Frequently Asked Questions

The EHS program does not require applicants or admitted students to find funding through a faculty member at the time of application or prior to enrollment. However, the application asks for up to three faculty names who you may be interested in working with; applicants are encouraged to view the faculty website and PubMed to determine if a faculty member's research might be a good match. It may be helpful to contact a faculty member as part of preparing your personal statement. If you contact a faculty member, it is recommended to provide your CV/resume and a brief introduction and specific questions. Please do not inquire with individual faculty members whether or not your application is competitive for admission. Please also view information about research rotations at the bottom of the EHS PhD web page.

Because the majority of applicants to our program have master's degrees in environmental health or relevant fields, it is unlikely that an applicant without a master's degree will be competitive for admission. However, there have been a few students who have been competitive for admission without graduate training within the last several years. Students who do not have a graduate level degree and are interested in the EHS PhD program are also encouraged to apply to the Environmental Health MPH program at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.

All international students must submit TOEFL scores. Waivers are granted to permanent residents, those applicants who are from English speaking foreign countries (Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, etc.) or who have received a degree from a U.S. institution or institutions in Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.  We also accept IELTS scores.

The EHS program strongly prefers that transcript(s) from an academic institution from outside the US are submitted to World Education Services (WES) for an official course-by-course credential evaluation (document-by-document evaluations will not suffice). Please be sure to select the WES International Credential Package (WES ICAP), which will include the course-by-course credential evaluation. WES evaluations can be uploaded into your application as your transcript attachment and/or can be sent to the Laney Graduate School. Individuals submitting transcript(s) from an academic institution that is outside the US should make their transcript requests well in advance of the application deadline.

WES is strongly preferred, but not required.  Applications without WES evaluation will be equally considered.

You do not need to send official transcripts to Emory during the admissions process.  As part of the application process, you are required to scan and upload transcripts.  Include transcripts from all schools you attended that counted toward degrees, such as original grades earned for transfer credits.  If you matriculate in the PhD program, you will be required to send official transcripts to Laney Graduate School.

No. The EHS program does not require applicants take the GRE or submit previous scores.

No, you do not need to submit a writing sample.

Yes, if you are chosen as a finalist, the EHS program will invite you to interview with faculty. Interviews are virtual and are scheduled considering the availability of applicants. Interviews will last for one week and will be scheduled in early February.

PhD students who do not come in to the program with their own funding will receive two years of institutional funding that includes tuition support and stipend support on a 12-month basis. In most instances, this support will come from the Laney Graduate School (LGS), but may be in the form of training grants or faculty mentor funding.  This support covers the student's time to complete coursework, research rotations, and teaching assistant requirements.

After the second year, students are expected to transition to alternative sources of funding such as training or research grants, dissertation grant support, fellowships, etc. Toward the end of their first year, students will work with their advisor, mentors and DGS to develop a plan for ongoing support. Students must proactively seek funding opportunities; in this process, they will gain valuable experience in proposal writing and the funding process. Students admitted to the program will be provided with ample opportunities and faculty guidance to successfully obtain funding after year two.

Examples of training grant interest areas that support EHS PhD students include: Toxicology, Air Quality, Maternal and Child Health, Molecules to Mankind (M2M), Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology, and WASH.

Please visit the LGS funding webpage for details about tuition scholarships, doctoral stipends, and more.