Environmental Systems and Human Health MPH
The MPH in Environmental Systems & Human Health (ESHH) program offers ecosystem-based public health training for students who would like to investigate and remediate environmental impacts on human health. Believing that a healthy environment is a cornerstone of preventive medicine, the goal of the ESHH track is to produce graduates who will be able to analyze relationships between human activities, the environment, and human health. Areas of emphasis include environmental change and its effect on human health, environmental pathogens, environmental transport, fate and remediation of chemical contaminants, food web bioaccumulation, wastewater treatment, environmental risk assessment and toxicity testing, culturally competent risk communication, and social justice issues. Within the program special attention will be given to mediating and modifying the effects of environmental disruptions on the health of vulnerable populations in a culturally competent, ethical manner.
Program Competencies
Students graduating from this program will be able to:
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Communicate the relationship between environmental systems and human health, particularly in response to a changing climate.
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Analyze how environmental hazards (chemical, physical and biological) interact with natural and built systems, including the mechanisms of their adverse effects on humans.
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Assess and interpret relevant literature in the area of public health and environmental hazards.
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Evaluate the risk of environmental exposures to human populations through the incorporation of exposure, toxicological, and other relevant data into risk assessment methodology.
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Discuss how federal and state regulatory programs, guidelines and authorities impact environmental and occupational health issues.
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Apply ethical principles that govern the practice of environmental risk assessment, management, and communication.
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Specify approaches for assessing, preventing and controlling environmental and occupational hazards that pose risks to human health and safety.
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Integrate, synthesize and apply theory to practice in the context of a research study, policy consequences, or environmental exposure.
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Explain the general mechanisms of toxicity in eliciting a human health effect in response to various environmental and occupational exposures.
Core Required Coursework
| BSTA 525 | Introduction to Biostatistics | 4 |
| Epi 512 | Epidemiology I | 4 |
| ESHH 511 | Concepts of Environmental Health | 3 |
| HSMP 574 | Health Systems Organization | 3 |
| PHE 512 | Principles of Health Behavior | 3 |
| ESHH 502 | Integrative Experience and Paper | 1 |
| ESHH 509 | Practice Experience | 4 |
| Exam | MPH Culminating Assessment | Pass |
| Total Credit Hours: | 22 |
Program Required Coursework
| UNI 504 | Qualitative Methods for Health Professionals | 2 |
| ESHH 519 | Environmental Health in a Changing World | 3 |
| ESHH 529 | Environmental Toxicology & Risk Assessment | 4 |
| ESHH 521 | Principles of Occupational Health | 4 |
| HSMP 573 | Values and Ethics in Health | 3 |
| ESHH 530 | Environmental and Occupational Health Chemistry | 4 |
| ESHH 532 | Ecological Public Health | 3 |
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| ESHH 515 | Geographic Information Systems for Public Health | 3 |
| | or | |
| CPH 522 | Communicating Public Health Data | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 26 |
Elective Coursework
Electives commonly taken:
| ESHH 512 | Global & Planetary Health Concepts | 3 |
| ESHH 530 | Environmental and Occupational Health Chemistry | 4 |
| ESHH 532 | Ecological Public Health | 3 |
| ESHH 515 | Geographic Information Systems for Public Health | 3 |
| Epi 513 | Epidemiology II | 4 |
| Epi 514 | Epidemiology III | 4 |
| PHE 511 | Foundations of Public Health | 3 |
| PHE 517 | Community Organizing | 3 |
| PHE 519 | Introduction to the Etiology of Disease | 3 |
| PHE 520 | Qualitative Research Design | 3 |
| PHE 521 | Quantitative Research Design and Analysis | 3 |
| PHE 540 | Mass Media and Health | 3 |
| ESM 552 | Environmental Regulation and Non-regulatory Approaches | 3 |
| ESM 570 | Methods for Informal Environmental Education | 4 |
| ESM 588 | Environmental Sustainability | 4 |
| Geog 588/USP 591 | Geographic Information Systems I: Introduction | 4 |
| Geog 592/USP 592 | Geographic Information Systems II: Advanced GIS | 4 |
| Psy 510 | Occupational Safety and Health | 3 |
| Psy 550 | Occupational Health Psychology | 4 |
| Psy 510 | Work and Well-Being | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Total Credit Hours: 60
For more information and instructions on how to apply visit the MPH in Environmental Systems & Human Health web page.