Environmental Public Health Concentration, Public Health Science, B.S.

The Environmental Public Health concentration focuses on the intersection between human health and the environment, promotes human health and well-being, and fosters healthy and safe communities. Students learn fundamental concepts of public health, epidemiology, and research methods for public health, along with methods to map, analyze, and predict public health concerns. Environmental health is a key part of any comprehensive public health system. Practitioners in the field work to advance policies and programs that create healthier communities by reducing environmental exposures in air, water, soil and food, and work towards strategies and education that prevent widespread transmission of communicable and other diseases.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students who complete the Environmental Public Health concentration will use the scientific method in the context of environmental and public health investigations, including experimental design, analysis and critical evaluation of information, and integration of evidence from relevant sources; apply an interdisciplinary approach to analyze and propose solutions to environmental science and public health problems; and understand the interactions between human and the environment they are exposed to, including natural hazards, air and water pollution, global environmental issues, and use and conservation of Earth’s resources.

Specifically Environmental Public Health students will:

• discuss the history and philosophy of public health.
• use appropriate methods and tools to analyze public health data and will discuss the importance of evidence based approaches.
• explain the science of human health and disease, and discuss opportunities for promoting health.
• describe the socioeconomic, behavioral, biological, and environmental factors that affect human health.
• describe the characteristics of health systems in the US as well as other countries
• explain the basic concepts of, and responsibilities of government in, the legal, ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of public health policy
• describe fundamental scientific principles related to environmental health
• explain how the built environment influences human health and contributes to health disparities