Program Overview

PhD in Environmental Health

Admission Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

• Baccalaureate Field: A major in the biological, physical, or social sciences is preferred. Students must have a relevant master's degree and meet the prerequisites for admission to the MS which include one year of college math, one course in college chemistry, and one course in biology or physics prior to enrollment in the MS program.
• Grade Point Average: At least 3.00/4.00.
• Tests Required: None; Standardized test scores are optional. Test scores are not required but will be considered if an applicant chooses to submit them.
• English Proficiency: Additional information on the English proficiency test requirement for international students can be found on the UIC Admissions website. Minimum test scores for this program are:
  • Minimum English Competency Test Scores
    • Exam | Score | Reading | Listening | Speaking | Writing
    • ---|---|---|---|---|---
    • TOEFL iBT | 80 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 21
    • IELTS Academic | 6.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0
    • PTE Academic | 54 | 51 | 47 | 53 | 56
• Letters of Recommendation: Three required.
• Personal Statement: Required; the statement should address the applicant’s intended research, career goals, and reason for pursuing the PhD degree in the chosen area.
• Other Requirements: Applicants may submit their master’s thesis as evidence of their ability to plan and complete significant health-related research.

Degree Requirements

• Minimum Semester Hours Required: 96 from the baccalaureate.
• Coursework: Students must complete a minimum of 9 semester hours in formal 500 series courses in major area of concentration (not necessarily in one division). Students must also complete 6 semester hours in a collateral area. Note: The 595-seminar series may not be counted towards fulfillment of this requirement.

School of Public Health Core Requirements

• Required Courses:
  • IPHS 450: Foundations and Determinants of Public Health
  • EPID 403: Introduction to Epidemiology: Principles and Methods
  • BSTT 400: Biostatistics I
  • BSTT 401: Biostatistics II
• Required Non-Credit Training:
  • Human Subjects Research
  • Title IX Training
  • SPH Academic Integrity Tutorial

Divisional Requirements

• Required Courses:
  • EOHS 401: Foundations of Environmental and Occupational Health
  • EOHS 402: Systems Approach in Environmental and Occupational Health
  • EOHS 495: Environmental/Occupational Health Seminar
  • EOHS 501: Exposure Assessment Strategies
  • EOHS 502: Environment, Toxicology, and Disease
  • EOHS 556: Risk Assessment in Environmental and Occupational Health
  • EOHS 595: PhD Seminar in EOHS
• Methods Selective: Students should select one course from one of the following lists of courses in either qualitative OR quantitative methods; to be selected according to academic needs and research activities.
  • Qualitative Methods:
    • CHSC 534: Management and Analysis of Qualitative Data
    • CLJ 561: Qualitative Methods and Design
    • DHD 546: Qualitative Methods in Disability Research
    • NURS 574: Qualitative Research in Nursing
    • PSCH 531: Community Research
  • Quantitative Methods:
    • BSTT 537: Longitudinal Data Analysis
    • EPID 500: Applied Methods for the Analysis of Epidemiologic Data
    • EPID 501: Advanced Quantitative Methods in Epidemiology
    • IE 442: Design and Analysis of Experiments in Engineering
• Electives: Students are required to complete 9 semester hours of 500-level courses related to their declared area of concentration, and 6 semester hours of 500-level courses related to their declared collateral area. EOHS 595 cannot be applied towards these requirements.
• Dissertation: Required. Students must register in IPHS 599 for at least 32 semester hours.
• Other Requirements: Students must obtain supervised experience in classroom teaching in at least one course for at least part of a semester.