Environmental Public Health is a branch of public health that studies how biological, chemical, and physical factors in natural and built environments impact human health and disease. Students will learn how to help prevent injuries and disease by managing environmental hazards and promoting healthier air, water, soil, homes, workplaces, and communities. The EPH concentration within the Biomedical Sciences major is one of only 30 programs nationwide to be fully accredited by the standards of the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council, and the only such program in Colorado.
The Environmental Public Health concentration prepares students for immediate employment in the public and private sector as well as graduate study in toxicology, epidemiology, industrial hygiene & occupational health, public health, and related biomedical and health fields. Options are available within the basic science requirements for the concentration that will meet admission requirements for accredited medical and veterinary medical schools in North America.
Students begin their studies with foundational science courses in biology, physics, general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, physiology, math, and statistics, and then use these basic sciences as tools to solve environmental public health problems. Students are involved in actual and simulated field projects with data gathering and analysis, characterization of environmental public health problems, evaluation of alternative solutions, and presentation of results in written and oral formats. All Environmental Public Health students complete a professional internship for academic credit with a private sector company or public health agency.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
• Effectively communicate the health consequences of actions, behaviors, or environmental degradation to the public, political community, legal experts, or the media
• Demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving abilities for environmental public health issues as an individual and as a member of a problem solving team
• Integrate knowledge in social, physical, and biological sciences to evaluate environmental public health issues
• Apply knowledge of scientific methods to evaluate compliance with environmental public health standards and assess risks to workers and the public
Potential Occupations
Career opportunities include, but are not limited to: environmental health specialist, public health specialist, industrial hygienist, toxicologist, epidemiologist, air and water pollution specialist, hazardous and solid waste specialist, occupational safety specialist, environmental consultant, and health educator.
Effective Summer 2020
Freshman | |||
---|---|---|---|
AUCC | Credits | ||
CHEM 111 | General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) | 3A | 4 |
CHEM 112 | General Chemistry Lab I (GT-SC1) | 3A | 1 |
CHEM 113 | General Chemistry II | 3 | |
CHEM 114 | General Chemistry Lab II | 1 | |
CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | 1A | 3 |
ERHS 220 | Environmental Health | 3 | |
LIFE 102 | Attributes of Living Systems (GT-SC1) | 3A | 4 |
MIP 260 | The World of Parasites | 3 | |
VMBS 100 | Introduction to Biomedical Sciences Major | 2 | |
Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following: | 3-4 | ||
College Algebra in Context II (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||
Logarithmic and Exponential Functions (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||
Numerical Trigonometry (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||
Analytic Trigonometry (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||
Calculus for Biological Scientists I (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||
Calculus for Physical Scientists I (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||
Total Credits | 27-28 | ||
Sophomore | |||
ERHS 230 | Environmental Health Field Methods | 3 | |
MIP 300 | General Microbiology | 3 | |
MIP 302 | General Microbiology Laboratory | 2 | |
Select one course from the following: | 4 | ||
Principles of Human Physiology | |||
Fundamentals of Physiology | |||
Select one course from the following: | 5 | ||
General Physics I (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||
Physics for Scientists and Engineers I (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||
Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods | |||
Introduction to Biostatistics | |||
Select one group from the following: | 8 | ||
Group A | |||
Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry | |||
Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry Laboratory | |||
Environmental Chemistry Environmental Contaminants: Exposure and Fate | |||
Group B | |||
Modern Organic Chemistry I | |||
Modern Organic Chemistry II | |||
Modern Organic Chemistry Laboratory | |||
Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3C | 3 | |
Total Credits | 31 | ||
Junior | |||
BC 351 | Principles of Biochemistry | 4 | |
ERHS 320 | Environmental Health--Water Quality | 4A | 3 |
ERHS 332 | Principles of Epidemiology | 3 | |
ERHS 350 | Principles of Occupational Safety and Health | 3 | |
ERHS 479 | Environmental Health Practice | 4C | 1 |
Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
Writing Arguments (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
Food Safety | |||
Food Microbiology | |||
Arts and Humanities | 3B | 6 | |
Historical Perspectives | 3D | 3 | |
Total Credits | 29 | ||
Senior | |||
ERHS 410 | Environmental Health-Air and Waste Management | 4B | 3 |
ERHS 430 | Human Disease and the Environment | 3 | |
ERHS 446 | Environmental Toxicology | 3 | |
ERHS 450 | Introduction to Radiation Biology | 3 | |
ERHS 487 | Internship-Environmental Health | 4C | 4 |
Program Electives1 | 5 | ||
Diversity and Global Awareness | 3E | 3 | |
Electives2 | 8-9 | ||
Total Credits | 32-33 | ||
Program Total Credits: | 120 |
1 | Must be related to major and approved by an ERHS key advisor. |
2 | Select enough elective credits to bring the program total to a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level). |
Distinctive Requirements for Degree Program:
TO Declare Major: competitive entry controls required and capped enrollment in place. Please contact Director of Student Success in the CVMBS Student Success Center for more information.
