with your advisor throughout the process of formulating the dissertation project and carrying it through to completion.
Sample Curriculum (PDF)
Fall 2011 Admissions Statistics:
Admissions Ratio: 8/28 (28%)
Average GPA of admitted applicants: 3.73
Average GRE scores of admitted applicants:
Verbal: 570 (80%); Quantitative: 710 (72%)
What we look for in competitive applicants:
Applicants must hold an M.S. or M.P.H. in a related field and display a clear research orientation and firm knowledge of research techniques.
Employment Opportunities:
The Ph.D. degree is designed to prepare students for careers as independent researchers, educators, or managers in the field of environmental health sciences.