Toxicology
The Intercollegiate Faculty of Toxicology at Texas A&M
University is composed of graduate students, faculty and
post-doctoral fellows from several departments and colleges within
the University. The program is committed to provide high quality
graduate education and excellence in research. Both faculty and
graduate students have received national recognition for their
endeavors.
Texas A&M University offers the Master of Science and Doctor of
Philosophy degrees in Toxicology. The M.S. program requires 36
hours of post baccalaureate training while the Ph.D. program
requires 96 hours. The Ph.D. program is flexible based on the
student's previous training and career goals. The Master's program
is more limited with fewer elective credit options. For full
admission to the graduate program, applicants must have a
satisfactory grade point ratio and Graduate Record Examination test
score and must be accepted by both the Faculty of Toxicology and a
specific department prior to admission in the program. The Faculty
of Toxicology usually selects six to eight new students per year.
Fifty-nine faculty from nineteen departments in seven colleges
and three associated laboratories within the University are members
of the Intercollegiate Faculty of Toxicology. The major areas of
research include cellular and molecular toxicology, applied
veterinary toxicology, environmental and food toxicology,
developmental and reproductive toxicology and behavioral and
neurotoxicology.
Individual research projects utilize a variety of biochemical
techniques and both in vivo and in vitro models to investigate the
toxicology of several classes of toxins, diverse carcinogens, food
toxins, pesticides, and inorganic and bioinorganic compounds.
Numerous interdisciplinary projects are also ongoing with
scientists in the faculty and their colleagues within the
University and at other institutions.
Collaborative research initiatives among toxicology faculty have
resulted in funding for a National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS) Superfund Basic Research Program, NIEHS
Toxicology Training Grant which supports five predoctoral fellows
and two postdoctoral fellows, and more recently, an NIEHS-funded
Center for Environmental and Rural Health. Additional funding comes
from other federal and state agencies and from the University.
The toxicology program offers University fellowships and
graduate research assistantships which are funded by federal and
state agencies and by the University and are awarded on a
competitive basis to qualified applicants. Graduate assistantships
are usually secured before applicants are admitted. Financial aid
is also available through the University's financial aid office.
Several of the research groups associated with the Faculty of
Toxicology are located in the 100,000 square foot Veterinary
Medical Research Building. Others are located in a number of
research facilities on the campus. These laboratories have
state-of-the-art equipment relevant to their particular
discipline.
The Faculty of Toxicology hosts a seminar series each fall and
spring semester in which speakers from across the nation and from
within Texas A&M University present various aspects of
toxicology and research. The Faculty also supports travel for
toxicology students to attend the annual meeting of the Society of
Toxicology and the regional Gulf Coast Society of Toxicology.
Students are encouraged to participate in platform or poster
competitions at these conferences. Together, the seminar series and
the conferences allow students to meet other students and
professionals within their areas of interest and begin networking
for future employment opportunities.
To receive additional information on the Toxicology Graduate
Program and a Texas A&M University graduate application, please
contact the Toxicology Chair, Dr. Stephen H. Safe or Graduate
Advisor, Kim Daniel at the following address:
Faculty of Toxicology
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-4461
Tel: (979) 845-5529
FAX: (979) 862-4929
E-mail: tox@cvm.tamu.edu