The MPH in Environmental and Occupational Health program provides an opportunity for students interested in environmental and occupational health to become familiar with the relevant concepts as they apply to public health practice. The program will also be an opportunity for working health professionals to achieve an in-depth environmental perspective as well as a degree in public health. The degree may be tailored towards the desires of individual students, focusing on various aspects of environmental health science, such as risk assessment, occupational hygiene, global environmental health or other emerging topics within environmental and occupational health.
Careers
Recent graduates accepted the following positions with the following employers:
- environmental associate, Michael Baker Corporation
- industrial hygiene inspector, OSHA
- supervisory research scientist, NIOSH
- director of risk assessment, EHS Support Corporation
- coordinator of operations, University of Pittsburgh School Pharmacy Program Evaluation Research Unit
Recent Essay Titles
- The Renewed Threat to Public Health Posed by Ionizing Radiation
- Improving Worker Health and Safety at Future Disaster Sites
- A Discussion of the Effect of Ionizing Radiation on Plants and Subsequent Consequences to Public Health
- Effluent Characterization of Legacy Contamination Containing Trace Metals in an Alkaline Outfall Entering the Allegheny River near Cadogan PA
- Migraine is Not Just a Headache: It’s a Disabling Headache Disorder
- Historical Perspective on Air Pollution and a Focus on Pittsburgh's Past Versus Present
- Occupational Hazards in Onshore Upstream Unconventional Natural Gas Extraction
Browse titles in D-Scholarship, the institutional repository for research output at the University of Pittsburgh.
Competencies
Graduates will be able to:
- Describe the chemical processes involved in the interconversion and elimination of atmospheric pollutants, plus the details of water treatments necessary to remove contaminants from the public water supply
- Choose and explain the reasoning behind selection of specific approaches to reliable sampling of environmental samples for pollutants
- Describe how principles of toxicodynamics and toxicokinetics come together to define human and mammalian toxicity following exposure to environmental chemicals
- Perform quantitative risk assessments of the hazards posed to human populations using recent modifications to the approaches originally developed by EPA and other regulatory agencies
- Explain the mechanisms by which chemical pollutants are transported throughout the environment and the natural processes by which they are ultimately eliminated (or not)
- Recommend methods for assessing chemical spills on-site for immediate intervention and management of clean-up operations
All graduates also achieve the core and cross-cutting competencies for Pitt Public Health MPH students.
Requirements
- 47 credits of coursework and research
- Coursework in environmental science
- Coursework in public health foundations
- Advanced coursework in toxicology, exposure, environmental transport, and risk assessment
- Off campus practicum experience
- Advanced essay in an area of focus
Full program information: