Effective Autumn 2007
The Master of Science (MS) degree is intended for students whose interests in environmental health are academically oriented rather than directed toward professional practice. It is a natural entry point for students who are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. degree or a career in research. Because of this orientation, the emphasis in the MS program is on building a strong foundation in a particular specialty field, along with the research methods important in that field. To reflect this research and academic orientation, the MS ordinarily requires the preparation of a thesis, though it is available under a non-thesis option at the discretion of the division of specialization. There is no practice placement requirement for the MS.
Students admitted to the MS program are assigned faculty advisers who will provide guidance throughout the program. This document serves as a resource to be used by the student and the adviser in developing the MS program with a specialization in Environmental Health Sciences (EHS). For additional information about requirements, students are directed to the College of Public Health (CPH) Student Handbook (available online at http://cph.osu.edu/ studentaffairs/) and to the Graduate School Handbook (available online at http://www.gradsch.ohio-state.edu/ ).
PROGRAM OF STUDY
Although the focus of the MS program of study is in EHS, students are required to show approved coverage in epidemiology and biostatistics. The program consists of a minimum of 60 credit hours. The overall distribution of course work is as follows:
1. Approved courses in areas of knowledge basic to public health (epidemiology and biostatistics are included in the required courses for EHS)
2. Required courses for the specialization (44-45 credit hours)
3. Approved electives (3-12 credit hours)
4. Thesis (4-12 credit hours)
Required Courses
Environmental Health Sciences
PUBH-EHS 731 Principles of Env Health, 4 hrs
PUBH-EHS 732 Basic Concepts in Toxicol, 4 hrs
PUBH-EHS 830 Princ of Occupational Hlth, 4 hrs
PUBH-EHS 831 Princ of Risk Assessment, 4 hrs
Epidemiology
PUBH-EPI 711 Epidemiology I, 4 hrs
PUBH-EPI 713 Epidemiology in Env Health, 4 hrs
Biostatistics
PUBH-BIO 701 Dsgn & Anlys of Std in Hlth Sci I, 4 hrs
PUBH-BIO 702 Dsgn & Anlys of Std in Hlth Sci II, 4 hrs
Select two:
PUBH-EHS 794 Exposure Assessment, 4 hrs
PUBH-EHS 794 Intro Water & Human Hlth Risk, 4 hrs
PUBH-EHS 835 Molecular Techniq for EHS, 5 hrs
Select one:
PUBH-BIO 703 Problm-Orientd Apprch to Biostat, 4 hrs
PUBH-BIO 794Q Practical Biostats for Biomed Lab, 4 hrs
Electives in EHS
PUBH-EHS 733 Toxicol of Chem Agents
PUBH-EHS 794 Environmental Law
PUBH-EHS 741 PH History, Policy and Practice
PUBH-EHS 835 Molecular Techniq for EHS
Other Recommended Electives
AGSYSMGT550 Pollution Control & Waste Utilization
BIOCHEM 511 Intro to Biological Chemistry
CRP 712 Theory of City & Regional Planning
ENTOMOL 531 Pesticides, the Environment & Society
ENTOMOL762 Environmental Toxicol & Chemistry
HSMP 800 Health Care Organization I
MICRBIOL 509 Basic & Practical Microbiology
MICRBIOL 522 Immunobiology
MICRBIOL 70 Cellular and Molecular Immunology
NAT RES 531 Environmental & Nat Res Economics
NAT RES 615 Environmental Risk Communication
PATH 640 Fundamentals of Oncology
PUBH-BIO 606 Applied Logistic Regression
PUBH-HBP 720 Preventing Disease & Promoting Health
STATS 645 Applied Regression
VPM 796.04 Zoonotic Diseases
VPM 722 Food-Borne Illnesses
VPM 723 Biosecurity and Environmental Health
Additional electives may be selected with approval of the faculty adviser. One course may not double count for both elective and required course.
Thesis
PUB-HLTH 999 Thesis, 4-12 hrs
THESIS
The thesis is an integral part of the MS degree, allowing the student the opportunity to investigate a topic of personal interest and importance to the field and to integrate and synthesize from the knowledge and skills presented in the program. There is also a non-thesis option; however, this option requires approval by petition.
For additional information, see Section 7.3 of the CPH Student Handbook.
Details regarding the thesis, including format, typing, deadlines, etc., are found in Part III of the Graduate School Handbook. In general, a thesis requires:
• identification of a topic area and an adviser in EHS willing to guide the preparation of the thesis;
• formation of an examining committee, composed of at least two members of the CPH Graduate Faculty, including the adviser;
• where appropriate, selection of a third member of the examining committee, who may be from outside the CPH;
• written and oral presentation of the thesis prospectus to the examining committee for approval (see Appendix I of the CPH Student Handbook);
• completion of the thesis described in the approved prospectus;
• satisfactory defense of the thesis before the examining committee, and
• deposit of an approved (adviser-signed) copy of the full thesis and abstract in the program office and electronic submission to the Graduate School.
The student has primary responsibility for topic selection and formation of the Master’s Examination Committee. The proposed topic must be approved by the faculty adviser and the committee is selected by consultation between the student and adviser.
The thesis prospectus sets out the plans and methods of the proposed thesis research. The prospectus should not be longer than three pages (12 point, double-spaced). It ordinarily includes 1) a discussion of the background of the problem and an introductory survey of the relevant literature; 2) a statement of the scope of the proposed work, including how the study adds to the stock of knowledge; 3) a statement of the hypotheses or objectives of the study; and 4) a discussion of the data to be collected and the methods to be used in their analysis.
ACADEMIC STANDARDS
To remain in good academic standing, graduate students must maintain a minimum 3.0 overall GPA. In addition, a B- or higher must be earned in all required specialization courses and no course in which a grade of C- or below is
earned may count towards the degree. For more details, see Section 11.2 of the CPH Student Handbook.
TIME LIMIT
The MS degree must be completed within 5 years from the date of matriculation. The responsibility for academic progress and fulfillment of the time limit rule rests with the student. Students who fail to complete the program in five years must re-apply to the program by written petition to the Graduate Studies Committee. Approval may be contingent upon completion of additional course work. No further registration will be permitted in the absence of an approved petition. For additional information, see Section 7.5 of the CPH Student Handbook.
GRADUATE NON-DEGREE & TRANSFER CREDIT
The transfer of credit depends on where it was earned. For OSU graduate non-degree credits, a maximum of 10 credit hours may be transferred into the degree-granting program with approval of the faculty adviser. For transfer credit from another institution, a maximum of 12 quarter hours (20% of the total credit hours required for the degree) may be transferred into the program with approval of the faculty adviser. In most circumstances, transfer credit must meet the five-year rule. For additional information, see Section 10.3 of the CPH Student Handbook.
GRADUATION
Students must be enrolled for a minimum of three graduate credit hours during the quarter in which they wish to graduate. An "Application to Graduate" form (available on the Graduate School’s Web site) must be completed by the student, signed by the adviser, and returned to the Office of Academic Programs (OAP) for processing. The deadline for submitting the signed form to OAP each quarter is the first Friday of the quarter of graduation. Students also are asked to complete an Exit Questionnaire, as explained in Section 13.14 of the CPH Graduate Student Handbook.
OFFICE OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Counselors are available in the Office of Academic Programs, M006 Starling-Loving Hall (614-293-3907) to provide assistance with College or University policies and procedures. Questions regarding the student’s program should be directed to the faculty adviser.
