Course Requirements | Minor in Toxicology
The Ph.D. Program in the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology (EMT) provides the necessary knowledge, skills, encouragement, and guidance to assist our students in the achievement of their educational and early career professional goals. EMT offers a highly collegial and exceptionally collaborative, research, and training environment dedicated to the success and advancement of all EMT students, faculty, and staff. The program provides students with a fundamental understanding of the interdisciplinary science of toxicology and prepares them for leadership positions in research and development, academia, government, or professional services.
Ph.D. students are awarded fellowships/traineeships/assistantships from various sources, including the NIEHS Training grant. Students are provided a stipend of at least $29,000 (depending on the funding source), and their tuition, fees, and health insurance are covered [the students share while on assistantships are negotiated on their behalf of the Coalition of Graduate Employees (CGE). During the first quarter, Ph.D. students participate in a weekly laboratory rotation which consists of spending attending a group meeting, a shadow experience, and a one-on-one meeting with the faculty member/delegate. To accommodate a large number of faculty members, there may be weeks students may rotate in more than one laboratory. These short laboratory rotations allow for students to 1) gain a more holistic perspective of the department and 2) understand the dynamics/research within each laboratory. Based on these rotations, students will select two faculty members to conduct their next two laboratory rotations (10 weeks each). The additional two rotations are required and exceptions can be granted by the Directors of Academic Programs. These rotations offer students to learn new skills and experimental approaches.
The core course requirements allow for maximal flexibility for students to work with their mentors and thesis/dissertation committees to design an individualized program of study to meet the unique educational and career goals for each student. Students complete a required core series of fundamental classes, participate in a modular Integrated Environmental Chemistry and Molecular Toxicology special topic course in the Spring quarter, participate in a weekly departmental seminar series, and complete additional elective coursework as described in their programs. Doctoral students will earn a concurrent-masters through the EMT toxicology program prior to advancing to Ph.D. candidacy. The exam occurs before the student takes their written and oral preliminary exam. In order to advance to Ph.D. candidacy, students must pass their preliminary exam (both written and oral). A doctoral dissertation presenting the student's original research is written and defended in a final oral examination.
A key component of our program is the mentoring partnership between the individual student and his or her major professor. Students develop an Individual Professional Development Plan that includes elements of experiential learning, outreach, and professional development.
Course Requirements
Ph.D. Program of Study must include a minimum of 108 credits. The majority of these credits will be for thesis research. Additional requirements are:
- 50% of the total must be graduate, stand-alone courses (not 4XX/5XX slash)
- 27 credits of which must be regular, non-blanket course work (not 50X or 60X)
- No more than 15 credits of blanket-numbered courses (50X or 60X), other than thesis (TOX 603), may be included in the minimum 108-credit program
- Any declared graduate minor must be 18 credits min. (No minor is required.)
Core course requirements (21 credits)
| TOX 511 | Fundamentals of Toxicology (3) | Fall Quarter |
| TOX 512 | Target Organ Tox: Mol mechanism of Environment Disease (3) | Winter Quarter |
| TOX 555 OR 580 | Ecological or Human Health Risk Assessment (3)** | Winter/Spring Quarter |
| TOX 530 | Chemical Behavior in the Environ (3) | Fall Quarter |
| TOX 557 | Scientific Skills & Ethics (3) | Spring Quarter |
| TOX 599 | Special Topics: Integrated Env Chem & Mol Tox (2)* | Spring Quarter |
| ST 511 | Methods of Data Analysis (4) | Winter Quarter |
| TOX 505 | Lab Rotations (2-3) | 1st year |
*enrollment is required for every Spring while in Doctoral Program (3 credit minimum)
**Note: Beginning 2021-2022, this replaces the requirement for TOX 413/513
Research requirements
| TOX 603 | Thesis (63 credits) |
| TOX 601 | Research (6 credits) |
Additional requirements
| TOX electives | TOX elective courses(5-6 Credits) |
| General Electives | General electives relevant to the students area of research (6-7 credits) |
| TOX 505 | Lab Rotation (3) |
| TOX 507 | Seminar (3) |