Masters in Molecular & Environmental Toxicology

The Molecular & Environmental Toxicology Program is a PhD-First program; meaning, that we expect the applicants who we make offers to are coming to complete a PhD. We do this because faculty members tend to want PhD students. A student spends approximately three years in a lab before becoming independent on his/her project. The average masters degree is completed in two years, so it makes sense why faculty members would want a trained student to stay longer. For this reason, only PhD offers carry a guarantee of funding.

However, for some, a PhD is not the main desirable; a masters degree will enable the student to achieve career goals. This could include career prospects only requiring a masters degree, a person already in a career who does not have the time to complete a PhD, or someone who is filling a “bridge year” before professional school. While our students are not guaranteed of funding, they could still be eligible for funding, either through a lab offer or by working as a teaching or project assistant. The program will not facilitate such a match. It is the responsibilities of the student to apply for external funding.

As a student in our masters program is paying his/her own way, the student is not expected to rotate in a lab; if they find a suitable mentor who is able to support him/her scholastically, the student can be directly admitted into that lab.

In addition, it is possible that a student will not even conduct research; this is the “non-thesis” masters track. This student will fulfill credit requirements via coursework and will complete the degree with a topic / literature review of toxicological relevance.

Information about both tracks is below. If you have questions about either, please contact the program administrator Ezra Mauk.