diff --git a/torchx/runner/config.py b/torchx/runner/config.py
index 53c6ccc9f..72da133f5 100644
--- a/torchx/runner/config.py
+++ b/torchx/runner/config.py
@@ -268,6 +268,13 @@ def dump(
                         val = ";".join(opt.default)
                     else:
                         val = _NONE
+                elif opt.opt_type == Dict[str, str]:
+                    # deal with empty or None default lists
+                    if opt.default:
+                        # pyre-ignore[6] opt.default type checked already as Dict[str, str]
+                        val = ";".join([f"{k}={v}" for k, v in opt.default.items()])
+                    else:
+                        val = _NONE
                 else:
                     val = f"{opt.default}"
 
@@ -527,6 +534,11 @@ def load(scheduler: str, f: TextIO, cfg: Dict[str, CfgVal]) -> None:
                         cfg[name] = config.getboolean(section, name)
                     elif runopt.opt_type is List[str]:
                         cfg[name] = value.split(";")
+                    elif runopt.opt_type is Dict[str, str]:
+                        cfg[name] = {
+                            s.split(":", 1)[0]: s.split(":", 1)[1]
+                            for s in value.replace(",", ";").split(";")
+                        }
                     else:
                         # pyre-ignore[29]
                         cfg[name] = runopt.opt_type(value)
diff --git a/torchx/runner/test/config_test.py b/torchx/runner/test/config_test.py
index c9730d9cf..fe86dc007 100644
--- a/torchx/runner/test/config_test.py
+++ b/torchx/runner/test/config_test.py
@@ -105,6 +105,18 @@ def _run_opts(self) -> runopts:
             default=None,
             help="a None list option",
         )
+        opts.add(
+            "d",
+            type_=Dict[str, str],
+            default={"foo": "bar"},
+            help="a dict option",
+        )
+        opts.add(
+            "d_none",
+            type_=Dict[str, str],
+            default=None,
+            help="a None dict option",
+        )
         opts.add(
             "empty",
             type_=str,
diff --git a/torchx/schedulers/docker_scheduler.py b/torchx/schedulers/docker_scheduler.py
index d7dfe9470..a6d75071a 100644
--- a/torchx/schedulers/docker_scheduler.py
+++ b/torchx/schedulers/docker_scheduler.py
@@ -123,6 +123,7 @@ def ensure_network(client: Optional["DockerClient"] = None) -> None:
 
 class DockerOpts(TypedDict, total=False):
     copy_env: Optional[List[str]]
+    env: Optional[Dict[str, str]]
 
 
 class DockerScheduler(DockerWorkspaceMixin, Scheduler[DockerOpts]):
@@ -217,6 +218,10 @@ def _submit_dryrun(self, app: AppDef, cfg: DockerOpts) -> AppDryRunInfo[DockerJo
             for k in keys:
                 default_env[k] = os.environ[k]
 
+        env = cfg.get("env")
+        if env:
+            default_env.update(env)
+
         app_id = make_unique(app.name)
         req = DockerJob(app_id=app_id, containers=[])
         rank0_name = f"{app_id}-{app.roles[0].name}-0"
@@ -359,6 +364,12 @@ def _run_opts(self) -> runopts:
             default=None,
             help="list of glob patterns of environment variables to copy if not set in AppDef. Ex: FOO_*",
         )
+        opts.add(
+            "env",
+            type_=Dict[str, str],
+            default=None,
+            help="environment varibles to be passed to the run (e.g. ENV1:v1,ENV2:v2,ENV3:v3)",
+        )
         return opts
 
     def _get_app_state(self, container: "Container") -> AppState:
diff --git a/torchx/schedulers/test/docker_scheduler_test.py b/torchx/schedulers/test/docker_scheduler_test.py
index 929444fff..e69fa6d99 100644
--- a/torchx/schedulers/test/docker_scheduler_test.py
+++ b/torchx/schedulers/test/docker_scheduler_test.py
@@ -185,6 +185,21 @@ def test_copy_env(self) -> None:
             },
         )
 
