Environmental Health Science and Sustainability, Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
The Environmental Health Science and Sustainability program offers the Bachelor of Science degree. Established in the early 1970’s, the program is currently the state’s oldest accredited program and one of only 30 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 three 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.
Eastern Kentucky University’s Environmental Health Science and Sustainability graduates are qualified for positions with federal, state, and local government departments of environmental health, as well as public health protection agencies such as the United States Public Health Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Energy, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Graduates are also qualified for employment in private industry and environmental consulting firms. This work may include quality control, industrial hygiene and safety, loss control and risk assessment, or many other facets of environmental health consultation. The demand for qualified environmental health practitioners is currently high and exceeds the number of graduates from accredited programs and projected to increase over the next decade.
Progression Criteria
A student majoring or minoring in environmental health science and sustainability must achieve a grade of “C”/2.0 or better in all EHS and supporting courses.
Program Requirements
CIP Code: 51.2202
Summary Checklist for General Education
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Element 1 | ||
| A: Written Communication | 3 | |
| B: Written Communication | 3 | |
| C: Oral Communication | 3 | |
| Element 2 | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | |
| Element 3 | ||
| A: Arts | 3 | |
| B: Humanities | 3 | |
| Element 4 | ||
| Natural Sciences | 6 | |
| Element 5 | ||
| A: Historical Science | 3 | |
| B: Social Behavioral Science | 3 | |
| Element 6 | ||
| Diversity of Perspectives Experiences | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
Students are expected to complete Elements 1 and 2 within their first 60 hours of college credit.
Major
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Graduation Requirements | ||
| General Education | 36 | |
| Student Success Seminar | ||
| HSO 100 | Student Success Seminar (waived for transfers with 30+ hrs.) | 1 |
| Upper division courses (42 hrs. distributed throughout Major/Supporting/Gen Ed/Free Electives categories) | ||
| Major Requirements | ||
| Core Courses | ||
| EHS 230 | Recreational Health | 3 |
| EHS 280 | One Health: Global Environmental Public Health | 3 |
| EHS 300W | Water and Health | 4 |
| or EHS 300 | Water and Health | |
| EHS 335 | Hazardous and Solid Waste Management | 3 |
| EHS 340 | Total Worker Health Principles | 3 |
| EHS 345 | Applied Total Worker Health | 4 |
| EHS 360 | Air Quality & Climate Change | 4 |
| EHS 370 | Environmental Disease Detectives: Epidemiology | 3 |
| EHS 380 | Food Security and Sanitation | 3 |
| EHS 425 | One Health: Planning to Practical Application | 3 |
| EHS 440 | Environmental and Industrial Toxicology | 3 |
| EHS 460 | Healthy Housing and Sustainability | 3 |
| EHS 463 | Field Experience in Environmental Health | 3 |
| EHS 485 | Life After College: The Professional | 1 |
| EHS 510 | Radiological Health and Safety | 3 |
| EHS 530 | Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases | 3 |
| Supporting Course Requirements | ||
| Cell and Molecular Biology (Element 4) G | ||
| BIO 308 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 3 |
| BIO 320 | Principles of Microbiology | 4 |
| or MLS 209 & MLS 211 | Microbiology for Health Sciences and Medical Microbiology Laboratory | |
| General Chemistry (Element 4) G | ||
| General Chemistry Lab I (Element 4) G | ||
| CHE 112 & 112L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry Lab | 4 |
| CHE 361 & 361L | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry Lab I | 4 |
| GEO 100 | Regions and Nations of the World | 3 |
| GEO 353 | Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| PHY 131 | College Physics I | 5 |
| STA 215 | Introduction to Statistical Reasoning | 3 |
| Choose from one of the following: (Element 2) | ||
| Trigonometry G | ||
| Precalculus Mathematics G | ||
| Applied Calculus G | ||
| Free Electives | ||
| Choose from 5 hours of free electives | 5 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- G
Course also satisfies a General Education element. Hours are included within the 36 hr. General Education requirement above.
A minimum score of 22 on the mathematics portion of the ACT or 530 on the mathematics portion of the SAT.