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