Environmental Health, MSEH

Program Coordinator: Stephanie Richards (3403 Carol Belk Building; 252-328-2526; richardss@ecu.edu)

The master of science in environmental health requires completion of a minimum of 35 s.h. A student with less than 30 undergraduate semester hours in the natural sciences may be admitted with the approval of the environmental health sciences faculty and may be required to complete additional science coursework. All students must pass a written, comprehensive examination typically completed during the student’s last semester prior to graduation.

Environmental health offers two degree paths:

Research Option: Students must complete and submit a thesis to both the thesis committee and the Graduate School for review. The thesis option may require more intensive and/or additional hands-on data collection and typically requires students to complete more face-to-face courses.
Applied Option: This option is intended for students with previous education and/or experience in environmental health or a closely related discipline. Permission to choose this option must be obtained from the environmental health sciences program faculty. Students must complete and submit a professional paper to their professional paper committee for review. This degree option may be completed entirely online with the approval of the environmental health sciences program faculty.

1. Required core courses for research and applied options - 26 s.h.

Note:

All students write and orally defend a thesis or professional paper. The thesis research or professional paper proposal and thesis or professional paper must be approved by the student’s advisor and committee. The research and applied option committees must be comprised of a minimum of three members, two of whom must be environmental health sciences graduate faculty, and one of whom must be external to the environmental health sciences program.

2. Additional environmental health-related courses - 9 s.h.

One elective course must be completed in the competency area of the natural sciences* (See examples below.). Course selection (including alternate selections) in consultation with the student’s advisor.