This MSc programme provides an accredited pathway for science-based graduates to become environmental health practitioners. The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) as meeting its core curriculum requirements.

  

he course is taught using formal lectures; workshops; group work; case studies and student centered learning, recognising the importance of technical and practical skills as well as academic excellence. Site visits are arranged in order for students to put into practice their newly acquired skills. Students benefit from being taught in a research-intense environment and are encouraged to develop their critical thinking and research skills. The course supports building the foundation of competence through the knowledge and skills required by the CIEH curriculum. We welcome international students on our courses.

This course fulfils the academic requirements to become a graduate Environmental Health Officer. Having gained the MSc in Environmental Health, graduates will begin practicing. Alongside this, graduates can sign up to the new Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner Programme (CPP), run by the CIEH, which is a route to Chartered Status. This two-year, practice-based route to Chartered Status is built on the CIEH’s Professional Standards. The programme is designed to develop highly competent and professional practitioners in the protection of the health and wellbeing of people and communities. 

Our students can apply to be an Affiliate member of the CIEH. 

Students benefit from being taught in a research intense environment and are encouraged to develop their critical thinking and research skills. The course supports building the foundation of competence through the knowledge and skills required by the CIEH curriculum.

 

Bringing out the best in our students

Our students regularly win awards and recognition for their work from Environmental Health organisations, often allowing them to influence real-world issues and policies.

Former MSc Environmental Health student Gam Bahadur Gurung was recently awarded the Environmental Protection UK ‘best research project for indoor air quality’ prize for his dissertation entitled ‘To investigate the exposure to Carbon Monoxide (CO) and PM2.5 levels inside the shisha premises of Newcastle in collaboration with Newcastle City Council (BCC)’. This is the second award that Gam has received for his dissertation, having previously been awarded the Sir Oliver Lodge Prize. 

 

Top marks in CIEH Annual Graduate Award

Former Student Rebecca Espley won the West Midlands CIEH award 2017 for the best dissertation from the West Midlands, investigating Awareness of Allergens and Consumer Protection. The award was presented at the WMCIEH annual conference held at the University of Newcastle .

The CIEH has historically held an annual competitive award to students, selected from the 13 accredited UK universities, who have the best academic records, achieve the highest results in the CIEH examinations and successfully present at a formal CIEH panel on a selected topic. Our students have won a number of gold, silver and bronze medals.

Institutional Accreditation 

University of Newcastle is accredited by the DETC Higher Learning Commission (DETC), www.detc.org.uk Since , University of Newcastle has been continually accredited by the DETC Higher Learning Commission and its predecessor.

Environmental Health MSc

Course Level:

Postgraduate, Taught

Credits 

180

Course

CODE P1098

How long it takes:

1 year full-time; part-time routes of 2-5 years are available

Study Mode:

Distance learning/ Campus

Course cost

Price: US$22,500

Entry requirements

Find out more about

Department:

Newcastle Law School

Food Safety and Control
(30 credits) 

Consideration of all measures needed to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of food at all stages from growth, through production, manufacture and retail until it reaches the consumer.

Food Safety control is a larger module because it also contains important cross-cutting Public and Environmental Health issues in more detail including outbreaks, food and nutrition, allergens, hazard analysis and critical control point assessment.  It also covers microbiology and epidemiology.

 

Occupational Health and Safety
(20 credits)

The module enables students to achieve a systematic and critical understanding of the interaction between work, health and well-being and apply appropriate control mechanisms and strategies.  Skills of communication and  judgement on occupational health, safety and wellbeing factors are covered.  Also, the systematic understanding of the control mechanisms by which occupational hazards can be managed are included.  Important elements of safety culture and management are also covered. 

 

Environmental Protection and Climate Change
(20 credits)

This module will develop students’ appreciation of key concepts that link environmental science, ecology, pollution of the environment and human health and wellbeing. They will develop an understanding of the scientific, technical, socio-economic, political and legal factors which influence climate change, environmental quality and safety and the mechanisms and partnership strategies available to effect change. Students will also gain an understanding of the sources, modes of transport and effects of pollution; and how pollution may be controlled in order to protect human health and the environment. 

 

Health Protection
(10 credits)

This module provides the foundation knowledge and skills needed for engagement in health protection and health improvement. It will examine communicable disease surveillance and there will be epidemiological studies for infectious diseases and environmental epidemiology related to exposures from pollution sources. It will also include an insight into the work of public health including effective projects and partnerships. 

 

Law Enforcement
(10 credits) 

Examines the English Legal System, and the legal procedures that support interventions available under Public Health and Environmental Protection legislation to solve serious problems of pollution, contamination, statutory nuisance, and public health illnesses, along with the requirements of criminal law in the collection of evidence and undertaking prosecutions. 

