Environmental Health and Safety Major, B.A., B.S.

B.A. degree or B.S. degree

An Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Specialist is a professional who protects human health and the environment by overseeing compliance with local, state, and federal environmental health and safety regulations. This interdisciplinary program prepares students for a variety of careers in areas related to Environmental Public Health, Environmental Protection, and Occupational Health and Safety. Responsibilities of an EH&S Specialist include: developing written programs and training to comply with regulations; conducting inspections to ensure compliance with regulations; collecting and analyzing air, water, or soil samples for environmental hazards; and investigating EH&S concerns. The EH&S major is accredited by the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC). Only students enrolled in accredited programs are eligible for National Environmental Health Association and federal EH&S scholarships and internships. Graduating from an accredited program ensures the specific standards needed to become a Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) and is essential for employment in federal agencies including the U.S. Public Health Service. Interested students should meet with the Environmental Health and Safety Program Director, Dr. Rebecca Uzarski, as early as possible to assist with course scheduling and discuss career opportunities.

Admission Requirements, Retention & Termination Standards

All Environmental Health & Safety majors must:

Complete an Environmental Health & Safety internship (180 hrs),
Earn a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.7.

Program Requirements

Required Courses I (44 hours)

BIO 101	General Biology	3(2-2)
BIO 208	Microbiology	4(3-3)
BIO 365	Environmental Contaminants	3(3-0)
BIO 435	Environmental Toxicology	3(3-0)
CHM 131	General Chemistry I	4(3-3)
CHM 132	General Chemistry II	4(3-3)
CHM 342	Survey of Organic Chemistry	4(3-3)
ENV 101	Introduction to Environmental Studies	3(3-0)
ENV 310	Environmental Issues Management	3(3-0)
HSC 352	Environmental Health	3(3-0)
HSC 404	Epidemiology	3(3-0)
PHY 130QR	College Physics I	4(4-0)
STA 282QR	Introduction to Statistics	3(3-0)

Required Courses II (4 hours)

Select one of the following in consultation with an advisor as it relates to the Technical area:

MTH 130	Pre-Calculus Mathematics	4(4-0)
MTH 132	Calculus I	4(4-0)

Required Courses III (3 hours)

HNS 452

Environmental Health & Safety Internship

3(Spec)

Electives I (0-6 hours)

Select one of the following in consultation with an advisor as it relates to the Technical area:

GEL 100	Introduction to Earth Systems	3(2-2)
HSC 211	Human Anatomy and Physiology	3(3-0)

Electives II (12 hours)

To complete training in four technical areas, select a minimum of 12 hours in consultation with an advisor:

BIO 334/GEO 334	Soil Science	3(2-2)
EGR 201	Introduction to Environmental Engineering	3(3-0)
GEL 308	Water Resources and Hydrologic Processes	3(3-0)
GEO 203QR	Introduction to Geographic Information Science	3(2-2)
HNS 345	Occupational Health and Safety	3(3-0)
HNS 425	Hazardous Materials Technology	3(3-0)
HSC 317	Community Health	3(3-0)
HSC 505	Work Injury Prevention	3(3-0)
NDS 364	Food Safety, Sanitation, and Health	3(3-0)

Bulletins