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Environmental Health Major

The environmental health major will position you for jobs related to community health, environmental testing and quality control. The overall goal of the Environmental Health major is to provide you a premium quality education and training of environmental health science and protection practitioners. The program’s learning objectives are aligned to the Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs (AEHAP) guidelines. Our students completing the program will:

  • Demonstrate critical thinking.
  • Complete an extended field training practicum.
  • Appreciate professional obligations and become life-long learners.
  • Demonstrate skills, technical knowledge and attributes necessary to function as members of a health team in the public or private sector based upon a sound foundation of instruction in core, related and technical areas.
  • Demonstrate skills in basic science (biology, chemistry and physics).
  • Demonstrate skills in communication (written composition, public speaking and computers).
  • Demonstrate skills in pre-calculus.
  • Demonstrate knowledge in general education (humanities and social sciences).

This major is recommended for students who are interested in human health and the interaction of the human population with biological, chemical, and physical hazards. Environmental Health is a professional degree involved with protection of public health from hazards found in the built and external environments.

Required Units (crs.): 56 minimum

Required Courses:

  • Biology: Biology 105 or 108, 113, 300 or 301 or 302, 303, 309, 312, 323, 338, 339, 445 (x 3), 491.
  • Chemistry: Chemistry 105, 106, 234, 235
  • Physics: Physics 107 or 109
  • Math: Math 201 or any statistics course that meets the COLS BS math requirement.

Required University Studies Courses

  • Public Administration 221, 366
  • Public Administration 307 or Political Science 316

Electives: You must gain advanced, in-depth knowledge in at least two of the areas below (5-7 crs.).  Be aware that some of these elective courses have prerequisites.

  • GIS: Geography 391
  • Hydrogeology: Geology 365
  • Soils: Geography 304
  • Water and Wastewater: Geography 364 or Engineering Technology 202
  • Vector Control: Biology 332 or 354
  • Air Quality & Control: Engineering Technology 201
  • Solid & Hazardous Waste: Engineering Technology 203

Recommended Courses:

  • Math: Math 171
  • Economics: Economics 204, 206, 360.