Master of Science [M.S] [Environmental Health Sciences] From University of California

University of California, Berkeley Master of Science in Environmental Health Sciences is a two-year, full-time, on-campus degree in Berkeley for Fall 2027 applicants. Applicants usually need GPA (Grade Point Average) 3.0/4.0, approximately 60% to 65% or CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) 6.5 to 7.0/10 in India. Fall 2027 tuition is unpublished; 2026-27 nonresident new-master first-semester fees were US$20,587.75 (INR 19.55 Lakhs), as a prior-cycle reference.

The EHS (Environmental Health Sciences) curriculum develops exposure assessment, toxicology, epidemiology, risk assessment and policy skills through 34 units and a capstone paper. It suits science or engineering graduates seeking research-led environmental health work who can begin independent research during the second semester.

• The four-semester Degree Plan II permits fieldwork, secondary data analysis or a systematic review instead of a thesis.
• At least two adviser-approved courses outside Berkeley Public Health let students build an interdisciplinary research pathway.
• Berkeley encourages students to continue their supervised capstone research during the summer between the first and second years.

Also Check: UC Berkeley graduate admission requirements

UC Berkeley EHS MS Fees and Living Costs 2027

Fall 2027 tuition is unpublished after checking the live programme, admissions, fee schedule and student-budget pages. The figures below therefore support planning only and do not price the target intake.

Prior-cycle context: The 2026-27 Graduate Academic schedule lists these nonresident rates per semester, including the Student Health Insurance Plan and campus charges.

All INR conversions in the article use a conversion rate of USD 1 = INR 94.94 as of 26 October 2026. Rates fluctuate daily, verify before applying.

Source: UC Berkeley Office of the Registrar 2026-27 Graduate Academic fee schedule.

The eight first-semester components sum to US$20,587.75 (INR 19.55 Lakhs), while later semesters omit the one-time document fee. Verify the target fee on the official fee page before accepting an offer or arranging an education loan.

Cost of Living in Berkeley for EHS MS Students

Berkeley’s 2026-27 academic graduate budget provides a nine-month on-campus living baseline. Monthly figures below divide each official annual item by nine, while health insurance remains inside the fee table.

Prior-cycle context: These 2026-27 costs describe one academic year and remain separate from visa funding evidence or the Fall 2027 tuition schedule.

Using only 2026-27 inputs, the calculated first-year prior-cycle planning illustration is US$74,018.50 (INR 70.27 Lakhs). It combines US$41,056.50 (INR 38.98 Lakhs) in fees with US$32,962 (INR 31.29 Lakhs) for nine-month living costs.

Holding those prior-cycle rates constant across four semesters produces US$147,918 (INR 1.40 Crore), but that is not a Fall 2027 cost forecast. Indian applicants need headroom for two later fee schedules and living-cost changes.

Read More: cost of living in the United States

ROI reality: The prior-cycle two-year illustration already reaches INR 1.40 Crore, so admission without confirmed funding creates substantial exposure before any salary evidence is considered.

UC Berkeley EHS MS Admission 2027

Fall 2027 admission requires a recognised bachelor’s degree, a usual GPA minimum of 3.0/4.0 and enough preparation for graduate environmental health research. Berkeley admits this programme only in Fall.

Academic context: Berkeley makes the final equivalency decision, so Indian percentages below are planning approximations rather than automatic conversions.

The admissions team also requires a curriculum vitae, three recommendations, a statement of purpose and a personal history statement. Non-US degree holders need a WES (World Education Services) ICAP (International Credential Advantage Package) evaluation for the central application.

English Language Proficiency for Fall 2027

Indian degree holders generally need official English evidence even when their college taught in English. Berkeley accepts TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System).

Score context: Tests must be dated 01 June 2025 or later for Fall 2027, and the applicable scale depends on the test date.

• Take the applicable English test early enough for official scores to reach SOPHAS before the file-completion cutoff.
• Use the GRE only when transcripts and research outputs leave quantitative or analytical preparation unclear.
• Select a writing sample that matches the programme’s exposure, toxicology, epidemiology or risk-policy research proposition.

A test exemption can apply after at least one year of full-time coursework with grades of B or better at an accredited US institution. A degree from an Indian English-medium institution alone does not create the exemption.

Check Out: UC Berkeley programmes and fees

Tip for Indian students: The 3.0/4.0 minimum is only a screening baseline; a coherent research question and evidence across science coursework, writing and recommendations determine fit.

UC Berkeley EHS MS Application 2027

The Fall 2027 application uses two linked portals: SOPHAS (Schools of Public Health Application Service) first and the supplemental UC Berkeley Graduate Application afterward. Both submissions must meet the same final programme deadline.

Fall 2027 timeline: Environmental Health Sciences MS has one intake and no March secondary deadline.

Berkeley recommends sending test scores by early October and submitting SOPHAS in early November because verification can expose transcript discrepancies. Use the official on-campus application instructions to reconcile both portals before paying.

Application Costs and File Strategy

For an Indian degree holder, the current published fees create a US$453 (INR 43,008) baseline before WES delivery charges. Each amount below belongs to the Fall 2027 application route.

• Ask three referees early and choose at least one academic recommender who can assess research and analytical readiness.
• Use the 250-word quantitative response to connect calculus, statistics, programming or laboratory analysis directly to the intended project.
• Make the writing sample demonstrate one sustained argument rather than assembling unrelated technical excerpts.
• Use the same email address and programme name in both portals to reduce record-matching delays.

