Developing Scientific Experts in Environmental Health  

The Ecotoxicology and Environmental Health (EEH) concentration provides students with a strong scientific basis to understand the complex linkages among environmental processes, chemical stressors and ecological and human health. Our program is designed to train students to objectively analyze and evaluate laboratory-based and real-world data so they can become scientists capable of assessing health risks. 

Our curriculum is structured to provide students with a solid foundation in environmental exposures, contaminant chemistry, toxicology and the effects of contaminants on ecosystems and human health. Core courses introduce state-of-the-art molecular and analytical tools used in environmental toxicology, chemistry and epidemiology to help students understand the mechanisms of toxicity and contaminant fate, which are the foundation of environmental risk assessments. Students in the EEH concentration also have the option to enroll in a research track that provides additional research experience — laboratory- or field-based — working alongside a faculty member. 

A concentration in EEH provides students with the knowledge and skills to apply risk assessment frameworks and address pollution-related ecological and human health problems in multiple sectors, including the private sector (e.g., industry, consulting firms), government (e.g., state and federal regulatory agencies), nonprofits (e.g., environmental advocacy groups) and academia.

Concentration Courses

Students in the EEH concentration may take one of two tracks: traditional or research. 

Core courses – Required for traditional track

  • ENVIRON 537—Environmental Health (spring) 
  • ENVIRON 539—Human Health & Ecological Risk Assessment (spring) 
  • ENVIRON 560—Environmental Health Pollutant Chemistry and Toxicology (fall)
  • Choose one additional course from the list below:
    • ECS 525—Ocean and Freshwater Pollution (fall)
    • ENV 573A—Coastal Marine Pollution (fall, Marine Lab)
    • ENVIRON 605—Air Quality Management (fall)
    • ENVIRON 610—Ecotoxicology (ad hoc)
    • Additional courses with the consent of the EEH chair

Core Courses – required for research track

The research track is comparable to a Master of Science degree. The following core courses are required, along with two additional classes in either toxicology, chemistry or health. Students must also develop a master’s project or thesis with a faculty advisor. 

  • ENVIRON 501—Environmental Toxicology (fall)
  • ENVIRON 537—Environmental Health (spring) 
  • ENVIRON 539—Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment (spring) 
  • ENVIRON 540 or ENVIRON 542—Environmental Chemistry courses (fall)

Elective Course suggestions

Toxicology Specialization 

Recommended courses include graduate-level toxicology, physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology. Suggested additional courses are listed below; alternative courses may be substituted with approval by the EEH chair. 

  • ENVIRON 516—Global Change: Molecules to Organisms (3 credits)
  • ENVIRON 610—Ecotoxicology (3 credits)
  • ENVIRON 819—Mechanisms in Environmental Toxicology (3 credits) 
  • PHARM 533—Essentials of Pharmacology and Toxicology (3 credits) 
  • TOXC 707—Advanced Toxicology at UNC-Chapel Hill (3 credits) 

 

Chemistry Specialization 

ENVIRON 540 and ENVIRON 542L are required courses for students specializing in environmental chemistry, plus at least one course from the list below. Suggested additional courses are listed below; alternative courses may be substituted with approval by the EEH chair. 

  • ENVIRON 566—Environmental Analytical Chemistry (3 credits)
  • ENVIRON 667—Chemical Transformation of Environmental Contaminants (3 credits) 
  • ENVIRON 790—Environmental Cheminformatics (3 credits)
  • ECS 571—Isotopes in Earth and Environmental Sciences (3 credits) 
  • CEE 666—Aquatic Geochemistry (3 credits) 

 

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Specialization 

Two additional courses (not including the core environmental health classes) in a graduate-level field are required. Suggested additional classes are listed below; alternative courses may be substituted with approval by the EEH chair. 

  • ENVIRON 538—Global Environmental Health: Economics and Policy (3 credits) 
  • ENVIRON 605—Air Quality Management (3 credits)
  • GLHLTH 705—Biostatistics and Epidemiology I (4 credits)   
  • GLHLTH 707—Biostatistics and Epidemiology II (4 credits)
     

 

Expectations

Coming in: In addition to the school-wide prerequisites in calculus and statistics, which are required for all concentrations, to be successful in the EEH concentration, we recommend students have some basic natural science courses such as cell biology, ecology and chemistry (organic chemistry is recommended, but not required). Students will also benefit from a good foundation in algebra and calculus. 

During the program: Through intensive coursework and interactions with environmental health leaders, EEH students will equip themselves with a strong interdisciplinary toolkit. Graduates typically learn to integrate toxicology, ecology, chemistry, epidemiology and policy to address real-world problems.

 

Brock Keller with 51±¬ÁĎ stone in background

The ability to concentrate in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Health was one of the biggest factors in me choosing 51±¬ÁĎ Environment. These fields are inherently multidisciplinary and I am impressed at how much academic space the program covers – whether the conversation revolves around chemical law and policy, ecological risk assessment, or metabolic pathways at the cellular level, graduates of the EEH program will be well-versed in contributing to both the science and the discourse."

–Brock keller, MEM'26

Transferable Skills

In this concentration, students will gain skills related to:

  • Ecological and human health risk assessment
  • Environmental exposure assessment
  • Environmental sampling and monitoring
  • GIS and spatial analysis
  • Understanding toxic mechanisms of action
  • Environmental epidemiology 
  • Molecular and analytical tools for environmental health research

 

Knowledge Gained

Students in this concentration will also gain:

  • A solid foundation in the scientific principles underlying pollutant fate and transport, environmental exposures and impacts on human and ecological health
  • The knowledge and skills to understand the concepts and methodologies used in the fields of toxicology, environmental chemistry, risk assessment and ecology
  • Training in state-of-the-art approaches for evaluating environmental contamination, and for making management decisions using quantitative tools and approaches
  • Oral and written skills to communicate scientific studies and management outcomes to a wide audience, especially at the interface of science, policy and the public

 

Enrich Your Experience

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Health students will find a wide range of opportunities to expand their academic experience and get connected to projects and people that align with their interests. We recommend exploring these programs to get started: 

  • Integrated Toxicology & Environmental Health Program
  • Engage in workshops and seminars offered by institutions within Research Triangle Park, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the Research Triangle Institute (RTI)
  • (National Science Foundation-funded Engineering Research Center for Precision Microbiome Engineering, headquartered at 51±¬ÁĎ)

 

Career Pathways

Our graduates will become the next generation of experts to fill positions in environmental consulting and risk assessment, environmental quality, research and more.

Alumni from our program have been employed as consultants with firms such as Cardno ChemRisk, ICF, Arcadis and Integral Consulting, among others. Others are employed by government agencies, such as the EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or state public health departments and departments of environmental quality. Some graduates have gone on to work for nonprofit organizations such as the Environmental Working Group and the Environmental Defense Fund, while others have gone on to enroll in doctoral programs.

View employment data