Environmental Sciences: Environmental Health

The discipline of environmental health encompasses understanding and addressing the inter-relationships of the environment and human health, including the effects of biological, chemical and physical factors, as well as social environments on health. Clean air, stable climate, adequate water, sanitation and hygiene, safe use of chemicals, protection from radiation, healthy and safe workplaces, sound agricultural practices, health-supportive cities and built environments, and functioning ecosystems are all prerequisites for good health. As environmental health scientists, graduates of this program will work to protect human health and well-being based on an integrated understanding of human-environment interrelationships and by fostering both healthy communities and healthy ecosystems.

Students build on foundational training in the natural sciences with coursework in ecology, environmental health, soils, water resources, microbiology, physiology, toxicology and epidemiology. Courses in risk assessment, environmental laws and regulations, geographic information systems and statistics provide additional skills. Hands-on experience is gained through fieldtrips, a required environmental health internship and the capstone field course for LRES.  Students in this option are eligible for national environmental health scholarships and internships. This is a flexible option with sufficient elective credits to allow students to specialize or earn a minor in any area of the interdisciplinary curriculum, such as environmental law, water and health, entomology/vectorborne disease, global health, one health, toxicology, epidemiology, outdoor recreation safety and more.

Career opportunities:  Students earn a bachelor’s degree in environmental science as well as a nationally accredited environmental health degree. As the only accredited environmental health BS degree in the Northern Plains, graduates are well prepared for and go to work as environmental health professionals in the public and private sectors, or go on to graduate school in environmental health, occupational health and safety, risk assessment, epidemiology or toxicology, or pursue medical school, the US Public Health Service or a career in environmental law and policy.

Suggested Electives

The number of electives required to reach the 120 total credits needed for graduation varies with the number of credits earned as a result of decisions made about other choice blocks in the curriculum. Students should work with their faculty advisor to plan elective courses appropriate to their academic, professional, and personal goals. Suggested courses are listed below, but students are not limited to these courses. Students choosing to take lower level courses (1xx/2xx) for directed electives should be sure they are meeting the university minimum requirement of 42 credits of upper level classes (3xx/4xx) for graduation.