Environmental Health Sciences Department

Caroline Johnson, Ph.D., Interim Chair

People are exposed to a wide range of biological, chemical, and physical environmental stressors at home, work, and school as they go about their daily activities, such as working, commuting, eating, drinking, and exercising. An estimated 30 percent of the global burden of disease is attributable to environmental exposures that could be prevented. The Department of Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) equips students with interdisciplinary training to recognize and assess the impact of environmental hazards on human health and to identify solutions to reduce exposures to those hazards and prevent diseases in the population.

Students in EHS can select an emphasis in Environmental Exposure Science and Epidemiology, Environmental Toxicology, or Risk Assessment. Within these emphasized areas, there is flexibility for students to design, with their adviser, a program to meet individual needs. Students can take advantage of the wide variety of courses relevant to environmental health offered by the department and throughout the university, particularly those in the School of the Environment.

M.P.H. graduates of the EHS department find employment in city, state, and federal government agencies; environmental consulting firms; nongovernmental organizations; pharmaceutical companies; and private sector companies in the area of environmental or occupational health and safety. They also take research positions in academic organizations and government agencies. In addition, many students go on to pursue their Ph.D. and independent research careers.

Departmental Requirements

EHS 503Public Health Toxicology1
EHS 508Principles of Environmental Health and Exposure Assessment1
EHS 525Seminar and Journal Club in Environmental Health (2 terms)0
EHS 526Seminar and Journal Club in Environmental Health (2 terms)0
One of the following:
CDE 516Principles of Epidemiology II1
EHS 530Our Air, Our Health1
EHS 563Biomarkers of Exposure, Effect, and Susceptibility in the Epidemiology of Noncommunicable Disease1
One of the following: 1
EHS 581Public Health Emergencies: Disaster Planning and Response1
PUBH 525Thesis2

Note: Students may apply for exemptions from these requirements based on previous course work, at the discretion of the course instructor.

Competencies

Upon receiving an M.P.H. with a concentration in Environmental Health Sciences, the student will be able to:

  • Identify and characterize legacy and emerging environmental and occupational hazards
  • Explain the mechanisms by which environmental hazards can influence human health across the life course
  • Evaluate and apply established and emerging approaches for assessing exposures to environmental stressors
  • Evaluate the merit of different environmental epidemiologic study designs
  • Analyze environmental data using data science and epidemiologic methods that address the analytical challenges specific to environmental health
  • Synthesize exposure, epidemiological, and toxicological data to support environmental health decision-making
  • Translate and communicate the real-world impacts of environmental health risks to different stakeholders including communities or policymakers