Program Overview

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Introduction to the Toxicology Program

The Toxicology Program provides comprehensive coursework and research training to prepare prospective toxicologists and environmental health scientists for careers in academia, government, and industry. Research in the program spans a wide range of topics, from the molecular to population-level consequences of toxicant exposure.

Areas of Research Excellence

The program has several areas of research excellence, including:

• Elucidating relationships among cell signaling processes and stressor-induced disease and toxicity
• Establishing mechanisms of system-specific toxicity
• Using physiological and genomic approaches to understand differences in species and individual susceptibility to environmental contaminants
• Unraveling gene-environment interactions Some specific research areas include:
  • Apoptosis
  • Endocrine disruption
  • Trace metal bioaccumulation and detoxification
  • Oxidative stress/gene regulation/cell toxicity
  • Asthma and lung fibrosis
  • Cancer and mutagenesis
  • Ecotoxicology
  • Developmental abnormalities
  • Chemical exposure assessment and environmental epidemiology

Environmental Agents Under Investigation

Examples of environmental agents being investigated include:

• Chemical carcinogens
• Trace metals
• Pesticides
• Particulates metals
• Endocrine disruptors
• Nanoparticles
• UVB radiation

Degree Requirements

Master of Science Degree

The M.S. is a research-oriented degree requiring a minimum of 30 credit hours and a written thesis. At least 20 credit hours must be graduate-level courses, and a core curriculum is required.

Master of Toxicology Degree

The MTOX degree is a non-research degree designed for those interested in pursuing non-research careers in toxicology and environmental health science, and/or working professionals seeking to further their education and advance their careers. A minimum of 30 credit hours is required, with at least 14 credit hours in toxicology courses. The MTOX degree can be pursued on a part-time basis to accommodate working professionals.

Doctoral Degree Requirements

The Ph.D. program is designed to train students to become independent scholars capable of conducting unsupervised and original research. Students enroll in a core curriculum similar to that of the M.S. degree and additional courses as determined by their advisory committee. Normally, a total of 72 credit hours is required, with the majority of these credits being dissertation research. Students must pass both a written and oral preliminary exam prior to advancing to Ph.D. candidacy. A doctoral dissertation presenting the student's original research is written and defended in a final oral examination.

Student Financial Support

Financial assistance is available for qualified applicants through traineeships, fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships.

Specializations

Students pursuing either the M.S. or Ph.D. degree may elect to specialize in:

• General Toxicology
• Environmental Toxicology
• Molecular and Cellular Toxicology

Admission Requirements

Prospective students should have a strong background in the biological and physical sciences with a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). Introductory Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Genetics courses are recommended. International students whose primary language is not English must submit either TOEFL scores (of at least 80), IELTS scores with an overall band of at least 6.5, or provide a Duolingo score of 110 or better. All applications are reviewed by an admissions committee.

Degrees Offered

• Toxicology (M.R.)
• Toxicology (M.S.)
• Toxicology (Ph.D.)
• Toxicology (Minor)

Faculty

Professors

• Ronald E. Baynes
• Scott Belcher
• James C. Bonner
• Matthew Breen
• David Buchwalter
• William Gregory Cope
• Suzanne Fenton
• Jane A. Hoppin
• Cathrine Hoyo
• Detlef R. Knappe
• Seth William Kullman, Director, T32 Training Grant
• Carolyn Jane Mattingly
• Nanette Nascone-Yoder
• Jun Ninomiya-Tsuji
• Richard M. Roe
• Yogesh Saini
• Yoshiaki Tsuji
• Hong Wang
• Fred Andrew Wright
• Jeffrey A. Yoder

Associate Professors

• David Lawrence Aylor
• Michael Anthony Cowley, Director of Graduate Programs
• Shobhan Gaddameedhi
• Kurt Marsden
• Antonio Planchart
• Yihui Zhou

Assistant Professors

• Eric Robert Brooks
• Natalia Duque-Wilckens
• Jonathan Hall
• Nadine Kotlarz
• Maria L. Rodgers

Practice/Research/Teaching Professors

• David Allen Skaar
• Elizabeth E. A. Thompson

Adjunct Professors

• Heather Patisaul
• David Reif

Adjunct Associate Professor

• John S. House

Emeritus Faculty

• Gerald LeBlanc
• Robert Charles Smart

Courses

TOX 501/TOX 401 Principles of Toxicology

Introduce students to the basic principles of toxicology, covering the history and scope of the field, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination of toxicants, types and mechanisms of toxic action, carcinogenesis, environmental toxicology, as well as human and ecological risk assessment. Prerequisite: CH 220 or CH 221 or CH 225; BIO 181 or ZO 160. Typically offered in Spring only.

TOX 515 Environmental Toxicology

Evaluation of the nature, distribution, and significance of microchemical contamination, with emphasis on current, relevant problems. Prerequisite: Two years of biology.

TOX 558/FS 558/NTR 558 Food Toxicology

This course evaluates the weight of evidence from peer-reviewed scientific literature relating the presence of chemical or biological toxins, whether naturally occurring or man-made, in the food system to health outcomes. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or advanced undergraduate students enrolled in Food Science, Nutrition, or Toxicology majors. Typically offered in Fall only, alternate even years.