The statement of purpose allows 1,000 words, so it should identify a tractable environmental exposure or health question and the methods needed. The personal history statement has a separate 1,000-word limit and should explain experiences shaping the applicant’s pathway.

Application tip: Submit SOPHAS in early November, because Berkeley’s final 01 December cutoff leaves no secondary round for this MS and no recovery path for a late application.

UC Berkeley EHS MS Scholarships 2027

Berkeley considers Fall 2027 applicants for school awards through the admissions process, but no guaranteed MS funding package is published. Submitting both applications by 01 December preserves that consideration.

Current published opportunities: The awards below are open to master’s students under their stated conditions, but their pages do not identify them as Fall 2027 guarantees.

Berkeley Public Health awards admission scholarships through programme nomination without another application. The school has not published target-cycle amounts, so applicants should not deduct an assumed award from the Fall 2027 fee.

International need-based tuition grants become relevant only after two completed Berkeley semesters, full-time registration and demonstrated financial need. Their values depend on applicant need and available funds, making them unsuitable as first-year financing.

• Submit by 01 December 2026 to remain eligible for admissions-based scholarships and assistantships.
• Treat the Gateway Fellowship as a nomination outcome because students cannot convert its benefits into an assumed tuition discount.
• Develop a defined capstone project before pursuing the Mathias or Lindheim awards because both support research activity rather than admission alone.

Also Check: UC Berkeley scholarship options

Scholarship reality: The 01 December application protects nomination eligibility, but none of the listed awards supports subtracting a confirmed amount from unpublished Fall 2027 tuition.

UC Berkeley EHS MS Salary 2027

Berkeley publishes course-specific destination types but no EHS MS salary or offer rate. Reported alumni destinations include research institutions, consultancies, government agencies and doctoral programmes.

The named government destinations include California environmental and energy agencies plus San Francisco’s environment department. These examples prove access pathways, not employer sponsorship or a typical graduate outcome.

External Environmental Health Salary Benchmarks

The figures below are May 2025 US labour-market medians, not Berkeley graduate salaries. They benchmark occupations aligned with environmental exposure, regulation, consulting and workplace health.

Evidence scope: Each salary is an external market benchmark for experienced and entry-level workers combined, without controlling for degree, location or immigration status.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics environmental scientist data, May 2025.

The table cannot establish repayment capacity because the course’s prior-cycle two-year illustration is US$147,918 (INR 1.40 Crore), while Berkeley withholds course-level compensation evidence. Gross US salary also differs from take-home pay by location, benefits and tax status, so use the official IRS estimator after receiving an offer.

Research Value and Financial Tradeoff

This academically oriented MS exchanges a direct placement promise for supervised research depth. Its 34 units, cross-campus electives and capstone support doctoral preparation or evidence-based technical roles, but funding uncertainty remains material.

• The capstone can produce a fieldwork, data-analysis or systematic-review sample, so choose a format that employers or doctoral committees can evaluate.
• Course-specific salary and offer rates are unpublished, so test financing against conservative earnings rather than the external occupation medians.
• Government destinations validate a sector pathway, but international applicants should verify whether each role permits sponsorship before relying on it.
• For an India return, compare the INR 1.40 Crore prior-cycle illustration with named research or regulatory roles and local compensation offers.

The course is financially defensible when the applicant values research training, has bounded debt and can use the capstone in a defined occupational pathway. It is a weak fit when repayment depends on treating a US occupation median as a guaranteed first salary.

ROI reality: Berkeley documents research and employer types rather than course salaries, so the capstone’s career relevance and secured funding matter more than a speculative payback calculation.

US Visa for UC Berkeley EHS MS Students 2027

An admitted international student normally uses F-1 status, with a US$185 (INR 17,564) visa fee and US$350 (INR 33,229) SEVIS fee. SEVIS means Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. Graduates may use OPT (Optional Practical Training) for 12 months in directly related employment.

• Berkeley lists the programme as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) eligible, enabling a possible 24-month extension and up to 36 months total work authorisation.
• The STEM extension requires paid, related work of at least 20 hours weekly with an E-Verify employer and an approved Form I-983 training plan.
• An H-1B employer must meet the higher actual or prevailing wage; permanent residence has no course-linked timeline, so verify sponsorship before accepting debt.
• F-2 spouses and children may accompany the student, but an F-2 spouse cannot work in the United States.

Read More: post-study work options in the United States

Visa reality: STEM eligibility can extend the job-search runway to 36 months, but the extension depends on a qualifying employer and does not create a permanent-residence guarantee.

UC Berkeley EHS MS Ranking 2027

UC Berkeley is ninth globally for Environmental Sciences in the QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings by Subject 2026. This is a university subject ranking, not an EHS MS placement measure.

Ranking scope: QS evaluates the broader Environmental Sciences subject, while the programme combines that field with toxicology, epidemiology and public-health methods.

The subject position supports access to a broad environmental research setting, but it does not replace checking adviser fit or capstone methods. Applicants should prioritise laboratories and electives matching their proposed exposure question.

Check Out: UC Berkeley subject rankings

Honest take: The number-nine subject position strengthens the academic context, while research supervision and capstone alignment remain the more course-specific selection criteria.