MSc/PgDip Environmental and Public Health

Employment opportunities are available in developing policy and implementing environmental and public health practice in local authorities, health services, voluntary organisations and private companies. Graduates have also developed careers in public health education and research.

The course is designed both as a relevant vocational qualification for those seeking environmental and public health employment, and to meet the continuing professional development needs of personnel in government, industry and the voluntary sector. This course seeks to develop graduates who are able to play a leading role in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of environmental and public health policy initiatives.

Graduates of the course have found positions as planners and administrators in public health intervention units, trainers in community education services, been promoted to more senior posts in environmental health practice or embarked on research studies leading to the award of PhD.

Industry Links

The Research & Professional Practice module enable you to demonstrate self-direction and independence in learning. They also provide an opportunity for engaging with a host organisation and arranging a suitable work-based project.  In addition to providing frameworks within which to contextualise your study, this also provides the opportunity to enhance your employability skills and engage with social and community responsibility agendas.

Examples of recent projects are: evaluation of the effectiveness of smoking cessation services for pregnant women in a local authority; development of internal audit systems on hygiene and safety standards for the operator of small care homes, and assessment of compliance with environmental and safety standards for a laboratory handling infectious biological agents.  

Full-time students also have the opportunity to work with an organisation on an environmental management project of relevance to the organisation for the dissertation component of the degree.

Further Study

After completion of this course you may wish to specialise in a chosen subject area in one of the School’s two main research centres: Ecosystems and Environment Research Centre (EER) or Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).