MPhil in Occupational & Environmental Health

at University of Manchester

PhD/MPhil programme enables you to undertake a research project that will provide you with high quality training in Occupational and Environmental Health. 
 

Our research investigates the relationship between occupational and environmental exposures (e.g. air pollution, radiation, pesticides, carcinogens), the exposome and human health. In addition, we carry out studies to determine the impact of interventions to reduce exposure on the  health of populations  as well as studies of stress and wellbeing and of factors that affect return to work by patients following or during treatment.  These studies are generally highly multidisciplinary, involving epidemiologists and health scientists, statisticians, toxicologists, clinicians, social scientist, molecular scientists, and geneticists. 
 

Themes of our work and illustrative papers are as follows:
 

Occupational exposure to chemical, physical and biological agents and risk of adverse health outcomes

• Personal exposure to inhalable dust and the specific latex aero-allergen, Hev b6.02, in latex glove manufacturing in Thailand.

• Pesticide residue transfer in Thai farmer families: using structural equation modeling to determine exposure pathways.

• A refined QSAR model for prediction of chemical asthma hazard.
   

Environmental exposure and risk of adverse health outcomes

• Air pollution exposure and adverse pregnancy outcomes in a large UK birth cohort: use of a novel spatio-temporal modelling technique.

• Long-term exposure to PM10 and NO 2 in association with lung volume and airway resistance in the MAAS birth cohort.

• Short-term effects of ambient particulates and gaseous pollutants on the incidence of transient ischaemic attack and minor stroke: a case-crossover study.
   

Biomarkers of occupational and environmental exposures

• The nitrosated bile acid DNA lesion O 6 -carboxymethylguanine is a substrate for the human DNA repair protein O 6 -methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase.

• L-ß-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) nitrosation generates a cytotoxic DNA damaging alkylating agent: An unexplored mechanism for neurodegenerative disease
   

Intervention studies to reduce occupational, environmental or indoor exposures on health

• Has European Union legislation to reduce exposure to chromate in cement been effective in reducing the incidence of allergic contact dermatitis attributed to chromate in the UK
   

Return to work following sickness absence

• Reporting and prediction of work-relatedsicknessabsenceby general practitioners.

Academic entry qualification overview
 

We require applicants to hold, or be about to obtain, an Upper Second class Honours degree, or the equivalent qualification gained outside the UK, in a related subject area for entry to a PhD programme. A Lower Second class Honours degree may be considered if applicants also hold a Master's degree with a Merit classification.
 

English language
 

For applicants whose first language is not English, or if you have not studied recently in the UK, you must provide evidence of how you meet the English Language requirement.
 

We mainly accept IELTS or TOEFL tests. Please note IELTS and TOEFL are only valid for two years.
 

We require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 overall or TOEFL (iBT) 90. Each component of the English test should meet the minimum requirement of IELTS 5.5 in all components, TOEFL (iBT 22). For the  writing component , we expect you to have achieved a minimum of 6.0 (IELTS).
 

The English language requirements are slightly higher for applicants wishing to undertake the Distance Learning programme.  We require a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 overall, with a score of 6.5 or above in each component.
 

If your IELTS or TOEFL expires before the start of your programme, you will need to take another official English test before we can issue you with a CAS for your visa application. This is a requirement of UKVI.

• PhD (full-time)
  
  UK students (per annum): Standard £4,596, Low £9,500, Medium £17,000, High £22,000
  
  International, including EU, students (per annum): Standard £25,500, Low £26,500, Medium £33,500, High £38,500

Your postgraduate research degree will open up a range of career opportunities after you graduate.