CUT & CII present MSc & PhD programs

Our Programs

Cyprus University of Technology and Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health present MSc in Epidemiology & Biostatistics, MSc in Environmental Health and PhD in Environmental and Public Health

Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health

The Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health (“CII” or “the Institute”) is an international research, education and technology initiative for the environment and public health. The Institute was established in 2004 by the Government of Cyprus and Harvard University to address environmental and public health issues in Cyprus and throughout a broad region, including the eastern Mediterranean, northern Africa, and the Middle East.

The Institute offers two postgraduate MSc programs -- one in Environmental Health and another in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Both are taught in English. The Institute also offers training leading to the PhD in Environmental and Public Health. The strength of our educational programs is seen in the quality of the applicants we have attracted and in the success of our alumni in being accepted, typically with full scholarships, to PhD programs at some of the finest research universities in the world. Each year since 2005, the Institute has offered continuing education programs, lecture series and seminars for academics and for the public.

In both MS programs, the class size is small (ten to twenty students). This facilitates individualized teaching and mentoring. The programs are highly selective and have recruited students from Cyprus and other parts of the world – including Lebanon, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Nigeria, Germany, Liberia, Brazil, Iran, Ethiopia, Italy, Turkey, the United States, and Bangladesh, among others. The student body represents many professions and academic backgrounds, including medicine, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, public health, and economics.

The overarching goal of the Institute is the promotion of environmental and public health in the region through research and education. The main focus of the Institute’s research is on improving understanding of the relationship between exposures to environmental factors and lifestyle patterns with human disease as well as studying individual behaviors and environmental factors, and health outcomes identifying risk factors for different diseases.

Our Institute is a Member of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region. Click here for more info.

MSc in Epidemiology & Biostatistics

The program in Epidemiology and Biostatistics focuses on key concepts and competencies in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. The MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, which has a regional focus, encompasses both theoretical and applied epidemiological and statistical techniques.

Biostatistics involves the theory and application of statistical science to the analysis of public health problems and biomedical research (for example, clinical trials and observational studies). Epidemiology is the study of the frequency, distribution, and determinants of human diseases. Both disciplines involve collecting, classifying, summarizing, organizing, analyzing, and interpreting numerical information relevant to biological, medical, and public health problems. Epidemiologists and biostatisticians play a central role in biomedical research; they are involved in all stages of a study – design, data collection, data analysis, inference, and interpretation of the results – as well as testing hypotheses, and developing statistical models as needed in the process. Biostatisticians and epidemiologists model relationships between individual and environmental factors and health outcomes; identify risk factors for diseases; design, monitor, analyze, interpret, and report results of biomedical studies; and develop statistical methodologies to address questions arising from medical and public health data. The Master of Science in Epidemiology and Biostatistics consists of 100 ECTS. The duration of the program is sixteen months, involving eleven months of coursework in residence and a practicum which can be completed in absentia.

The MSc is taught entirely in English. Applicants whom English is a second language are required to submit evidence of English proficiency. Please click here to view the full Prospectus of MSc in Epidemiology & Biostatistics.

Application forms and instructions for completing these forms are available here. The application form is self-explanatory and asks for: (i) information about educational background; (ii) information about work experience; (iii) a statement of interest; (iv) the names, positions, and contact information of three individuals who can provide letters of reference; and (v) evidence of English proficiency (IELTS score of 6.5 or more; TOEFL of 82 or better).

MSc in Environmental Health

The MSc in Environmental Health relies upon an integrated, interdisciplinary curriculum taught by distinguished academics in public health / environmental science. It involves coursework in the biological sciences, in exposure assessment and environmental sciences, in the quantitative sciences, and in policy, law, and regulation.

Environmental Health is a fascinating, interdisciplinary field which seeks to understand the effects of human exposure to contaminants in the community, home, and workplace and to use this knowledge to improve public health. Environmental health specialists need to understand the sources of pollution; the physical and chemical processes which govern their fate and transport; the biological processes which dictate their intake, uptake, metabolism, elimination, and toxicity; and the approaches for sampling, analysis, measurement, and modelling of ambient concentrations, human exposures, and biologically-relevant doses. These professionals must also be familiar with the principles of biostatistics, epidemiology, toxicology, and risk assessment in order to quantify risks and to characterize the state of knowledge and uncertainty underlying these estimates. Finally, they must understand the central concepts of economics, decision analysis, and administrative law in order to value health impacts, to assess the consequences of various strategies for reducing human exposures, and to design effective policies and regulations.

The MSc in Environmental Health consists of 100 ECTS. The duration of the program is sixteen months, involving eleven months of coursework in residence and a practicum which can be completed in absentia. The experience at CII culminates in a practicum, in which each student integrates and applies knowledge from the above courses to analyze a problem in environmental decision making or regulation. The practicum not only provides experience in quantitative analysis, but also gives our graduates experience in writing scientific manuscripts and in preparing and presenting scientific talks.

PhD in Environmental and Public Health

The program leading to the doctor of philosophy (PhD) in Environmental Health provides research training for students with interests in careers as academicians or researchers in environmental epidemiology, exposure assessment and risk assessment.

CII doctoral graduates will be qualified for research and teaching positions in schools of public health and other academic institutions, or for positions in government agencies and private consultancies dealing with health and the environment.

Students in our PhD program begin by taking coursework and qualifying examinations in one major field (environmental health) and two minor fields (typically biostatistics and either epidemiology or risk assessment). As part of the examination process, each student is expected to prepare, present and defend a formal research proposal. Once the examinations have been passed, students work with CII faculty members on funded research projects central to the mission of the Institute. Typically, the PhD can be completed in 4 to 5 years of full-time study (including coursework). Candidates with a prior MSc in environmental health may finish the program in 3 to 4 years.

Environmental health scientists come from a variety of backgrounds -- including chemistry, mathematics, physics, engineering, biology and medicine. Successful applicants to the PhD program would normally have completed a MSc in environmental health or a closely related field. Applicants without such background should consider first applying to our MSc program.

A key determinant of the success of doctoral research training is the relationship established between the student and their primary research advisor. We strongly encourage prospective applicants to the PhD program to contact the Academic Coordinator of the Institute, Dr. Costas Christophi, and other members of our faculty well before completing their applications to the program.

The program is taught entirely in English. Prospective applicants for whom English is a second language are encouraged to arrange to take either the TOEFL (www.ets.org/toefl) or the IELTS (www.ielts.org) well before the application deadline.