Ph.D. in Public Health with a Concentration in Environmental Toxicology

Our doctoral program takes advantage of faculty expertise in environmental exposures, neuroscience, cancer, occupational health, toxicology, and drug discovery to provide students with a broad knowledge that will make them competitive for private, public, and government positions in bench science, policy development, and community education.

The Department of Environmental Health Sciences (EHS), through its academic programs and innovative research, applies the next generation biomedical advancements by leveraging emerging knowledge in human disease biology and the environmental health impacts of hazardous substances and pollution. EHS aims to better inform local, national, and global health policy, forge potent strategies to combat disease and counter toxic exposures, and enhance community understanding of environmental health risks ultimately working to extend health spans and improve the well-being of individuals.

EHS offers a doctoral degree in two different tracks:

  1. Environmental Toxicology
  2. Brain, Behavior, and the Environment

Environmental Toxicology Track

The Doctoral program in Environmental Toxicology track emphasizes themes in cancer, occupational health, toxicology, alongside environmental exposures to prepare students for medical, biotech industry, research, and government careers. The program provides students with a interdisciplinary perspective on toxicology, equipping them to better understand mechanisms of injury and disease pathogenesis resulting from hazardous exposures. The program extensively applies bioinformatics, machine learning (ML) and cutting-edge laboratory methods to advance environmental health risk assessment and functional precision medicine/cancer treatment.

Students will be expected to demonstrate significant research capacity by completing 60 credits beyond the Master’s degree and through the writing of an original dissertation.

Stempel College Rankings

  • Top 50School of Public Health among public universities (U.S. News & World Report)
  • No. 15public school of public health in the country with NIH funding.​ (Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research)

Prospective Students

  • Doctoral Admissions

    Applicants must meet the University's general graduate admission requirements:

    1. A four-year bachelor's degree or equivalent from a nationally accredited institution or, in the case of foreign students, from a well-established institution of higher learning that is authorized to grant degrees by appropriate authorities in that country.

    2. A minimum of a 3.0 GPA, “B” average, in the last 60 upper-division undergraduate coursework, or a graduate degree from a nationally accredited institution. 3. International graduate student applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit a score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A total score of 80 on the iBT TOEFL or a 6.5 overall on the IELTS is required or other University approved tests of English.

    The College also requires:

    1. A current resumé.
    2. Three letters of recommendation.
    3. 3. A writing sample (Master's thesis or research project, published manuscript, or some other document which demonstrates writing ability).
    4. 4. A personal statement of research interest. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact individual faculty to discuss common research interests since admission decisions require identification of a faculty mentor, and evaluation of fit to the program
  • Doctoral Requirements

    A student may enroll for dissertation credits after completing all coursework, passing the candidacy examination, and being advanced to candidacy. Dissertation credits cannot be taken before advancement to candidacy.

    The candidacy examination will be prepared and graded by a committee consisting of a minimum of three faculty members. Admission to candidacy requires that a majority of the committee members agree that the student passed the examination. A candidacy examination may not be passed conditionally. A “Pass” on the examination cannot be made contingent upon other factors such as the completion of additional coursework or the preparation of extra research projects. Students will be allowed only two attempts to pass the candidacy examination.

    After a doctoral student is admitted to candidacy, continuous registration for at least 3 dissertation credit hours each semester (including the summer term) is required until the dissertation requirement is fulfilled.

  • Course Catalog
  • EHS PhD Handbook

Apply to FIU

The field of environmental health sciences is growing, quickly. Apply to FIU to be part of the change.

Contact Us

Have a question about the program? Contact us today.

  • Quentin Felty

    Quentin Felty
    Interim Chair; Associate Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health; Faculty Member, Biomolecular Sciences Institute; Faculty Member, Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment

  • Fiorella Suyon

    Fiorella Suyon
    Public Health Admissions Coordinator
     305-348-1674
     fsuyon@fiu.edu
     AHC5-141