Program Overview
PhD Academic Program
PhD students design a curriculum geared toward the student’s dissertation research. The important element is that the trainee’s dissertation must be related to agricultural safety and health. It is also advisable that the courses taken will be conducive to agricultural safety and health research and practice. All doctoral students are required to select a major and one minor for a total of 45-quarter units of classwork. These units can include up to 23 units transferred from other programs, such as an MS program, or graduate courses taken during an undergraduate program. The trainees in the ASH program will have a major related to Agricultural Safety and Health (30 units) and one minor (15 units) based on the trainee's interest in consultation with the assigned faculty advisor. After completing their required course work, doctoral trainees are expected to take an oral qualifying examination (QE), commonly lasting up to three hours. The main purpose of the QE is to evaluate the trainee's defense of a written research proposal (provided four weeks before the QE date) and competency in courses taken in the student's major and minor fields.
Curricular Plan for the Doctoral Training Program
Program Curriculum |
|---|
Core Curriculum Required Courses for Trainees from All Programs |
EBS 289 Agricultural Safety and Health (3units) |
EBS 228 Occupational Muscuskeletal Disorders (3 units) |
Core Curriculum for Biological Systems Engineering Trainees |
EBS 200 Research Methods in Biological Systems Engineering (2 units) |
EBS 289 Agriultural Safety and Health (3 units) |
EBS 228 Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders (3 units) |
EBS 128 Biomechanics and Ergonomics (4 units) |
EBS 265 Design and Analysis of Engineering Experiments (5 units) |
Recommended Courses for Major and Minor Requirements |
EPI 251 Environmental Epidemiology (3 units) |
ETX 146 Exposure and Dose Assessment (3 units) |
ETX 214 Mechanisms of Toxic Action (3 units) |
VME 254 Toxicology of the Respiratory System (3 units) |
SPH 201 Introduction to Public Health (3 units) |
SPH 262 Principles of Environmental Health Science (3 units) |
SPH 290 Topics in Public Health (1 unit) |
Course Descriptions
Core Curriculum Required Courses for Trainees from All Programs
- EBS 289 Agricultural Safety and Health
This course is an introduction of basic concepts in agricultural safety and health, including identifying risks and hazards in various agricultural settings, and developing and evaluating practical and effective intervention strategies to abate or eliminate these risks and hazards.
- EBS 228 Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders
Study of epidemiology and etiology of occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) with a focus on low back and upper extremities disorders; anatomical and biomechanical functions of lower back and upper extremities; MSDs risk factors assessment and control; research opportunities related to MSDs.
Core Curriculum for Biological Systems Engineering Trainees (including EBS 289 & EBS 228)
- EBS 200 Research Methods in Biological Systems Engineering
This course helps trainees with planning, execution and reporting of research projects. Including, but not limited to: Literature review techniques and proposal preparation; Record keeping and patents; Uncertainty analysis in experiments and computations; Graphic analysis; Ethical responsibilities; and Oral and written presentation of research results, manuscript preparation, submission and review.
- EBS 128 Biomechanics and Ergonomics
Anatomical, physiological, and biomechanical bases of physical ergonomics. Human motor capabilities, body mechanics, kinematics and anthropometry. Use of bioinstrumentation, industrial surveillance techniques and the NIOSH lifting guide. Cumulative trauma disorders. Static and dynamic biomechanical modeling. Emphasis on low back, shoulder, and hand/wrist biomechanics.
- EBS 265 Design and Analysis of Engineering Experiments
Simple linear, multiple, and polynomial regression, correlation, residuals, model selection, one-way ANOVA, fixed and random effect models, sample size, multiple comparisons, randomized block, repeated measures, Latin square designs, factorial experiments, nested design and subsampling, split-plot design, and statistical software packages.
Recommended Courses for Major and Minor Requirements
- EPI 251 Environmental Epidemiology
Examination of the human health effects and the risk of disease from community, occupational, and personal exposure to toxic substances.
- ETX 146 Exposure and Dose Assessment
The exposure component of risk assessment; specifically, the presence and/or formation of toxic substances in environmental media, their movement within and between contaminated media, and the contacts of human populations with those media
- ETX 214 Mechanisms of Toxic Action
Chemical, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying the adverse effects of toxic chemicals. Students are required to write a grant proposal and participate in a grant review panel.
- VME 254 Toxicology of the Respiratory System
Survey of structure and function of the respiratory system, the pathophysiology of major lung diseases, the interactions of toxicants with the lung and response of this organ to injury.
- SPH 201 Introduction to Public Health
Provides an overview of public health. Covers the history of public health in the U.S.; defines its major functions and constituencies; and, introduces fundamental principles of epidemiology, biostatistics, behavioral sciences, environmental health, infectious diseases, and reducing health disparities.
- SPH 262 Principles of Environmental Health Science
Principles, approaches and issues related to environmental health. Recognizing, assessing, understanding and controlling the impact of people on their environment and the impact of the environment on the public.
- SPH 290 Topics in Public Health
This is a seminar on a breadth of key issues and current topics in public health.