Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program

We are currently accepting applications for the 2024-2025 academic year. Applications for Master's and Ph.D. degrees are both welcome. Students are encouraged to complete their application by December 8th, 2023 for priority consideration for admission and fellowships. Applications submitted after the priority deadline will continue to be accepted until all cohort slots are filled. 

Apply to the graduate program by submitting the application, which includes:

• Electronic application for admission available at https://grad.ucr.edu/apply/
• Official transcripts of all college-level work completed or attempted after high school, even if all your units were successfully transferred. UCR undergrads: this applies to you, too!
• Three letters of recommendation: at least two should be from ladder-rank faculty (assistant, associate, or full professor); preferably all three. If you have a professional reference you feel is more pertinent this can be the third letter. You may submit no more than five letters total.
• To be more competitive with the ongoing changes within the academic landscape, the GRE is optional. 
• International applicants whose language of instruction was not exclusively English must submit an official TOEFL or IELTS score report.

Domestic applicants for the Fall 2024 cohort with a 3.2 GPA or better will be eligible for an application fee waiver. Please contact fidel.rivas@ucr.edu for further details.

Mail official transcripts to:
UC Riverside ETOX Graduate Program 
CNAS Graduate Student Affairs Center
2430 Life Sciences Building
Riverside, CA 92521

Students admitted to the Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program must have a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree from an accredited institution and an academic record which satisfies the minimum admission standards established by the Graduate Division, University of California, Riverside. This includes a minimum upper division GPA of 3.0 (at least 3.25 preferred) and a minimum TOEFL score of 80 for international applicants.

A. GRE scores are optional for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle.

B. To see the complete list of requirements and courses available, please see our current student handbook by visiting our Current Student Resources  or clicking on the tab for Requirements for Degree completion. Admission requirements for Master's degree could be adjusted on a case-by-case basis. Please send your inquiry to fidel.rivas@ucr.edu if you have any questions. 

Although no specific undergraduate degree specialization is required, students enrolled in the program should have an adequate background in the basic physical sciences such as chemistry, physics and mathematics, as well as in the biological sciences. Normally, admitted students will have satisfied all prerequisite course work. Under special circumstances, students who have not completed all undergraduate requirements may be admitted provided that these deficiencies are corrected at the beginning of their graduate studies. Deficiencies must be corrected by taking the appropriate course work if undergraduate or other previous training has not included the following:

General Biology (1 Year)
General Physics (1 Year) 
Calculus (1 Year)
General Chemistry (1 Year)
Organic Chemistry (1 Year) 
General Biochemistry (1 Upper Division Course)
Molecular Biology (1 Upper Division Course)
Statistics (1 Upper Division Course)

Most students admitted to the PhD degree are offered a five year financial support package. This includes a combination of  Fellowships, employment as a Graduate Student Researcher and/or Teaching Assistant, Tuition, and Nonresident Tuition for domestic non-residents and international students.

The MS degree is self-funded, but MS students will also have the opportunity to apply for Teaching Assistant opportunities. TA opportunities cannot be guaranteed and will be assigned based on the needs of the program. 

Priority consideration for financial support is given to students who apply by the priority deadline on December 8th, 2023. 

The final deadline for fall quarter admission without financial support is April 1st for international applicants and September 1 for domestic applicants. 

• UCR Financial Aid
• UCR Schedule of Fees and Tuition

A core curriculum in toxicology is required of all enrolled M.S. and Ph.D. students: ENTX 200, ENTX 201, ENTX 201L, and ENTX 202.

All Environmental Toxicology students are required to enroll in ENTX 201L (laboratory Rotation) at least once during their first year in the program.

Ph.D. students in our program are required to fulfill a two-quarter teaching requirement.

There are no formal teaching requirements for the Environmental Toxicology M.S. degree.

A. PhD. Degree

• Beyond the required core curriculum, all students must enroll in the Environmental Toxicology seminar ENTX 270 each quarter and ENTX 271 each spring quarter, and complete a program of courses to be approved by the Guidance Committee. Students are also required to complete the research training in specific areas of environmental toxicology. 
• The Ph.D. degree will be awarded upon passing the preliminary and qualifying examinations, and the preparation and submitting of an acceptable dissertation. 
• The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. degree is 5 years (15 quarters). 

B. Plan I M.S. Degree - Thesis Plan

• Students must meet the unit requirement for the Plan I degree, satisfactorily complete the Environmental Toxicology core curriculum, and submit an acceptable thesis. 
• Thirty- sis units are required, of which at least 24 must be in graduate level courses. No more than 12 units of ENTX 290, 297, and 299 may be used to satisfy the unit requirements. All students must enroll in the Environmental Toxicology seminar (ENTX 270) each quarter and ENTX 271 each Spring. 
• No more than 3 units from seminar courses can be used toward degree credit. 
• The normative time for completion of the M.S. Degree Plan I is 2 years (6 quarters).

C. Plan II M.S. Degree - Comprehensive Exam Plan

• Students must meet the unit requirement for the Plan II degree, satisfactorily complete the Environmental Toxicology core curriculum, and successfully pass the Comprehensive Exam at the end of their first year (3rd quarter), but no later than the end of their second year (6th quarter). 
• Thirty- sis units are required, of which at least 24 must be in graduate level courses. No more than 12 units of ENTX 290, 297, and 299 may be used to satisfy the unit requirements. All students must enroll in the Environmental Toxicology seminar (ENTX 270) each quarter and ENTX 271 each Spring. 
• No more than 3 units from seminar courses can be used toward degree credit. 
• The normative time for completion of the M.S. Degree Plan II is 2 years (6 quarters), but students can complete it within one academic year (3 quarter) if all requirements are fulfilled and the comprehensive exam is passed. 

For more information about degree requirements, please refer to the ETOX Graduate Program Handbook under Current Student Resources. 

All students interested in receiving financial assistance such as fellowships, Graduate Research Assistantships, and Teaching Assistantships must submit a FAFSA application once they are admitted to the program.

• FAFSA

The cost of living is comparable to or lower than that of most other major universities in California. The university has residence halls and apartments for single students as well as family student housing. Off-campus housing remains reasonably priced with apartments, houses and condominiums within easy walking or biking distance.

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Riverside is a cosmopolitan city of 288,000 located in rolling hills and among citrus groves at the western end of Riverside County, about an hour's drive from Los Angeles, the beach cities, alpine mountains, and the Mojave desert.
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