Environment and Health: Doctoral Level

Minimum Admission Requirements

• Students who wish to enrol in the CSEH offered by the School of the Environment must first apply to and be accepted into a doctoral program in a degree-granting unit, also called a home department or home unit. Information about applying to a home department can be found on the School of Graduate Studies website as well as on the respective websites of participating degree-granting units.

• Prospective students who are planning to enrol in the CSEH are strongly encouraged to submit the Collaborative Specialization Enrolment Form (PDF) after receiving their letter of acceptance or at the start of their program of study. Students are able to join the CSEH beyond the start of their degree, provided they are able to complete the CSEH requirements by the time they are ready to graduate from their degree program.

Completion Requirements

• The requirements listed below must be completed in combination with the PhD degree program requirements of the student's respective home department. These are normally counted as electives toward the degree program requirements of the student's home department. Typically, students complete up to 1.0 full-course equivalent (FCE) and conduct research on an environment and health topic. Note that specific requirements for participating degree programs can vary. Therefore, students are encouraged to check the calendar entries of their respective home department programs. Specific CSEH requirements for each participating degree program are listed on the School of the Environment website under the Collaborative Specialization in Environment and Health.

• Complete the mandatory core course ENV4001H Graduate Seminars in Environment and Health, unless already completed at the master's level.

• Complete one elective course (0.5 FCE) from the School's list of approved courses. Courses (including special topics) that have an environment focus but are not included in the School's approved list can be counted as an elective, pending approval from the Graduate Associate Director.

• Give an oral presentation of their doctoral research as part of the School of the Environment's Research Day, which is held once per year in the spring.

• Complete a thesis on a theme in environment and health. Normally, the thesis committee will include a supervisor from the student's home department who holds a graduate faculty membership (GFM) in the School of the Environment. If the student's primary thesis supervisor does not hold a GFM in the School of the Environment, the School's Director will either initiate the process of assigning a GFM to the primary supervisor or review the composition of the thesis committee to ensure it has appropriate expertise. A copy of the final thesis must be submitted to the School of the Environment prior to graduation.

• Additional courses may be required by the home department and/or by the supervisor or supervisory committee, depending on academic and/or career goals of the student, as well as departmental regulations.

  • For programs with limited elective space, such as the PhD in Geography, students are strongly encouraged to select a cross-listed elective course.