Interim Department Chair: Dr. Carolyn Harvey
The Environmental Health Science program offers a Bachelor of Science degree. Established in the early 1970’s, the program is currently the state’s only accredited program and one of only 31 such programs in the United States accredited by the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Council. The program includes extensive study of the physical, chemical and biological threats to human health and focuses on both engineered barriers and behavioral changes required for protecting and enhancing human health. The program includes general education and support courses in biology, chemistry, and mathematics, plus a variety of environmental health courses dealing with air quality, water quality, wastewater disposal and treatment, hazardous and solid waste management, risk assessment and epidemiology, industrial hygiene, control of disease vectors, food hygiene, radiological health, environmental health program planning and law, and toxicology. During upper division study, the student must complete six credit hours of supervised field experience with appropriate agencies, industries, consulting companies, etc. Also, cooperative education opportunities are available to all students who may wish to gain experience in addition to credit hours.