TOX 595 Special Topics

TOX 601 Toxicology Seminar

Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Typically offered in Fall and Spring.

TOX 620 Special Problems

Topics include responsibility in science, environmental fate of chemicals, developmental toxicology, lab rotations, journal club, and wildlife toxicology. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer.

TOX 688 Non-Thesis Masters Continuous Registration - Half Time Registration

For students in non-thesis master's programs who have completed all credit hour requirements for their degree but need to maintain half-time continuous registration to complete incomplete grades, projects, final master's exam, etc. Prerequisite: Master's student. Typically offered in Spring only.

TOX 689 Non-Thesis Master Continuous Registration - Full Time Registration

For students in non-thesis master's programs who have completed all credit hour requirements for their degree but need to maintain full-time continuous registration to complete incomplete grades, projects, final master's exam, etc. Prerequisite: Master's student. Typically offered in Spring only.

TOX 690 Master's Exam

For students in non-thesis master's programs who have completed all other requirements of the degree except preparing for and taking the final master's exam. Prerequisite: Master's student. Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer.

TOX 693 Master's Supervised Research

Instruction in research and research under the mentorship of a member of the Graduate Faculty. Prerequisite: Master's student. Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer.

TOX 695 Master's Thesis Research

Thesis research. Prerequisite: Master's student. Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer.

TOX 696 Summer Thesis Research

For graduate students whose programs of work specify no formal course work during a summer session and who will be devoting full time to thesis research. Prerequisite: Master's student. Typically offered in Summer only.

TOX 699 Master's Thesis Preparation

For students who have completed all credit hour requirements and full-time enrollment for the master's degree and are writing and defending their theses. Prerequisite: Master's student. Typically offered in Spring and Summer.

TOX 701 Principles and Mechanisms of Molecular and Biochemical Toxicology, I

This course covers the general principles of toxicology, including xenobiotic dose-response relationships, absorption, distribution, elimination, metabolism, excretion, and pharmacokinetic modeling. Prerequisite: BCH 451, Graduate standing. Typically offered in Fall only.

TOX 702 Principles and Mechanisms of Molecular and Biochemical Toxicology, II

This course covers the biochemical, molecular, and cellular mechanisms through which xenobiotics disrupt development and the cardiovascular, immune, nervous, dermal, and reproductive systems to produce toxicity and adverse outcomes at the organ/organism level. Prerequisite: TOX 701 and BCH 451; Graduate standing. Typically offered in Spring only.

TOX 704 Chemical Risk Assessment

Concepts and vocabulary of risk assessment, risk assessment models, and techniques used in cancer and non-cancer risk assessment, and strategies for successful risk communications. Prerequisite: TOX 701, a ST course.

TOX 715 Environmental Toxicology

Evaluation of fundamental processes relating fate and effects of chemicals in the environment, with emphasis on effects of pollutants on non-human species, environmental risk assessment, and historically relevant incidents of environmental contaminants. Prerequisite: Two years of biology. Typically offered in Fall only.

TOX 725/CS 725/HS 725/SSC 725 Pesticide Chemistry

Chemical properties of pesticides, including hydration and solvation, ionization, volatilization, lipophilicity, molecular structure and size, and reactivity and classification according to chemical description, mode of action, or ionizability. Prerequisite: (CH 201 or CH 203) and (CH 221 or CH 225). Typically offered in Spring only.

TOX 727/CS 727/HS 727/SSC 727 Pesticide Behavior and Fate In the Environment

Sorption/desorption, soil reactivity, movement, volatilization, bioavailability, degradation, and stability of pesticides in the environment. Prerequisite: CS(HS,SSC,TOX) 725, SSC 200. Typically offered in Spring only.

TOX 795 Special Topics in Toxicology

Typically offered in Fall and Spring.

TOX 801 Toxicology Seminar

Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Typically offered in Fall and Spring.

TOX 820 Special Problems In Toxicology

Topics include responsibility in science, environmental fate of chemicals, developmental toxicology, lab rotations, Journal Club, and wildlife toxicology. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Typically offered in Fall and Spring.

TOX 861 Responsible Conduct in Research

This course provides an overview of the ethical responsibilities of a graduate student or post-doctoral trainee while conducting research. Restriction: Graduate Standing, TOX major or permission by instructor. Typically offered in Fall only.

TOX 890 Doctoral Preliminary Examination

For students who are preparing for and taking written and/or oral preliminary exams. Prerequisite: Doctoral student. Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer.

TOX 893 Doctoral Supervised Research

Instruction in research and research under the mentorship of a member of the Graduate Faculty. Prerequisite: Doctoral student. Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer.

TOX 895 Doctoral Dissertation Research

Dissertation research. Prerequisite: Doctoral student. Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer.

TOX 896 Summer Dissertation Research

For graduate students whose programs of work specify no formal course work during a summer session and who will be devoting full time to thesis research. Prerequisite: Doctoral student. Typically offered in Summer only.

TOX 899 Doctoral Dissertation Preparation

For students who have completed all credit hour, full-time enrollment, preliminary examination, and residency requirements for the doctoral degree, and are writing and defending their dissertations. Prerequisite: Doctoral student. Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer.