Master of Environmental Health

The Master of Environmental Health is a 72-unit program offered by the College of Science and Engineering.

The course articulates with the Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health Practice, providing higher order training in the use of health risk assessment and environmental health research. Candidates who have completed this course may be awarded credit for related topics.

• Admission requirements  
• Course aims
• Learning outcomes
• Credit
• Program of study

Admission requirements

Applicants who do not hold the Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health Practice must normally hold an approved undergraduate degree or equivalent and have successfully completed a minimum of one semester full-time (18 units or equivalent) in basic sciences such as chemistry, physics, microbiology, physiology, biology and life sciences. However, the Dean (Education) may, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature

Course aims

The program is designed to give students a solid foundation in environmental health concepts, risk assessment and research skills. Students will be introduced to risk assessment and the use of toxicological, microbiological and epidemiological paradigms for assessing and managing environmental health risk. The 27 unit thesis component of the course will give students the opportunity to liaise with the external professional community and practice the theoretical skills gained through the detailed and high level research of an issue of interest in the environmental health arena. The research component will teach higher order skills of collation and critical interpretation of data, presentation of ideas in a coherent format and the ability to communicate these ideas in logical wellargued formats.

Learning outcomes

Graduates of this course are expected to be able to:

• apply higher order problem solving and research skills in the investigation of complex problems and research questions
• demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of environmental health issues
• critically analyse and interpret the literature and laboratory and epidemiological data
• demonstrate an enhanced ability to communicate effectively to community, government and academic audiences both orally and in writing
• successfully apply risk assessment methodologies and management strategies to complex environmental health issues
• successfully perform self-directed learning and research

Credit

1. Students who have two years of professional practice following completion of an undergraduate degree in environmental health or equivalent will receive 36 units of credit.
2. Students who hold the Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health Practice or equivalent will be eligible for 36 units of credit.
3. Other credit and recognition of prior learning will be assessed on a case by case basis.

Program of study

To qualify for the Master of Environmental Health, a student must complete 72 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the following program of study.

Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year.

Core - Year 1 topics

36 units comprising:*

ENVH7711 Environmental Health Concepts (4.5 units) 
ENVH7722 Food Safety (4.5 units) 
ENVH7731 Sustainable Development – Health Issues (4.5 units)
ENVH7742 Microbiology and Communicable Diseases (4.5 units)
ENVH9704 Risk Assessment and Management (4.5 units)
ENVH9712 Environmental Health Policy, Management and Administration (4.5 units) 
ENVH9721 Public Health Toxicology (4.5 units) 
ENVH9732 Environmental Health Law (4.5 units)

*or with the approval of the Course Co-coordinator a maximum of 9 units of other topics from across the University at the requisite level that meet the educational aims and learning outcomes of the course.

Core - Year 2 topics#

36 units comprising:

ENVS9890A  Major Research Project (4.5/27 units)
ENVS9890B  Major Research Project (4.5/27 units)
ENVS9890C  Major Research Project (4.5/27 units)
ENVS9890D  Major Research Project (4.5/27 units)
ENVS9890E  Major Research Project (4.5/27 units)
ENVS9890F  Major Research Project (4.5/27 units)
STEM8001  Research Methods and Professional Skills  (4.5 units)

Plus 4.5 units from the Options list

Or:

ENVS9880A  Minor Research Project (4.5/13.5 units)
ENVS9880B  Minor Research Project (4.5/13.5 units)
ENVS9880C  Minor Research Project (4.5/13.5 units)
STEM8001  Research Methods and Professional Skills  (4.5 units)

Plus 18 units from the Options list

Option - Year 2 topics

BUSN9229B  Sustainability and Ethics in Management (4.5 units)
BUSN9231B  Global Business Context: An Asian Pacific Context  (4.5 units)
EASC8702  Global Climate Change GE  (4.5 units)
EASC9700  NCGRT Australian Groundwater School  (4.5 units)
EASC9772  Physical Hydrogeology GE  (4.5 units)
ENVS7701  Coastal Management GE  (4.5 units)
ENVS9731  Public Health Aspects of Water Quality  (4.5 units)
GEOG8030  Sustainable Development: Concepts and Principles GE  (4.5 units)
GEOG8040  Environmental Impact Assessment GE (4.5 units)
GEOG8712  Asian Regional Development GE  (4.5 units)
GEOG8761  Caring as Country: Indigenous Environmental Management GE  (4.5 units)
GEOG9050  Population Dynamics GE  (4.5 units)
GEOG9141  Women's Health and Child Survival  (4.5 units)
POAD9129  Environmental Policy and Governance  (4.5 units)
POLI9004   Politics of Climate Change (4.5 units)
STEM8002  Introduction to Geographical Information Systems GE  (4.5 units)
STEM8004  Modelling in Space and Time, Geostatistics and GIS GE  (4.5 units)

Or, with the approval of the Course Co-coordinator, any other topics from across the University at the requisite level that meet the educational aims and learning outcomes of the course.

#Note that students who wish to use their masters qualification to satisfy entry into a Flinders University research higher degree program are required to have completed at least an 18 unit thesis.