Training candidates
Prospective trainees are selected by the same criteria and process as other students applying for admission to the Division of Environmental Health Sciences (EHS); applications are reviewed by the EHS Admissions Committee and, then, by Directors/faculty of the relevant programs, pertinent to admission criteria and suitability for the Division/Program. For doctoral applications, a faculty member must confirm willingness to advise the applicant; all EHS faculty members, then, vote regarding acceptance.
Applicants to the OIPRTP should have a minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 (based on a four point scale) and a minimum Graduate Record Examination (GRE) total score of 1800 points with a relatively even distribution of scores across the verbal, analytical and quantitative categories. (New GRE Scoring would translate to minimum verbal and quantitative combined scores of 1200 and an analytical writing score of 4.5). However, application materials are considered in total. Undergraduate preparation includes a bachelor of science degree, incorporating course work in chemistry, physics, mathematics, and the biological sciences; basic computer programming knowledge is required upon admission.
Admission to the Ph.D. program requires completion of a masters’ degree in Environmental Health or an equivalent degree. The required and elective coursework associated with the doctoral program is confirmed with the advisor (with program/graduate school approval) and is based upon the primary focus and proposed research endeavor of each student.
In addition to criteria identified for admission for academic training, there must be strong evidence of the ability to conduct a comprehensive research effort, to be considered for doctoral study. All students must complete a thesis reflecting scientific inquiry. Candidacy involves: writing an RO1-type grant application, relevant to their identified research project, that is reviewed, critiqued, and approved by a committee in preparation for their oral examination; and successfully completing an oral examination that involves questioning of their proposal and coursework.
