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Toxicology Environmental Science Ph.D.
Doctoral Degree
Program type:
Major
Format:
On Campus
Est. time to complete:
4-5 years
Credit Hours:
72 (with Bachelor's) or 42 (with Master's)
Explore the effects of environmental contaminants on local ecosystems and uncover
new methods to mitigate the environmental effects of industrial activity.
Toxicology is the scientific study of the effects of chemicals on organisms; in environmental
science, the focus tends to be on the distribution, effect, and fate of chemicals
in the environment. The Toxicology concentration helps Ph.D. candidates refine their
understanding of the effects of human-created wastes and other toxic chemicals and
helps them create research to minimize harm and create thriving ecosystems.
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Request More InfoWhy Earn a Toxicology Environmental Science Ph.D.?
The environmental science program is an interdisciplinary collaboration among the Department of Biological Sciences, the Department of Geography, the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies and other departments at UNT to examine major environmental issues through an interdisciplinary perspective.
The program offers graduate studies in environmental science that lead to the PhD, granted through the Department of Biological Sciences. The course of study, involving both core and elective courses, is designed for those students who desire an interdisciplinary perspective concerning human-environmental interactions.
Marketable Skills
- Communication to professional/lay audiences
- Design field-based research protocols
- Proficiency in environmental ethics
- Recognition of national/international issues
- Lead/direct research programs/projects
Toxicology Environmental Science Ph.D. Highlights
The rigorous curriculum has helped students receive prestigious appointments and awards
from organizations including the Entomological Society of America.
The department’s facilities for research and graduate training occur in the Life Sciences
Complex; Science Research Building; and the Environmental Education, Science and Technology
Building.
The Life Sciences Complex, which has Gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design certification for sustainability, includes an aquatics laboratory and four
climate-controlled rooftop research greenhouses.
Qualified students are supported through competitive teaching assistantships or research
assistantships funded by research grants to faculty members. Nine-month stipends and
tuition scholarships are available for entering master’s and doctoral students.
Our faculty members include internationally renowned researchers who have earned recognition
from the National Science Foundation, the American Association for the Advancement
of Science and the American Society for Microbiology, among others.
Toxicology Environmental Science Ph.D. Courses You Could Take
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Gene (3 hrs)
Mechanisms and regulation of genetic expression, chromosome replication, mutagenesis
and DNA repair, and gene cloning in prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems.
General Toxicology (3 hrs)
Introduction to the basic principles of toxicology. Focus on absorption, distribution,
metabolism and elimination of toxicants; target organ toxicity; mechanisms of toxic
action; carcinogenesis; and risk assessment.
Comparative Animal Physiology (3 hrs)
Comparison of structure and physiological function in a wide variety of animals. Emphasis
on thermoregulation and on respiratory, circulatory, excretory, endocrine and digestive
systems.
Sediment Toxicology (3 hrs)
Mechanisms of contaminant transport and fate in freshwater and marine sediments and
pollutant effects at the individual, population and biotic community levels. Sediment
contaminant bioavailability and bioaccumulation into food webs and the scientific
aspects of legal control and remediation of hazardous sediments.
Ecological Risk Assessment (3 hrs)
Detailed treatment of aquatic and terrestrial methods and procedures used to assess
the ecological hazard of chemicals in the environment. Emphasizes quantitative methods
in testing site assessment, monitoring procedures, regulatory requirements and field
and laboratory techniques useful to assess damage to aquatic, terrestrial and avian
resources.
Environmental Chemistry (3 hrs)
Presents a scientific overview of environmental contaminants, their occurrence, sources
and impact on humans and the environment.
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