+    def test_env(self) -> None:
+        app = _test_app()
+        cfg = DockerOpts({"env": {"FOO_1": "BAR_1"}})
+        with patch("torchx.schedulers.docker_scheduler.make_unique") as make_unique_ctx:
+            make_unique_ctx.return_value = "app_name_42"
+            info = self.scheduler._submit_dryrun(app, cfg)
+        self.assertEqual(
+            info.request.containers[0].kwargs["environment"],
+            {
+                "FOO": "bar",
+                "FOO_1": "BAR_1",
+                "TORCHX_RANK0_HOST": "app_name_42-trainer-0",
+            },
+        )
+
 
 if has_docker():
     # These are the live tests that require a local docker instance.
diff --git a/torchx/specs/api.py b/torchx/specs/api.py
index fd8761585..505986716 100644
--- a/torchx/specs/api.py
+++ b/torchx/specs/api.py
@@ -639,11 +639,11 @@ def __init__(self, status: AppStatus, *args: object) -> None:
         self.status = status
 
 
-# valid run cfg values; only support primitives (str, int, float, bool, List[str])
+# valid run cfg values; only support primitives (str, int, float, bool, List[str], Dict[str, str])
 # TODO(wilsonhong): python 3.9+ supports list[T] in typing, which can be used directly
 # in isinstance(). Should replace with that.
 # see: https://docs.python.org/3/library/stdtypes.html#generic-alias-type
-CfgVal = Union[str, int, float, bool, List[str], None]
+CfgVal = Union[str, int, float, bool, List[str], Dict[str, str], None]
 
 
 T = TypeVar("T")
@@ -757,6 +757,10 @@ def is_type(obj: CfgVal, tp: Type[CfgVal]) -> bool:
         except TypeError:
             if isinstance(obj, list):
                 return all(isinstance(e, str) for e in obj)
+            elif isinstance(obj, dict):
+                return all(
+                    isinstance(k, str) and isinstance(v, str) for k, v in obj.items()
+                )
             else:
                 return False
 
@@ -865,6 +869,11 @@ def _cast_to_type(value: str, opt_type: Type[CfgVal]) -> CfgVal:
                 # lists may be ; or , delimited
                 # also deal with trailing "," by removing empty strings
                 return [v for v in value.replace(";", ",").split(",") if v]
+            elif opt_type == Dict[str, str]:
+                return {
+                    s.split(":", 1)[0]: s.split(":", 1)[1]
+                    for s in value.replace(";", ",").split(",")
+                }
             else:
                 # pyre-ignore[19]
                 return opt_type(value)
diff --git a/torchx/specs/test/api_test.py b/torchx/specs/test/api_test.py
index 6a74fe421..af8e34b49 100644
--- a/torchx/specs/test/api_test.py
+++ b/torchx/specs/test/api_test.py
@@ -431,6 +431,7 @@ def test_cfg_from_str(self) -> None:
         opts = runopts()
         opts.add("K", type_=List[str], help="a list opt", default=[])
         opts.add("J", type_=str, help="a str opt", required=True)
+        opts.add("E", type_=Dict[str, str], help="a dict opt", default=[])
 
         self.assertDictEqual({}, opts.cfg_from_str(""))
         self.assertDictEqual({}, opts.cfg_from_str("UNKWN=b"))
@@ -455,6 +456,9 @@ def test_cfg_from_str(self) -> None:
         self.assertDictEqual(
             {"K": ["a"], "J": "d"}, opts.cfg_from_str("J=d,K=a,UNKWN=e")
         )
+        self.assertDictEqual(
+            {"E": {"f": "b", "F": "B"}}, opts.cfg_from_str("E=f:b,F:B")
+        )
 
     def test_resolve_from_str(self) -> None:
         opts = runopts()
@@ -489,6 +493,10 @@ def test_runopts_is_type(self) -> None:
         self.assertFalse(runopts.is_type(None, List[str]))
         self.assertTrue(runopts.is_type([], List[str]))
         self.assertTrue(runopts.is_type(["a", "b"], List[str]))
+        # List[str]
+        self.assertFalse(runopts.is_type(None, Dict[str, str]))
+        self.assertTrue(runopts.is_type({}, Dict[str, str]))
+        self.assertTrue(runopts.is_type({"foo": "bar", "fee": "bez"}, Dict[str, str]))
 
     def test_runopts_iter(self) -> None:
         runopts = self.get_runopts()