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  3. Masters of Toxicology (MTOX)

Masters of Toxicology (MTOX)

MS Course Requirements | Minor in Toxicology  | Current Students and Recent Graduates

All students accepted into the EMT Masters program are enrolled as Professional Science Masters of Toxicology (PSMTOX) students. Within the first year, if students are able to identify a research faculty to conduct their research thesis will are eligible to switch to a MS of Toxicology. The Masters of Toxicology (MTOX) provides recent graduates of undergraduate programs looking to advance their study in Toxicology and pursue research training before a career in research in the private sector or attending graduate school. The MTOX is a research-oriented degree that requires research credit hours and a written thesis. 

Learning Outcomes

  • Students will demonstrate mastery of material related to toxicology
  • Students will learn to conduct scholarly or professional activities in an ethical manner
  • Students can effectively communicate science in a research-oriented manner in the form of a thesis to communicate major findings effectively
  • Students demonstrate good oral communications skills during the public seminar and closed defense with their committee
  • Students display evidence of critical thinking skills during the oral defense

Time Commitment

The program is designed where all the course work is completed in 2-3 calendar years.

 

Course Requirements

MS graduate program requires a minimum of 45 credits, where 12 is to be research credit. *Note: students can take more than 12 research credits, however only 12 can be counted towards your program of study. Students must be enrolled in at least 6 credits to be considered a student each term.

Core course requirements (20 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
TOX 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 (1) Spring Quarter (2 terms)
ST 511 Methods of Data Analysis (4) Winter Quarter

**Note: Beginning 2021-2022, this replaces the requirement for TOX 413/513

Research requirements 

TOX 503 Thesis (12 credits)
TOX 505                       Lab Rotation (1 Credit)

 

Additional requirements/recommendation (13 credits)

Rotation TOX 507 (1) during Fall term of Year 1
TOX ELECTIVES Electives in TOX (5-6 credits)
Gen Electives General electives (6-7 credits)

**Gen Electives is defined as credits taken in any department as long as it is graduate level. (e.g. it can be any department code such as IB, PHARM, etc). Must meet the 50% graduate stand alone credit requirement

 

Graduate Committee

All graduate students must form a graduate committee by the end of the Spring term of their first year and meet with their committee around the start of their 2nd year. MTOX committee composition is a total of 4 individuals - 3 faculty members (2 must be from EMT) and a Graduate Council Representative (GCR). Members of the graduate committee should be those who can contribute to the research.

 

Committee Meetings

MTOX graduate students are expected to hold a minimum of three committee meetings during their graduate career in EMT.

PROGRAM OF STUDY MEETING WITH MENTOR: MTOX students should meet with their mentor the first term of being accepted into their lab to evaluate courses taken. To prepare, students should complete their digital program of study online (instructions), and DO NOT HIT submit. Print screen/print a copy to discuss this with your mentor as you both identify other members of your graduate committee.

PLANNING MEETING: The planning meeting should be held by the end of the Fall term of year 2 (at the latest). This meeting aims to introduce the graduate committee to the research project, and planned course work. At this meeting, the student will introduce themselves, present the scheduled courses for the program of study and the research project. The graduate committee will provide feedback on the planned coursework and the project. After this meeting, you can then complete and revise the program of study as appropriate, then submit to graduate school.

Preparing for the meeting:

  • dress professionally, and have a presentation detailing the information necessary.
  • The presentation should include:
    • An introduction slide about yourself
    • A copy of your program of study-> what courses still need to be completed (in what area/# of credits), how many credits you have remaining, and what your current term course load looks like
    • Research project related information: Background, objective, hypothesis, experimental design and results
    • Proposed timeline of completion.

FINAL/ORAL EXAM MEETING: All graduate committee members must be present for the final/oral exam. Prior to this meeting, complete an "Exam Scheduling Form" on the Graduate School Website (2 weeks prior). There is a public seminar of your research (30-40 minutes) followed by questions from the audience. Then there is a closed-door exam with the graduate committee. The meeting should last approximately 45- 60 minutes. Two weeks prior, graduate school requires submission of the pre-text pages of the thesis. One week before the final/oral exam meeting, the written thesis should be distributed to all graduate committee members.

 

Timeline

A typical schedule is shown below. The timeline is flexible to the individual's project.

YEAR 1:

  • Fall Term: Complete rotations to meet with faculty and gain an understanding of the research conducted in the department.
  • Winter Term: Identify a suitable mentor, develop a program of study, and request a Graduate Council Representative. Hold a Pre-Program of study meeting with your mentor.
  • Spring Term: Conduct thesis research and form a graduate committee. Some may choose to hold their program of study meeting (with their graduate committee) during this term. It is highly recommended. [This can be pushed to the latest in Fall term of Year 2]

YEAR 2-3: Students are expected to include a total of 12 credits of thesis credit (TOX 503) on their program of study. These credits can be taken as soon as the beginning of the Spring term of Year 1/ Fall term of Year 2.
** Students will likely register for more than 12 thesis credits to be considered a graduate student at Oregon State, but those in excess of 12 credits cannot be counted towards the 45 credits required for matriculation of a MS of Toxicology.

  • Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer Term: Conduct thesis research
  • Final Term (this is agreed upon by the student committee): Schedule public seminar and defense date with the graduate committee. At this time, notify the front office that you will need a room to hold the closed-door exam.


Expectation of MTOX 

Graduate Student Responsibilities

  • Complete the course requirements listed
  • Identify a suitable mentor and develop a program of study (by the end of the Winter term of Year 1)
  • Form a graduate committee (by the end of Spring term of Year 1)
  • Hold a program of study meeting (by the end of Spring term of Year 1/ Early Fall of Year 2)
  • Fulfill graduate school program of study (by the end of Fall term of Year 2)
  • Complete a research-oriented thesis (At the latest - by the end of Spring term of Year 3)
    • This includes a public seminar (30-40 minutes), and a closed-door exam to follow (45-60 minutes) with the graduate committee.
  • Sign up for a date for a public seminar (by the end of the Spring term of Year 2)
    • Let the front office know it's a defense and provide a title. They will help secure a room to hold the exam portion.
  • Submit the appropriate paperwork to graduate school at least 2 weeks before the defense [exam scheduling form, pre-text to thesis, and applying for graduation]
  • Distribute the completed thesis to the graduate committee at least 1 week before the defense.

Current Students and Recent Graduates

Commencement year Graduate Name Faculty Advisor Dissertation Title Current Position, Organization, Address

 

Nicholas Korjeff

Dr. Kolluri

 

 
  Connor Leong Dr. Tanguay   SARL
  Ryan Lopez Dr. Tanguay   SARL
  Yi Zhang Dr. Kolluri    
  Abdulaziz Alsherhri N/A    
  Isabella Centurione     Incoming Student
  Anna DePaepe     Incoming Student 
  Annika Gehl     Incoming Student
  Francesca Germano     Incoming Student
  Kelly O'Malley     Incoming Student