Doctor of Philosophy Degree
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree focuses on research and prepares you for a career in university-level teaching, research, and industry. The EHS Department offers two doctoral programs:
PhD Environmental Health Sciences
Research areas of interest include a broad range of environmental and occupational areas.
PhD Toxicology
The field of toxicology identifies environmental and therapeutic exposures of concern, reveals mechanisms by which chemical toxicants create pathological dysfunction or disease, identifies interventions for the prevention of adverse effects, conducts safety assessments, and estimates acceptable levels of exposure for the protection of the public health.
Degree Requirements
There are three major stages in the program to be completed prior to earning the PhD degree:
- Coursework and successful completion of the Doctoral Qualifying Examination (DQE)
- Completion of the research proposal and successful passing of the Preliminary Examination and achieiving candidacy
- Conduct research and successfully complete and defend the research and dissertation
Typically, a PhD program takes a total of 4-5 years to complete. The time frame depends largely on how soon advancement to candidacy is achieved. Once advancement to candidacy has occurred (usually after two years), students typically develop and defend their research prospectus the following year and complete their research effort (including its written presentation) in 2-3 years.
Below is the sample schedule for students entering Fall 2025. This is a recommended timleline for completing required coursework for the doctoral program and may need to be adjusted once you're in the program. It is not uncommon, after consulting with the Graduate Chair or your faculty mentors, to include additional coursework which would be beneficial for your research.
YEAR 1: Fall 2025
BIOSTAT 521 Applied Biostatistics
EHS 510 Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarship (RCRS)
EHS 869 Research Critiques and Scientific Communications in EHS
EHS 899 Advanced Research (Research Rotation)
EHS 652 Evaluation of Chemical Hazards
EHS 658 Physical Hazards
1-2 EHS Electives (complete fall or winter)
YEAR 1: Winter 2026
EHS 850 Research Design and Proposal Development in EHS
EHS 899 Advanced Research (Research Rotation)
EPID 600 Introduction to Epidemiology
1-2 EHS Electives (complete fall or winter)
YEAR 2: Fall 2026
EHS 801 Professional Development in EHS
EHS 869 Research Critiques and Scientific Communications in EHS
EHS 990 Research
Cognate Course**
Addtional Courses (as needed)
YEAR 2: Winter 2027
EHS 990 Research
Addtional Courses (as needed)
YEAR 3: Fall 2027 and Winter 2028
EHS 995 Dissertation/Candidate (Fall)
EHS 995 Dissertation/Candidate (Winter)
YEAR 4: Fall 2028 and Winter 2029
EHS 995 Dissertation/Candidate (Fall)
EHS 995 Dissertation/Candidate (Winter)
Select 1 of the following (alternative biostatistics course should be determined with
advisor and doctoral committee approval):
BIOSTAT 522 Analytical Health Related Studies
BIOSTAT 523 Statistical Methods in Epidemiology
STATS 401 Applied Statistical Methods II
STATS 503 Applied Multivariate Analysis
Required: Students must select one of the following courses during their first year
EHS 652 Evaluation of Chemical Hazards‡ (fall semester)
EHS 658 Physical Hazards (fall semester)
EHS 576 Biological Agents (winter semester)
* During Year 1 Fall and Winter semesters students must complete 9 credits of EHS
electives. At least 6 credits must be 600-level or higher.
** Cognate Course: One 2-3 credit course outside the EHS Department (to be determined
by advisor with approval from the EHS Academic Degree Programs (ADP) Committee)
Students who have completed all courses outlines above (aside from research), you must take a minimum of 18 didactic credits of courses at the 500-level or above that provide didactic preparation for your dissertation research. If you have questions about these courses, please contact your mentor.
Below is the sample schedule for students entering Fall 2025. This is a recommended timleline for completing required coursework for the doctoral program and may need to be adjusted once you're in the program. It is not uncommon, after consulting with the Graduate Chair or your faculty mentors, to include additional coursework which would be beneficial for your research.
YEAR 1: Fall 2025
BIOLCHEM 515 Introduction to Biochemistry*
BIOSTAT 521 Applied Biostatistics
EHS 510 Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarship (RCRS)
EHS 602 Essentials of Toxicology
EHS 652 Evaluation of Chemical Hazards**
EHS 869 Research Critiques and Scientific Communications in EHS
EHS 899 Advanced Research (Research Rotation)
YEAR 1: Winter 2026
EHS 603 Occupational & Environmental Disease **
EHS 850 Research Design and Proposal Development in EHS
EHS 899 Advanced Research (Research Rotation)
EPID 600 Introduction to Epidemiology
Select one of the following:
EHS 608 Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology
OR
EHS 660 Environmental Epiegenetics and Public Health
YEAR 2: Fall 2026
EHS 685 Toxicology Case Studies of Environmental Disasters: How Chemicals Cause Harm
EHS 801 Professional Development in EHS
EHS 869 Research Critiques and Scientific Communications in EHS
EHS 990 Research
YEAR 2: Winter 2027
EHS 616 Introduction to Toxicological Pathology
EHS 717 Toxicological Pathology Lab
EHS 990 Research
Select one of the following:
EHS 608 Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology
OR
EHS 660 Environmental Epiegenetics and Public Health
YEAR 3: Fall 2027 and Winter 2028
EHS 995 Dissertation/Candidate (Fall)
EHS 995 Dissertation/Candidate (Winter)
YEAR 4: Fall 2028 and Winter 2029
EHS 995 Dissertation/Candidate (Fall)
EHS 995 Dissertation/Candidate (Winter)
Select 1 of the following (alternative biostatistics course should be determined with
advisor and doctoral committee approval):
BIOSTAT 522 Analytical Health Related Studies
BIOSTAT 523 Statistical Methods in Epidemiology
STATS 401 Applied Statistical Methods II
STATS 503 Applied Multivariate Analysis
Required (Choose Two). Course selection must be in separate subjects. Students can
take courses in Year 1 or Year 2:
BIOLCHEM 660 Molecules of Life: Protein Structure, Function, and Dynamics
CDB 530 Cell Biology
HUMGEN 545 Molecular, Cellular, and Organsimal Genetics
Students who have completed all courses outlined above (aside from research), you must take a minimum of 18 didactic credits of courses at the 500-level or above that provide didactic preparation for your dissertation research (see PhD Additional Courses tab). If you have questions about these courses, please contact your mentor.
