Environmental and Occupational Health, M.S.
Program Overview
Environmental and Occupational Health
The Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) program is concerned with the biological, chemical, and physical factors affecting human health and the environment. The program provides a solid science-based education with practical applications for a safer and healthier environment.
Program Description
As a result, graduates work in a variety of high-demand jobs, such as air quality, water quality, food safety, housing, industrial hygiene, hazardous waste management, environmental consulting, and radiation safety. Graduates also work in a wide range of settings, including private industry, local government, state government, federal government, unions, public interest groups, universities, and lobbying organizations.
Courses are explicitly designed to give students the skills needed to succeed on the job. Local employers, many of whom have graduated from this department, routinely seek graduates as new hires. As one of the largest programs of its kind in the nation, the department has an extensive network of environmental and occupational health professionals dedicated to the protection of the environment and community, as well as worker health and safety.
The M.S. degree is designed to prepare the graduate for higher-level professional activities, including research, analysis, and management of EOH systems.
Program Requirements
A. Admission to the Program
The following criteria are used to evaluate prospective candidates for the Master of Science in Environmental and Occupational Health:
- Overall GPA and science GPA.
- Work experience in environmental and occupational health or a related discipline.
- Other requirements, as required by University policy.
- A statement of purpose (approximately 500 words) is required.
Acceptance Criteria
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above.
- Completion of the lower division science core:
- One year of biology with laboratory
- One year of general chemistry with laboratory
- One semester of organic chemistry with laboratory
- College algebra and trigonometry, or pre-calculus
- One year of physics with laboratory
- One semester of biostatistics or statistics
B. Degree Requirements
1. Required Courses (23 units)
- EOH 501A Environmental and Occupational Health Concepts I (3)
- EOH 501B Environmental and Occupational Health Concepts II (3)
- EOH 553 Administration of Environmental and Occupational Health Programs (3)
- EOH 554 Critical Review of the Technical Literature in EOH (3)
- EOH 555 Environmental and Occupational Health Exposure Assessment (3)
- EOH 693A Supervised Field Training (2)
- EOH 696A Research Design (3)
- EOH 696B Seminar: Research Methodology (3)
2. Electives (9 units)
Each student's program must include a minimum of 9 units of 500- and 600-level electives from the following:
- EOH 556 Advanced Toxicology (3)
- EOH 560 EOH Epidemiology (3)
- EOH 569 Advanced Risk Analysis (3)
- EOH 570 Occupational Ergonomics (3)
- EOH 580 Environmental and Occupational Health Sustainability (3)
- EOH 581 Occupational Health Programs (3)
- EOH 582 Environmental and Occupational Health Policy Analysis (3)
A minimum "B" grade is required for all courses, core and elective.
3. Culminating Experience (3 units)
Choose one of the following:
a. Comprehensive Examination
- EOH 697 Directed Comprehensive Studies (3)
Written, plus optional oral component. As preparation, student registers for EOH 697.
b. Thesis
- EOH 698C Thesis or Graduate Project (3)
After proposal is approved, student registers for EOH 698C.
Total Units Required for the M.S. Degree: 35
Program Learning Outcomes
Students receiving a Master of Science in Environmental and Occupational Health will be able to:
- Learn research design and analytical skills needed to critically evaluate scientific, technical, and regulatory documents.
- Learn oral, written, and electronic communication skills to present information to professional groups, regulatory agencies, and lay audiences.
- Learn sufficient level of technical expertise in environmental and occupational health to competently solve general EOH problems.
- Manage an environmental or occupational program.
- Initiate program planning and critical analysis of environmental or occupational health and safety programs.