Program Overview

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Master of Science in Environmental Health

The Master of Science in Environmental Health (MSc EH) program is a two to four-year full/part-time program accredited by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. It comprises two tracks: Track A (Occupational Hygiene and Safety) and Track B (Food Safety Management).

Introduction

The MSc EH program prepares Environmental Health professionals to become effective members of the workforce and grab diverse employment opportunities at Ministries, municipalities, environmental agencies, various industries, airports and ports, consultancy firms, hospitality, oil and gas, research institutes, and academia, among others. Graduates of the MSc EH program may also opt to pursue further doctoral studies in the field of environmental health science.

Program Objectives

The M.Sc. program in Environmental Health has the following goals:

• Produce competent Environmental Health graduates who can identify, assess, prevent and manage local as well as global environmental challenges in a comprehensive, technically-sound, ethical, and sustainable manner.
• Provide continuing education with the necessary knowledge and aptitude skills to safeguard public health from environmental hazards and pollution.
• Provide students with a robust foundation for further study at the doctoral level.
• Enrich the number and variety of programs offered by the University of Sharjah.
• Strengthen the research activities and publications within the department and university as part of the Strategic direction of UoS.

Program Learning Outcomes

By the end of successfully completing the program, students will be able to:

Track A: Occupational Hygiene and Safety

1. Interpret occupational health data to identify work environment hazards in a variety of sectors.
2. Design Occupational hygiene and safety programs using project management principles appropriate to the task.
3. Apply techniques and uses of instrumentation for exposure assessment of chemical, physical, and biological agents in the workplace and environment.
4. Implement scientific principles to design and conduct occupational hygiene and safety investigations.
5. Communicate effectively to convey regulatory and technical information to concerned authorities and individuals.
6. Utilize epidemiological and bio-statistical methodologies in determination of health outcomes associated with exposure to occupational hazards.
7. Apply risk management principles to anticipate, identify, evaluate and control physical, chemical, biological and psychosocial hazards to reduce or eliminate work- environment exposures.
8. Develop advanced research methodologies relevant to occupational hygiene and safety and convey scientific results in written and oral formats.
9. Practice due diligence and employ ethical standards in all aspects of professional conduct.

Track B: Food Safety Management

1. Comprehend in depth scientific data concerned with foodborne diseases, causes and environments.
2. Implement epidemiological data, causative theories, and prevention measures to control foodborne diseases.
3. Evaluate food control measures and demonstrate their applicability to different food production levels.
4. Analyze complex food safety management systems throughout the food chains.
5. Communicate effectively to convey regulatory and technical information to concerned authorities and individuals.
6. Design food safety control programs at national and regional level.
7. Assess the effectiveness of food safety programs implemented on national, regional, and international levels.
8. Develop advanced research methodologies relevant to the field of Food Safety and communicate scientific results in written and oral formats.
9. Practice due diligence and employ ethical standards in all aspects of professional conduct.

Special Admission Requirements

A candidate to be admitted into the master's program in Environmental Health must fulfill the following minimum requirements:

1. To hold a bachelor's degree from a UAE-recognized university with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3 out of 4 or its equivalence.
2. To achieve the required English Proficiency score. A minimum of 550 in TOEFL or 6 in IELTS (or its equivalence) is required.
3. The undergraduate degree should be in a subject that would qualify the student for the graduate Stream he/she wants to pursue.
4. The student must submit a letter of approval by his/her employer if he/she is employed.

Program Structure

The requirements for graduation are:

1. Passing all courses in the study plan.
2. Completing all the other requirements of the study plan.
3. Accumulating an average GPA of 3.0 or more (on a 4-point scale).

The program structure includes:

• General Compulsory Courses: 8 credit hours
• Track Compulsory Courses: 10 credit hours
• Elective Courses: 6 credit hours
• Dissertation: 9 credit hours Total Credit Hours: 33

Course List

Compulsory Courses

• Advanced Research Methodology (2 credit hours)
• Advanced Biostatistics (3 credit hours)
• Environmental Health Risk Assessment (3 credit hours)
• Seminar in Environmental Health Science (0 credit hours)

Track A: Occupational Hygiene and Safety

• Occupational Hygiene 1: Principles, Chemical and Biological Aspects (3 credit hours)
• Occupational Hygiene 2: Physical Aspects (3 credit hours)
• Occupational Hygiene Sampling, Analysis, and Survey (2 credit hours)
• Occupational Safety and Health Management (2 credit hours)

Track B: Food Safety Management

• Food Laws and Regulations (2 credit hours)
• Food Toxicology (2 credit hours)
• Food Microbiology (3 credit hours)
• Food Safety and Quality Management (3 credit hours)

Elective Courses

• Occupational Accidents and Ergonomics (3 credit hours)
• Petroleum, Natural Gas and Occupational Hazards (3 credit hours)
• Food Chemistry and Food Analysis (3 credit hours)
• Epidemiology of Foodborne Illness (3 credit hours)

Course Description

Advanced Research Methodology

This course is designed as an in-depth exploration of how to collect and analyze scientific data to help postgraduate students arrive at a workable thesis plan.

Advanced Biostatistics

This course aims to introduce advanced methods of statistics, which are needed by health professionals.

Seminar in Environmental Health Science

The seminar course will promote critical thinking among students regarding current topics in environmental health, food safety, and occupational hygiene and safety.

Environmental Health Risk Assessment

This course provides the student with an in-depth aspect of risk assessment as it is used in environmental health application fields.

Occupational Hygiene 1: Principles, Chemical and Biological Aspects

In this course, students will be introduced to the fundamental concepts of occupational hygiene.

Occupational Hygiene 2: Physical Aspect

The course is aimed to build on the occupational hygiene knowledge, principles, and practices developed in occupational hygiene 1.

Occupational Hygiene Sampling, Analysis, and Survey

This course will enable students to understand the techniques for assessing exposure to hazardous substances in the work-environment.

Occupational Safety and Health Management

This course aims to introduce the students to the key principles and widely accepted code of practice of fundamental health and safety management.

Food Laws and Regulations

This course inspects the laws, regulations, and policies that govern food production, processing, distribution, and their relevancy to food safety.

Food Toxicology

This course focuses on how natural and synthetic toxicants find their ways in diverse food products and how they cause adverse effects on human beings.

Food Microbiology

This course provides a general inside to the roles of microorganisms in food in a way more relevant to food safety.

Epidemiology of Foodborne Illness

This course focuses on giving the student an in-depth look at foodborne pathogens, their epidemiology, and approaches to the investigation of outbreak and control of foodborne illness.

Food Safety and Quality Management

This course focuses on the provisions relevant to safe food through implementation of systematic foodborne diseases prevention programs throughout the food chain.

Food Chemistry and Food Analysis

Food chemistry and analysis are forming the basic background of food safety and quality.