Environmental Health: Demand for our graduates is high with the majority having jobs shortly after graduating; in fact some have employment waiting for them before they graduate.
What is Environmental Health?
Environmental health is concerned with managing those factors in the environment that may exert a harmful effect on community and population health. It comprises of those aspects of human health, including quality of life, that are determined by physical, chemical, biological, social and psychological factors in the environment.
Concern regarding quality of life and the integrity and sustainability of the environment has led to a demand for professionally trained personnel to create and maintain environments that promote good public health. Graduates of Environmental Health may work as Environmental Health Officers or Scientific Officers in government and a wide range of other fields including the food industry and environmental management.
What does an Environmental Health Officer do?
As contemporary environmental health brings together the many disciplines of public health practice such as science, law and technology, graduates from our program can be found in a diverse range of occupations. They can be found in Local Government as Environmental Health Officers and also in various State and Federal Government Departments such as Health, Environment, International and Domestic Airports, Customs, Quarantine and Inspection Services and the Defence Forces. Graduates may also, depending on their employer, be employed in specialist areas eg Waste management, Pest Control, Meat/food inspection and Food Safety Auditors.
Graduates are also employed in a wide range of positions in private industry such as Food Quality Assurance for large corporations including catering companies and airlines. For those interested in the Resource sector, employment can be found in the field of health, safety and environment for large corporations including mining and exploration companies
With their expertise in Environmental Health, some EHOs have undertaken postgraduate studies in law, environmental science, toxicology, occupational health and safety and food science and technology.
As you can see, opportunities for our graduates are many and varied.Tthe diversity of our field is what makes it so interesting and unique.
About our Environmental Health Program
The program has a broad science base, and deals with highly relevant and topical local and international issues. Approximately one third of the program comprises core units such as human biology, epidemiology, psychology, sociology, chemistry, physics, computing and communication. The remaining two thirds addresses specialised areas of study, including environmental systems, environmental noise, food science, hygiene and safety, environmental toxicology, managing the built environment, management of community waste, health education and promotion, and public health law. Final year students complete a major project focusing on a specialised area. Coursework is complemented by fieldwork, with each student's professional practice supervised by one of the extensive network of environmental health professionals drawn from government agencies.
Both the undergraduate BSc (Environmental health) programme and the accreditation stream of the postgraduate Masters of Environmental Health programme have been accredited by the Australian Institute of Environmental Health (AIEH), making graduates eligible for employment as Environmental Health officers throughout all states of Australia.
News Flash!!
Masters of Environmental Health - Fee Reduction
Commonwealth Supported Places have now been made available for the accreditation stream of the Masters of Environmental Health Programme. This is great news as it effectively means that fees have been halved.
Also from 1 January 2008, students undertaking the Masters of Environmental Health programme may be able to access Youth Allowance, Austudy and the Pensioner Education Supplement, depending on their eligibility.
Quick Facts about our EH Program
This course is accredited by Australian Institute of Environmental Health.
EHOs keep the environment safe for humans compared with Environmental Scientists who protect the environment from people.
Our course is one of the most varied and challenging of courses you can undertake. It will enable you to undertake a variety of careers - it is ideal for those who have yet to make up their mind.
Demand for our graduates is high with the majority having jobs shortly after graduating; in fact some have employment waiting for them before they graduate.
The theory is well integrated with practice. The practical component involves lab and fieldwork.
Many students are employed in traineeships at Local Government for their Professional Practice which effectively means they get paid for studying!. These traineeships also provide additional paid work during semester breaks.
The class sizes are kept small - this allows excellent opportunities to interact with lecturers who truly care about your progress and well-being.
The staff are very friendly and experienced practitioners in Environmental Health, who maintain links with the profession in the real world and share these experiences in the classroom.
Employment opportunities are excellent, there is a world wide shortage of qualified EHOs, with the majority of graduates gaining positions before graduating.
Graduates are employed in a very
diverse range of occupations:
Local Government : Environmental Health Officers
WA Department of Health,
(Scientific Officers): Food Safety, Drinking & recreational water quality, Wastewater recycling, Disease Control
WA Department of Environment
and Conservation (Scientific Officers): Pollution management, Recycling & resource recovery, Swan River Trust, Air Quality
Federal Government: Customs and Quarantine, Food Industry, Food Auditors
A number of employer agencies offer
cadetships to students in the second
and third year of the course.
A variety of challenging careers are possible, and graduates may be found working locally and overseas as environmental health or scientific officers in government, the food industry, environmental management, and in education.
Student Resources:
Curtin University and the School of Public Health have many resources available to students.
Contact Information
Environmental Health Program
School of Public Health
Tel: +61 (08) 9266 4583
Fax: +61 (08) 9266 4593 Email Enquries (click)
Application Procedures: Information regarding admissions and applying to Curtin University can be found here, (information for Undergraduate, Post-graduate and International students). The final closing dates for applications (undergraduate) are shown under the TISC Calendar.
