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Studies & Degrees in Environmental Toxicology

Environmental toxicology is the scientific study of the effects of chemical, biological and physical agents on living organisms and ecosystems. It examines how pollutants affect human health, wildlife and the environment, and it looks for ways to reduce that harm. The subject draws on biology, chemistry and environmental science.

Students learn where toxic substances come from, how they move and persist in water, soil, air and food, how they act on cells and organisms, and how the risk to people and other species is assessed. The University of California, Davis names pesticides, food additives, industrial waste and metals among the toxic agents studied, together with chemicals produced by animals, plants, fungi and bacteria. Laboratory methods, statistics and the legislation on chemicals are part of most programmes.

Qualifications and levels

Environmental toxicology is rarely a first degree. Most students start in biology, chemistry or environmental science and specialise at master's level.

  • Bachelor's degree. UC Davis offers a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Toxicology. It starts with preparatory courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics. Electives are grouped into three specialisations: ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry, forensic science and regulatory toxicology, and molecular and biomedical toxicology. At Texas Tech University undergraduates can take the subject only as a minor.
  • Master's degree. In Europe the usual format is a two-year master's degree of 120 ECTS credits. The M.Sc. Environmental Toxicology (EnviTox) of the Universität Duisburg-Essen is taught at the Essen campus and has nine modules, including a 16-week internship, and a six-month thesis worth 30 credits. Uppsala Universitet offers Environmental Toxicology as a specialisation of its Master's Programme in Biology, with 120 credits and English as the language of instruction. At Texas Tech the M.S. in Environmental Toxicology takes 36 credit hours and exists as a thesis degree on campus and as a non-thesis degree taught fully online.
  • Doctorate. Texas Tech also awards a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology, and Uppsala presents its master's degree as a basis for doctoral studies.
  • Spain. Official university degrees have a fixed structure: a bachelor's degree (grado) of 240 ECTS credits and master's degrees of 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Ask each Spanish university whether it teaches toxicology as a programme of its own or as courses within a broader science or health degree.

Admission

Master's programmes expect a science background. Duisburg-Essen asks for a university degree in biology, chemistry, water science or environmental sciences, and for English at CEFR level B2 or higher, shown by a TOEFL internet-based score of at least 100 or an IELTS score of at least 6.5. Uppsala requires a bachelor's degree that includes 60 credits in biology and 30 credits in chemistry. The application deadline for the autumn 2027 intake at Uppsala is 15 January 2027. Students who are not citizens of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland pay tuition fees there: SEK 360,000 for the whole programme.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 9 active schools for environmental toxicology. Three are in the United States and two in Spain; India, Bermuda, Germany and Sweden have one each. The list includes UC Davis, Texas Tech University and the Center for Ecological Living and Learning (CELL) in the United States, the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM) and the Badajoz campus of the Universidad de Extremadura in Spain, the Universität Duisburg-Essen, Uppsala Universitet, the University of Madras and the ASU Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS).

The programmes described above at Uppsala and in the United States are taught in English, and Duisburg-Essen asks its applicants for certified English. Not every school on the list offers a full degree in the subject, so check with each one which courses or programmes it has and in which language.

Careers

According to UC Davis, occupations that use environmental toxicology include risk assessment, pharmaceutical development, food additive toxicity testing, managing regulatory compliance, residue or forensic analysis, monitoring and field sampling, industrial hygiene, and environmental health and safety. Uppsala lists job titles such as environmental consultant, environmental administrator and environmental risk assessor, and states that demand for environmental toxicologists in companies and public institutions in the EU has increased because of REACH, the EU chemical legislation.

There are no separate official employment statistics for environmental toxicologists. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counts them within environmental scientists and specialists, a group that held about 93,400 jobs in the United States in 2025. The BLS projects employment in this group to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035. State government (28%) and consulting services (19%) were the largest employers. A bachelor's degree is the typical entry requirement.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between toxicology and environmental toxicology?

Toxicology studies how toxic agents harm living organisms. Environmental toxicology follows those agents through air, water, soil and food and studies their effects on people, wildlife and whole ecosystems.

Which degree do I need to become an environmental toxicologist?

Most people take a bachelor's degree in biology, chemistry or environmental science and then a master's degree in environmental toxicology. Research posts normally lead on to a doctorate.

Can I study environmental toxicology in English in Europe?

Yes. The master's specialisation at Uppsala Universitet is taught in English, and the M.Sc. at the Universität Duisburg-Essen asks applicants for English at level B2 or higher.

How long does a master's degree in environmental toxicology take?

The master's degrees at Duisburg-Essen and Uppsala take two years of full-time study and have 120 credits. The M.S. at Texas Tech University takes 36 credit hours.