The UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences ranks fifth in the world among all public and private universities for environmental and occupational health programs.
We prepare students to graduate job-ready with practical work experience through internships and the support of a dedicated career counselor.
Our faculty and students work across disciplines, sectors and borders to address some of today’s most urgent health challenges—from preventing on-the-job injuries and illnesses to investigating the health impacts of air pollution and climate change. Student-led research is guided by our globally recognized faculty in 75+ funded research centers and programs.
Our students come from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to learn the latest scientific methods and core principles of how environmental and workplace factors influence human health. Then they take those skills into the lab and the field, conducting research and helping create sustainable health solutions that save and improve lives.
We offer 11eleven graduate degree options. Our online application for entry into Autumn quarter each year opens on September 1st and closes on December 1st of the previous year. For example, December 1, 2020, is the application deadline for students who wish to enroll in Autumn 2021 (classes typically start in late September).
- Access the online application at https://grad.uw.edu/admission/apply-now/.
- Before starting your online application, please review the minimum admission requirements and the admissions FAQs.
If you have questions about the online application system, please contact the UW Graduate School: uwgrad@uw.edu or 206-685-2630.
To learn more about our graduate programs, please join us for one of our upcoming info sessions:
Funding through our Northwest Center for Occupational Health & Safety
The Northwest Center for Occupational Health & Safety (NWCOHS) prepares graduate students for careers in worker health and safety through training programs, significant financial support and community-engaged research opportunities. NWCOHS offers funded graduate training for the MS in Occupational/Applied Occupational Hygiene and PhD in Environmental and Occupational Hygiene degrees.
We investigate
CLEAN AIR
The UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences is at the forefront of research into the health risks associated with air pollution, which causes 1 in 9 deaths worldwide.
Our research explores how air pollution is associated with a range of health risks—from heart and lung diseases to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease—with a special focus on the impacts on vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly and low-income communities.
Our researchers currently lead the largest study of its kind on the link between air pollution and heart disease. We also study how air pollution influences children’s neurodevelopment, allergies and asthma risk and the links between air pollution and Alzheimer’s disease and the aging brain.
In addition, we work on technologies and strategies to identify pollution hot spots and measure exposure and approaches that help communities understand the impact of wildfire smoke on health.
Our faculty works closely with our students to train and mentor them in clean air research.
CLEAN WATER
Researchers in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences investigate how toxins and pathogens in water affect the health of people and animals.
We work to improve the detection and control of waterborne pathogens and microbial illnesses, including developing a device to improve the detection of poliovirus (and potentially COVID-19) in wastewater.
We study the effects of toxins and toxicants found in Puget Sound on salmon, orcas and other sea life. And we investigate the biomagnification of contaminants in the ocean food chain.
Across all of our research, our students are considered active research contributors and receive training and mentoring from faculty.
SAFE WORKPLACES
We bring extensive research expertise to our work on occupational health, and we put that expertise into practice through an array of services we offer to improve workplace safety and health.
Researchers and students in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences work closely with industry and labor groups to promote workplace safety and investigate occupational health issues.
Our research examines on-the-job injuries, chemical and biological exposures, repetitive movement and vibration, sexual harassment, heat illness, MRSA infection and noise pollution, among other areas.
That research is informed by the services we provide, including worker training, workplace health and safety consultations, laboratory testing and our Occupational and Environmental Medicine Clinic. These services are in turn strengthened by our research and provide real-world training opportunities for our students.
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
Our research promotes healthy, sustainable communities in the Pacific Northwest and around the globe.
Our faculty and students explore issues such as environmental justice, genetic susceptibility to environmental exposures and the ways in which some people and communities are more vulnerable to those exposures.
We identify policies and interventions to reduce environmental exposures and improve health equity and risk communication. And we study the effects of climate change, natural disasters, built environments and environmental policy on population health.
Our students are actively engaged in our research and trained in the latest scientific methods and core principles of how environmental factors affect the health of people, animals and the planet.
Connecting with faculty
We have several faculty who currently work on clean air/clean water/safe food/safe workplaces/ sustainable community research. We strongly encourage you to take a look at our faculty directory to learn more about their work. Make sure to look at the "mentorship" tab of each faculty profile to ensure they are taking on new students for your degree category in Autumn quarter. This is a great way to get connected with faculty before or during the admission process and to learn more about current research.