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 of Science of Public Health with a concentration in Environmental and Occupational Health offers students a broad perspective of the foundational public health sciences while also providing in-depth technical science education relevant to the impacts of environment and occupation on human health and well-being. The development of quantitative research skills and an understanding of how to interpret and present research results are important aspects of the concentration. Our students typically have bachelor’s degrees in the natural sciences, engineering, or are graduates of a medical program; admitted students are expected to have completed fundamental coursework in the technical sciences and to have performed well in undergraduate classes in college-level chemistry and mathematics.  Some students also have substantial experience in the environmental or occupational health fields prior to enrollment.