Environmental and Occupational Health is the study of how human health and welfare are impacted by the natural and engineered environmental systems in which people live and work. The field has a technical focus, applying fundamental knowledge from chemistry, physics, biology, and mathematics, to the assessment, prevention, and control of population risks from chemical, physical and biological agents.  However, environmental and occupational health scientists also must recognize and incorporate the fundamental role of social context in the appropriate selection, design and implementation of interventions to improve population health.  Some topics of the field include air and water quality, waste handling, foodborne illness, environmental degradation, pest management, ecosystems, urbanization, climate and geochemistry, toxicity and toxins, exposure science, population dynamics and epidemiology, risk assessment, environmental justice, and environmental and occupational law.

The Master's of Public Health with a concentration in Environmental and Occupational Health offers students a broad perspective of the foundational public health sciences while also advancing their knowledge of the sciences relevant to the impacts of environment and occupation on human health and well-being. Our students are likely to have bachelor’s degrees in the natural or environmental sciences, engineering, or be the graduate of a medical or nursing program;  admitted students are expected to have completed undergraduate coursework in college-level chemistry and mathematics.  Some students also have substantial experience in the environmental or occupational health fields prior to enrollment.