• Description of Program
• Degree Requirements
• Special Opportunities
• Careers

Description of Program

Students in this concentration gain technical skills for the development, implementation and evaluation of practices that seek to identify, prevent or minimize the adverse impact of environmental and occupational hazards on human health. Students complete coursework related to the assessment and control of environmental and occupational exposures, the effects of these exposures on human health, principles of toxicology, and toxic regulations and policies. Upon completion of the program, students will be able to communicate environmental health risks to the public, analyze the impact of environmental assaults and exposures to susceptible populations, and manage environmental and occupational risks.

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 44 graduate credit hours is required for this program.  A minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) is required for graduation. A minimum grade of C is required in each course. All electives for completing the degree must be approved by the advisor. Prerequisite courses may be prescribed for students lacking sufficient background for graduate study in public health.

MPH Master of Public Health Degree Requirements (44 credits)

MPH Degree Core (20 credits)

Public Health Foundations Requirement (0 credits)
All MPH students should complete the Public Health Foundations online course prior to registering for their first semester courses. Complete details and registration information for this course can be found at the following Website: https://iu.instructure.com/enroll/MNG3L6.

Integrated Public Health Core (12 credits)
Complete each of the following courses.

• SPH-X 601 Assessment and Public Health (3 cr.)
• SPH-X 650 Evidence-Based Approaches to Public Health (3 cr.)
• SPH-X 660 Population Health Determinates (3 cr.)
• SPH-X 685 Public Health Policy and Politics (3 cr.)

Professional Development and Practical Experiences (8 credits)
Complete each of the following courses.

• SPH-V 650 Special Topics in Environmental Health: Professional Development Seminar 1 (1 cr.)
• SPH-V 650 Special Topics in Environmental Health: Professional Development Seminar 2 (1 cr.)
• SPH-V 696 Field Experience in Environmental Health (3 cr.)
• SPH-V 698 MPH Culminating Experience in Environmental Health (3 cr.)

Environmental Health Concentration (24 credits)

Required Concentration Courses (15 credits)
Complete each of the following courses.

• SPH-V 541 Environmental Health (3 cr.)
• SPH-V 542 Principles of Toxicology (3 cr.)
• SPH-V 545 Exposure Assessment and Control (3 cr.)
• SPH-V 546 Risk Assessment, Policy and Toxic Regulations (3 cr.)
• SPH-V 548 Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology (3 cr.)

Required Graduate-Level Electives (9 credits)
Complete nine credits of graduate-level electives selected in consultation with the student's advisor.

Complete the 9 credits of elective courses.

• XXX-X XXX (3 cr.) P: Prior permission of advisor
• XXX-X XXX (3 cr.) P: Prior permission of advisor
• XXX-X XXX (3 cr.) P: Prior permission of advisor

Special Opportunities

Graduates with environmental health degrees are more likely to get hired soon after graduation. There is a national shortage of trained environmental health professionals. The number of environmental health threats continues to grow: E-coli outbreaks, West Nile Virus, devastating events such as September 11th, & Hurricane Katrina, bring about environmental health threats that calls for an increase in the number of people trained to address these issues. We need more people to choose a career in environmental health to protect human health and the environment.

Careers

Environmental health professionals are everywhere and hold a variety of job titles. Below are just a few of the settings in which you could work:

• State, county and city health agencies
• Environmental consulting companies
• Private corporations
• Federal government
• International organizations
• Nonprofit organizations
• Academia (colleges and universities)

An environmental health specialist is a general term for someone who inspects environmental health systems to make sure they are in compliance with local, state and federal regulations. These regulations are set by the government to keep citizens safe and healthy. Responsibilities often include:

• Reviewing permits
• Collecting and interpreting data
• Investigating complaints
• Monitoring
• Educating
• Performing inspections