The Ph.D. program is designed to prepare scientists for active and productive research careers and other professional service. The didactic portion of the program places a particular emphasis on achieving a solid foundation in relevant basic sciences, while the research portion provides trainees with the opportunity to design, conduct, and interpret studies focused on specific scientific issues in environmental health disciplines. The diversity of the research within the program allows trainees to develop skills incorporating their expertise using various investigatory approaches.

Admission: Admission is based on a strong academic background in a basic or applied science as judged by prior undergraduate academic performance, recommendation letters, an interview, performance on the general GRE, prior graduate studies, and any relevant work or research experience. General guidelines for admission are as follows: an overall GPA of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0), a major field GPA of 3.3, and GRE scores of at least 550 verbal, 600 quantitative, and 4.5 analytical writing. However, each application is carefully considered, and there may be exceptions to the above.

General Degree Requirements: A total of 72 points, as well as a doctoral dissertation, are required for the Ph.D. degree. At least 48 points must be from didactic courses; the remaining can be research and tutorial credits. Candidacy for the Ph.D. is achieved through a qualifying examination, and the completed dissertation is then defended in a final oral examination. The qualifying examination consists of two stages: a written examination, and the writing and oral defense of a specific research project proposal (doctoral dissertation outline). Doctoral students are required to attend departmental seminars and journal clubs. Students are encouraged to establish early and frequent discussion with members of the faculty and to acquaint themselves with the types of research activities conducted within the department. This enables them to explore mutual interests, which facilitates the ultimate selection of a thesis research mentor. To this end, all first-year predoctoral students (ERBI candidates not included) are required to begin participating in a formal series of rotations within laboratories, selected on the basis of their perceived interest and with the advice and approval of their initial academic adviser. Presentations of available research opportunities are given during the first week of each academic year, in an orientation program at which faculty members describe the research opportunities in their laboratories. All students in the program are required to take three core courses in environmental health science: Environmental Health (G48.1004), Introduction to Biostatistics (G48.2303), and Principles of Toxicology (G48.2310). In addition, students are also required to take certain courses in the basic sciences, the nature of which depends on the specific area of concentration. These courses are generally offered through either the Department of Biology or the Program in Basic Medical Sciences. Beyond the above requirements, there are no universal course requirements. Thus, a specific program of study is arranged for each student that is appropriate to his or her particular background and career goals.

Areas of Specialization: The six areas of specialization offered in the program are biostatistics, epidemiology, ergonomics and biomechanics, exposure assessment and health effects, molecular toxicology/carcinogenesis, and toxicology (see www.med.nyu.edu/environmental/graduate/phd.html for details on these specializations). The distinctions between these areas are more for academic planning than for trainee research, as there is much overlap in the research approaches available. The full range of research resources within the program and expertise of the faculty are available to all trainees regardless of the specialization selected.

Financial Support and Costs: All successful full-time Ph.D. applicants (ERBI candidates not included) are supported by graduate assistantships for up to six years. The stipend for the 2006-2007 academic year was $26,000 plus tuition and fees. A comprehensive list of University, Graduate School, and departmental fellowships, prizes, and awards appears in the Financing Graduate Education section of the GSAS Application for Admission and Financal Aid. This information is also available on the GSAS Web site at http://gsas .nyu.edu/page/grad.financialaid.

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