* BIOLCHEM 415 (undergraduate) and BIOLCHEM 515 (graduate) are combined courses, so
it will include students enrolled in both. You can be exempted to complete this class
with previous coursework. Please email Rachel to go through the process.
** EHS 652 or EHS 603 can be taking during Year 1 or Year 2. You only need to complete
one of the courses.
Typical undergraduate majors among applicants admitted to the PhD program in recent years include environmental sciences/studies, public health, industrial hygiene, biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and engineering. However, prospective students with other undergraduate majors are welcome to apply.
Students who are applying for the PhD programs must meet the following prerequisite courses listed below. Some deficiencies may be made up after admission to the program. Courses taken to fulfill basic deficiencies do not count toward fulfillment of the degree's course requirements.
- General Biology
- General Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry
- General Physics
- Calculus
All doctoral students must submit a Rackham Graduate Application (see detailed application process below). All doctoral applications are due December 1.
There are three steps in the doctoral admission process. This is a general timeline to give applicants a sense of what to expect during the lengthy application process, however, the timeline may be adjusted each year:
- Fall semester: All completed applications are reviewed by the Admissions Committee.
- Janauary/February: Select students will be invited to participate in EHS Doctoral Day. This event will provide more insight into UM and the EHS department, but will also include meetings with EHS faculty which is how our faculty can determine who they could mentor.
- End of March/early April: Students will be contacted by the department with an update on their admission. If admitted, students will recieve an admission and funding letter.
Students who are offered admission to the doctoral program will be fully-funded through a variety of funding mechanisms. Your funding package will be provided upon admittance into the department; however, funding plans consist of the following:
- Training Grants/Scholarships from the Department, Rackham Graduate School and the School of Public Health
- Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) positions from the department, the School of Public Health, and other Univeristy of Michigan deparments/schools
- Research assistantships from faculty research grants
Ready to Apply?
Applications for the PhD program should be submitted through the Rackham Graduate School online application.
DEADLINES
PhD in Environmental Health Sciences or Toxicology: December 1
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
- Academic Statement of Purpose
- Your SOP should be a concise, well-written statement about your academic and research background, your career goals, and how Michigan's graduate program will help you meet your career and educational objectives. The SOP should be 1-3 pages in length and include your name, name of the graduate program, and your UM ID (if known).
- Personal Statement
- How have your background and life experiences, including cultural, geographical, financial, educational, citizenship status, or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Michigan? The personal statement should be 500 words and include your name, name of the graduate program, and your UM ID (if known).
- Quantitative Statement
- In an effort to get a better understanding of your abilities, we require a statement for all graduate-level applicants as part of the application process. This short essay (maximum 500 words) asks you to summarize the strength of your analytical and quantitative skills by addressing the following (if applicable).List each college-level course you have taken that evaluates mathematical or quantitative skills (e.g. algebra, calculus, differential equations, statistics, physics, or courses that require data analysis using statistical software, etc.). For each course, indicate the name of the course, academic year (e.g. freshman, sophomore, etc.), and grade received. Example: Calculus I, freshman year, B+
- Discuss specific details and examples of relevant research, work, volunteer, or professional experiences that involved analytical and/or quantitative skills and tasks. You may also incorporate instances where you worked with data.
- If you have experience with quantitative or qualitative data, describe how you used it to solve a complex problem and include how you communicated your findings. Note: please include measurable outcomes that demonstrate your results.
- 3 Letters of Recommendation
- You will add your recommender emails to the Rackham Graudate School application which, upon submitting, they will recieve an email to complete their form. Electronic submission is the highly preferred method; however, if your recommenders come across any issues, please contact the EHS Academic Program Manager.
- It is recommended that at least 2 of your recommendation letters be from faculty. However, if you do not have strong contacts anymore and would prefer to use professional recommenders, you can.
- CV/Resume
- Upload your CV/Resume that describes your education, work experience, research publications, teaching experience, professional/volunteer activities, community engagement, honors, and awards.
- Faculty Members
- You will be required to list 2 EHS faculty members whom you would like to work with if you were admitted. You can explore faculty profiles to learn more about their research topics.
- Transcripts
- The Rackham Graduate School allows students to upload electronic versions of their official transcripts to the application portal. If you are admitted, you will need to send an official copy if you would like to matriculate into the program. Please follow the Rackham Graduate School guidelines closely on how to upload your documents correctly to your application.
- WES is NOT required for the Rackham Graduate School
- English Language Test Scores
- International students are required to show proof of English proficiency. You must send official TOEFL (84) or IELTS (6.5) scores to the Rackham Graduate School.
- Students can be waived of the TOEFL/IELTS if they earned their degree in the US, Canada, UK, etc. You can also be considered for a waiver if your school taught your curriculum in English. You can check the World Education Database to see if your university/college shows English as the primary language of instruction.
APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS
The Admissions Committee will review the application and notify students regarding their admission. For answers to any questions that you might have, please visit other pages on this website and/or contact Rachel Yarbrough, EHS Academic Program Manager, at [email protected]