Program Overview
Environmental Health BS
The Environmental Health BS program is designed for students interested in utilizing education, surveillance, consultation, inspection, and enforcement to improve the quality of the air we breathe and the water we drink, to safeguard the food we eat, and to protect the population from exposure to hazardous substances at home and work.
About
Environmental health is a branch of public health that is concerned with all aspects of how the natural and built environment affects human health. Environmental health science students are trained to ensure the safety of what people eat, breathe, touch, and drink through a curriculum that blends science, public health, management, and policy. Environmental health professionals work in a wide variety of settings, almost all of which involve working with people and translating scientific and technical information into clear and understandable language for educational, legal, and public information.
Program Overview
Students will be prepared to use technologies and strategies to address environmental disease causes and apply preventative measures associated with foodborne, waterborne, and vector-borne diseases, as well as environmental diseases causing birth defects and cancer. A BSEH degree will also prepare students to develop clean energy alternatives, reducing carbon emissions. Students will also provide leadership in the development of comprehensive energy plans to avoid major economic disruption during disasters.
ECU Advantage
ECU's environmental health program is one of only 30 National Environmental Health Sciences Protection and Accreditation Council (NEHSPAC) accredited undergraduate programs. Students learn from a diverse and knowledgeable faculty as well as guest lecturers from local, state, and federal agencies. Students have access to modern classrooms and laboratories, as well as field sites such as wastewater and water treatment facilities, child care centers, institutional and recreational settings, tattoo establishments, recycling centers, solid and hazardous waste disposal sites, onsite wastewater sites, and mosquito-breeding sites.
What You Will Study
The degree requires a minimum of 120 semester hours (s.h.) as follows:
- General education requirements - 40 s.h.
- BIOL 1050 - General Biology
- BIOL 1051 - General Biology Laboratory
- CHEM 1150 - General Chemistry I
- MATH 1065 - College Algebra
- Common core - 30 s.h.
- BIOS 1500 - Introduction to Biostatistics
- EHST 2110 - Introduction to Environmental Health Sciences
- EHST 4010 - Toxicological Foundations of Risk Assessment
- EHST 4200 - Environmental Health Management and Law
- EHST 4990 - Environmental Health Internship
- HLTH 2000 - Principles of Public Health
- HLTH 3010 - Health Problems
- HLTH 4011 - Introduction to Epidemiology in Public Health
- Concentrations - 18-19 s.h.
- Choose one concentration:
a. Occupational health and industrial hygiene concentration (18 s.h.)
- EHST 3060 - Environmental Issues in Construction
- EHST 3600 - Air Pollution
- EHST 3700 - Industrial Hygiene
- EHST 3701 - Industrial Hygiene Laboratory
- EHST 3900 - Introduction to Occupational Health b. Public health protection sciences concentration (18-19 s.h.)
- EHST 3200 - Food Sanitation Principles
- EHST 3201 - Food Sanitation Principles Laboratory
- EHST 3350 - Safe Water
- EHST 3351 - Safe Water Laboratory
- EHST 3370 - Waste Water Management
- Cognates - 27 s.h.
- BIOL 2110 - Fundamentals of Microbiology
- BIOL 2111 - Fundamentals of Microbiology Laboratory
- BIOL 2130 - Survey of Human Physiology and Anatomy
- CHEM 1151 - General Chemistry Laboratory I
- CHEM 1160 - General Chemistry II
- CHEM 1161 - General Chemistry Laboratory II
- CHEM 2750 - Organic Chemistry I
- CHEM 2753 - Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
- PHYS 1250 - General Physics I
- PHYS 1251 - General Physics Laboratory I
- Electives to complete requirements for graduation
Graduation Requirements
Graduates from the ECU's environmental health sciences program will be prepared for the professional challenges and opportunities available with local, state, federal, and international agencies. Students will learn the value of teamwork and communication skills necessary to protect the public health from any environmental threat. A minimum GPA of 2.0 in all 1000 level basic science and math courses, completion of a minimum of 30 s.h. with a cumulative GPA of 2.0, and completion of EHST 2110 are required to declare as an environmental health major. Environmental health majors must pass all environmental health courses with a minimum grade of C-. A student earning lower than a C- in any of these courses must petition the environmental health faculty for probationary continuation.