MSc in Environmental Health
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Environmental Health is the assessment and management of environmental influences on human health. This includes the study of:
- Environmental protection (including control of air, water & land pollution)
- Food safety & hygiene (including production, distribution & fitness for human consumption)
- Occupational health & safety (including investigation & control of work-related accidents & ill health)
- The built environment (including homes, workplaces & public spaces).
The above examples highlight the important and highly worthwhile nature of environmental health work. Many environmental health students are motivated by a desire to directly improve living and working conditions to the benefit of a wide range of people. Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) in Scotland are involved in all of the above areas of environmental health together with continually emerging issues in public health.
The MSc in Environmental Health is a relatively new programme and is the only one of its kind in Scotland. The course was developed because of a shortage of (EHOs) identified by the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS).
Students develop expertise in current methods for examining factors that affect human health, assessing and managing the risks involved, and meeting the challenges resulting from changes in the interaction between people and the environment. The wide scope of Environmental Health and the corresponding breadth of the degree reflect rapid technological progress. Environmental impact assessment, sustainable development, air, water and noise pollution are increasingly important and there is a pressing need for graduates with skills in these disciplines.
Correspondingly, the course provides an emphasis on teaching subjects that are relevant to contemporary problems faced by communities, government, industry and commercial organisations. For example, external professionals work together with academic staff and students in the teaching of case studies of outbreaks of water-borne and food-borne diseases and also in urban and industrial air quality management.
Teaching is based on a core of conventional lectures and tutorials, complemented by group projects, laboratory classes, student-led seminars and fieldwork. The course can be studied over one year full-time or two years part-time.
Atmospheric Pollution Impact Assessment; Waste Management & Landfill Design; Recycling Urban Land; Acoustics; Public Health Studies; Food Safety and Hygiene; Food Inspection and Control; Infection and Vector Control; Introduction to Health & Safety, Occupational Health and, Toxicology, Housing Policy and Law; Environmental Health Research Project.
- Air Pollution Control
- Water Quality & Health
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Meat Hygiene & Inspection
- Research Methodology & Techniques
- UK & EU Environmental Law
The MSc degree is accredited by the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS). Obtaining the MSc in Environmental Health allows graduates to enter and complete the REHIS programme of professional training with a view to becoming an Environmental Health Officer.
Many students who study Environmental Health follow careers as Environmental Health Officers (EHOs). There is considerable and sustained demand for qualified EHOs throughout the UK and overseas. The variety & nature of work, salaries, working conditions, job security and fringe benefits in this field compare very favourably with other graduate-level disciplines (for example in 2005, EHO starting salaries in Scotland were advertised in the range £23,739-£31,860 pa).
Graduates in Environmental Health are well prepared for a wide range of professions that require intellectual flexibility and analytical skill. Many follow careers as Environmental Protection Officers (EPOs) working for the Environment Protection Agencies (Scottish Environment Protection Agency [SEPA] and the Environment Agency [EA]). Indeed, the majority of EHOs and EPOs in Scotland today hold the BSc (Honours) degree in Environmental Health from the University of Strathclyde.
Other graduates have pursued careers with the Health and Safety Executive, the food manufacturing industry, public water utilities, waste management sector, housing associations and environmental consultancies. There is increasing recognition by employers in the private sector that graduates in Environmental Health have skills and backgrounds that are well suited to management roles in a range of related business activities.
Minimum requirements for entry to the MSc in Environmental Health are a first or second-class Honours degree from a UK University (or equivalent overseas qualification) in a relevant science or engineering discipline. Applicants with alternative qualifications are welcome to apply: each application is judged on its own merits.
Contact for further academic information: Dr Tara Beattie
Contact for further professional information: Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland http://www.rehis.co.uk
Environmental Health 10/11 (MSc)
full-time, Admission Code : CLMSC7
Postgraduate admission requirements can be found in our prospectus.
Environmental Health 10/11 (PG Diploma)
full-time, Admission Code : CLPG7
Postgraduate admission requirements can be found in our prospectus.
Environmental Health 10/11 (PG Diploma)
part-time, Admission Code : CLPGP8
Postgraduate admission requirements can be found in our prospectus.
Environmental Health 10/11 (PG Certificate)
full-time, Admission Code : CLPC9
Postgraduate admission requirements can be found in our prospectus.
Environmental Health 10/11 (PG Certificate)
part-time, Admission Code : CLPC10
Postgraduate admission requirements can be found in our prospectus.
Environmental Health 10/11 (MSc)
part-time, Admission Code : CLMSC8
Postgraduate admission requirements can be found in our prospectus.
