Department of Environmental Health Sciences

Department Overview

The Department of Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) is an academic department in the School of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York. The graduate programs prepare students for scholarly and professional positions and careers in academic institutions, health agencies, research institutions, and industry. EHS offers programs leading to the M.S., Ph.D., or MPH degree. Students participate in basic and applied research programs with an emphasis on the application of biological, physical, and medical sciences to the solution of environment-mediated public health problems. Instruction and research training focuses on three areas of specialization: environmental chemistry and environmental analytical chemistry, toxicology, and environmental and occupational health. The five-year Ph.D. program has primary emphasis on developing advanced skills in research and scientific communication in areas that are highly relevant to public health problems and practice. The M.S. program is designed to develop advanced skills in state-of-the-art techniques and a sound understanding of the fundamentals in the discipline. The MPH is a professional degree designed to prepare graduates to tackle real public health problems, as practitioners who can apply their breadth of understanding as well as some degree of expertise and experience in at least one specific area of public health. To download a copy of the MPH booklet with information on admission requirements and program of study, select this .pdf file.

The programs benefit from being based at the Wadsworth Center, a modern, well-equipped comprehensive research institution which serves as the public health laboratories of the New York State Department of Health. This relationship exposes the student to a range of real-world, scientifically based environmental and public health problems and to an organization with a tradition of high-quality basic research. Our faculty has a unique diversity of research interests and actively encourages cross-disciplinary research problems.

The Graduate Program

Graduate programs are individualized and courses are selected in accordance with both the track requirements and the background and interests of the individual student.

The Doctoral Degree

The objective of doctoral study is to develop each student's ability to conduct original, advanced research as an independent scientist. In keeping with this goal, each student is expected to take a lead role in guiding his or her own research project, under the supervision of a faculty member, with a high level of effort and accomplishment, and thereby gain the capacity to be largely self-taught and the ability to design and conduct research on important issues in the student's chosen field.

In addition to formal course work, the emphasis is on intensive research that culminates in the successful completion of a doctoral dissertation. Following laboratory rotations, the student selects a mentor from among the department faculty. Dissertation research consists of full time research on a project within the mentor's area of interest. In addition to carrying out experiments to answer specific questions, the student learns and is expected to critically evaluate the relevant scientific literature. Students are evaluated at several stages to assess their progress in developing scientific and communication skills.

Doctoral students take three formal examinations:

The Preliminary Examination is given at the end of the first year and examines the candidate's breadth of knowledge in the core areas.

The Qualifying Exam Part I, taken at the end of the third semester of study, tests the candidate's knowledge in the major area of anticipated research specialization.

The Qualifying Exam Part II, taken at the end of the fifth semester of study, tests the candidate's depth of knowledge in his/her chosen area of specialization as well as the candidate's ability to write and defend a research proposal.

The Masters Degree

The M.S. program is designed to develop advanced skills, critical thinking, and a sound understanding of the fundamentals in the disciplines. The program prepares students for technical and analytical careers in the environmental sciences, working in the public or private sectors. The M.S. program offers two routes to the degree, requiring either a technical thesis or a research-based thesis.

Technical Thesis:

The technical thesis is designed for completion in eighteen months, including full-time study during the summer session. Students select 1 to 3 laboratory or field assignments in which to gain advanced technical experience, in such areas as Pharmaco/Toxicogenomics; Xeniobiotic and Drug Metabolism; Environmental Analytical Chemistry; Biomonitoring; Environmental Health; and Environmental Epidemiology. At the conclusion of the internship period, the student is required to present a written technical thesis, which should include, where applicable, descriptions of the principles and procedures for the techniques involved, quality assurance for data acquisition, and statistical analysis.

Research Thesis:

The research thesis is designed for completion in two years. Following laboratory or field rotations, students select a mentor in their proposed area of research. Students pursuing the research thesis must take the major field exam at least one semester prior to defense of the thesis. This exam will be in the student's area of proposed research, and will consist of an oral defense of a written research proposal prepared by the student. The scope of the proposed research will be narrower than that for a Ph.D. thesis. The proposal should outline the background and conduct of proposed thesis research, and include an abstract, specific aims, background and significance, preliminary data, experimental designs and methods, and a bibliography. The research proposal is judged on the student's grasp of the field, significance of the proposed work, and feasibility of the experimental approach. In the final semester, the student must make a public oral presentation based on the research thesis, followed by defense of the thesis before the thesis committee. It is expected that the findings of the thesis project will be publishable in a peer-reviewed journal in the student's area of research.

The Annual Student Poster Day provides an excellent opportunity for students to present their research and obtain helpful suggestions from the faculty and fellow students. Additionally, many senior students present their work at national scientific meetings.