Contact a Faculty Advisor

The Division of Environmental Health Sciences recommends that PhD applicants connect with their preferred faculty advisor to discuss advising before submitting their application. Please consider the following instructions for contacting faculty advisors.

1. Review EnHS website to learn more about types of degrees, degree emphasis areas, and research within the division.
2. Review EnHS Faculty Profiles to determine which faculty best align with your research interests.
3. Send faculty you are interested in working with individualized email(s) with the following:
   1. Use a formal subject line for your email, like “Environmental Health Sciences PhD Advising Request for Fall 22 Admission.”
   2. Introduce yourself including your name, stating your interest in pursuing a PhD in Environmental Health Science, and your career goals for pursuing a PhD.
   3. Describe what attracted you to that faculty advisor’s research. Include specifics from the faculty’s research summary and listed publications.
   4. Describe your own research interests and skills. Attach an updated copy of your CV/Resume to the email for faculty advisors to best understand your experience.
   5. Ask if the faculty advisor will be accepting new students for Fall admission. If so, request a meeting or phone call to discuss further.
4. Wait one full week. If you do not hear back after one week, send another email in the same email thread to follow up.
   1. If you receive an away message that a faculty advisor is not reachable at this time, leave more time in your schedule to follow up.
   2. If you do not receive a response after one follow up attempt, the faculty advisor is likely not accepting new students. Consider connecting with other faculty to explore options.
   3. Faculty advisors are working hybrid schedules and may not be responsive to phone calls directed to the phone numbers listed on their profiles.
5. General questions about the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, and/or SOPHAS Application may be directed to enhsssupport@umn.edu.