Freshman | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Semester 1 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
CHEM 111 | General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) | X | 3A | 4 | |
CHEM 112 | General Chemistry Lab I (GT-SC1) | X | 3A | 1 | |
CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | 1A | 3 | ||
LIFE 102 | Attributes of Living Systems (GT-SC1) | X | 3A | 4 | |
VMBS 100 | Introduction to Biomedical Sciences Major | 2 | |||
Select 0-1 credits from the following: | 0-1 | ||||
College Algebra in Context II (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||||
Logarithmic and Exponential Functions (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||||
Numerical Trigonometry (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||||
Analytic Trigonometry (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||||
Total Credits | 14-15 | ||||
Semester 2 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
CHEM 113 | General Chemistry II | X | 3 | ||
CHEM 114 | General Chemistry Lab II | X | 1 | ||
ERHS 220 | Environmental Health | X | 3 | ||
MIP 260 | The World of Parasites | 3 | |||
Select 2-4 credits from the following (not previously taken): | 2-4 | ||||
College Algebra in Context I (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||||
College Algebra in Context II (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||||
Logarithmic and Exponential Functions (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||||
Numerical Trigonometry (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||||
Analytic Trigonometry (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||||
Calculus for Biological Scientists I (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||||
Calculus for Physical Scientists I (GT-MA1) | 1B | ||||
A minimum of 3 credits of AUCC 1B (Quantitative Reasoning) must be completed by the end of Semester 2. | X | 1B | |||
Total Credits | 12-14 | ||||
Sophomore | |||||
Semester 3 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
ERHS 230 | Environmental Health Field Methods | X | 3 | ||
Select one course from the following: | 4 | ||||
Principles of Human Physiology | |||||
Fundamentals of Physiology | |||||
Select one course from the following: | 5 | ||||
General Physics I (GT-SC1) | X | 3A | |||
Physics for Scientists and Engineers I (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||||
Select one group from the following: | 3-5 | ||||
Group A | |||||
Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry | |||||
Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry Laboratory | |||||
Group B | |||||
Modern Organic Chemistry I | X | ||||
ERHS 220 must be completed by end of Semester 3. | X | ||||
Total Credits | 15-17 | ||||
Semester 4 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
MIP 300 | General Microbiology | X | 3 | ||
MIP 302 | General Microbiology Laboratory | 2 | |||
Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||||
Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods | |||||
Introduction to Biostatistics | |||||
Select the same Group (A or B) as selected in Semester 3: | 3-5 | ||||
Group A | |||||
Environmental Chemistry Environmental Contaminants: Exposure and Fate | |||||
Group B | |||||
Modern Organic Chemistry II | X | ||||
Modern Organic Chemistry Laboratory | X | ||||
Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3C | 3 | |||
BMS 300 or BMS 360 and ERHS 230 must be completed by the end of Semester 4. | X | ||||
Total Credits | 14-16 | ||||
Junior | |||||
Semester 5 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
ERHS 320 | Environmental Health--Water Quality | 4A | 3 | ||
ERHS 350 | Principles of Occupational Safety and Health | 3 | |||
Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||||
Writing Arguments (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||||
Food Safety | |||||
Food Microbiology | |||||
Historical Perspectives | 3D | 3 | |||
PH 121 or PH 141 must be completed by the end of Semester 5. | X | ||||
Total Credits | 15 | ||||
Semester 6 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
BC 351 | Principles of Biochemistry | 4 | |||
ERHS 332 | Principles of Epidemiology | 3 | |||
ERHS 479 | Environmental Health Practice | X | 4C | 1 | |
Arts and Humanities | 3B | 6 | |||
BMS 300 or BMS 360 and STAT 301 or STAT 307 must be completed by the end of Semester 6. | X | ||||
Total Credits | 14 | ||||
Senior | |||||
Semester 7 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
ERHS 446 | Environmental Toxicology | X | 3 | ||
ERHS 487 | Internship-Environmental Health | X | 4C | 4 | |
Program Electives (See Major Requirements tab) | 5 | ||||
Electives | 3-4 | ||||
Total Credits | 15-16 | ||||
Semester 8 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
ERHS 410 | Environmental Health-Air and Waste Management | X | 4B | 3 | |
ERHS 430 | Human Disease and the Environment | X | 3 | ||
ERHS 450 | Introduction to Radiation Biology | X | 3 | ||
Electives | X | 5 | |||
Diversity and Global Awareness | X | 3E | 3 | ||
The benchmark courses for Semester 8 are the remaining courses in the entire program of study. | X | ||||
Total Credits | 17 | ||||
Program Total Credits: | 120 |