 

Housing Enforcement and Renewal
(20 credits)

This module is designed to develop a systematic and conceptual understanding of the ways in which poor housing and environmental conditions adversely affect the health and well-being of residents and the public at large. Participants are taught the key elements of policy and practice, including enforcement, in the field of private sector housing renewal. The module also equips students with a knowledge and understanding of current policy debates and statutory powers available in order to analyse local housing and environmental problems and formulate appropriate policy responses.

 

Public Health Integration
(10 credits)

The aim of the module is for students to integrate their acquired public and environmental health knowledge across intervention areas associated with Dahlgren and Whitehead’s 1992 conceptualisation of the determinants of health and well-being. This includes the ability to demonstrate, how, a range of measures can be used to maximise the outcome for a given situation and to be able to demonstrate the complexity of the interaction of the determinants of health, and how the use of evidence based practice and reflective practice supports an effective approach. This module links closely with the Health Protection module. 

 

Dissertation
(60 credits)

This module will provide students with the underpinning skills necessary for them to successfully undertake an MSc research dissertation. Students will gain an understanding of processes needed to plan, implement and evaluate a research-based study. In particular there will be sessions looking at hypothesis and research question generation, survey design, sampling strategies, qualitative approaches, literature searching and evaluation, and an introduction to some basic statistical techniques. Students will be expected to formulate their project ideas and to write their research protocols. 

An in-depth project will be submitted in the form of a dissertation or research paper. Research can use a variety of methods, including mixed approaches. 

 

Course Schedule 

Students must expect to attend four-five days per week in the autumn and spring terms. There is little teaching in the summer term with time set aside for completing assignments, examination preparation, and undertaking the Dissertation. 

 

Practical Food Inspection

In addition to the MSc programme, graduates are required to undertake a specific training programme and pass an examination on the wholesomeness and fitness for human consumption of a range of food and food products to meet the professional practice requirements of the CIEH. The University provides a short course followed by a certified examination. The price of this programme is not included in the MSc course fees and an additional fee will be charged for the training and examinations of $650.

 

Part-time students

The course is modularised and structured so that part-time students can accumulate credits over a period of time. It is compulsory to take the Law Module first but this can be with any combination of other modules. The University allows five years to complete the MSc. Students will be able to develop their Portfolio of Professional Practice required by the CIEH during this time, if they have relevant work experience.

Considering postgraduate study, but unsure whether you meet the entry requirements for a Masters-level degree? Postgraduate admissions guidelines vary by course and university, but can be quite flexible.

Your existing qualifications will be important, but you don’t necessarily need a great Bachelors degree to apply for a Masters. Your personal circumstances and experience may also be considered during the admissions process.

This guide explains the typical entry requirements for a Masters, which include:

      • An undergraduate degree in a relevant subject – Depending on the programme and institution, you may need a 2.1 in your Bachelors, but this isn’t always the case
      • Language proficiency – If English isn’t your first language, you’ll need to display a certain ability level, usually through a language test
      • Professional experience – Some postgraduate programmes may require you to have some professional experience (this is usually the case for PGCEs and Masters in Social Work)
      • Entrance exams – These are only required in certain subject areas and qualifications, including some MBAs

Tuition fees for UK/EU students 2020/21

MSc:  Full-time £9,900. Part-time £4,950
Postgraduate Diploma:  Full-time £6,660. Part-time £3,300

   

Tuition fees for International students 2020/21

MSc: Full time £23,310
Postgraduate Diploma: Full-time £15,540

Assessment

You’ll show your progress through a combination of written essays, problem-solving assignments and presentations.

All students take our core modules, but please note that the availability of optional modules is subject to demand.

Ten reasons to choose Environmental Health as a career

  1. Focusing on prevention, rather than cure, work on the public health side of Environmental Health keeps people out of doctors’ surgeries and hospitals by ensuring safe working conditions, clean air, safe food and good quality housing.
  2. For an Environmental Health practitioner, no two days are ever the same; there are few careers that can offer that.
  3. Environmental Health professionals have the skills and influence to revive run-down communities (for example through better, safer housing), and make a real contribution to society.
  4. Environmental Health professionals have influence over policy development and implementation.
  5. Graduates have a good choice of jobs and attractive starting salary
  6. Environmental Health professionals can find employment in different sectors – private sector opportunities include consultancies, and the retail or tourist sector (Airways, cruise liners, tourist companies), and public sector includes local authorities and agencies such as the Food Standards Agency, Environment Agency or the Armed Forces.
  7. You could be part of local and national initiatives to improve awareness and understanding of public health and wellbeing by working with doctors, health visitors, dieticians and many other public health professionals.
  8. Qualifying as an Environmental Health practitioner will give you skills and practical experience in all core areas of Environmental Health – public health, environmental protection, food safety and nutrition, health and safety, and housing.
  9. Environmental Health practitioners develop good arbitration and communication skills.
  10. You could be working alongside other professionals towards a sustainable agenda for the future.

 

Employability Skills

During the time on the course, students will be encouraged to develop employability skills which UK Employer Organisations have stated are essential for graduate recruitment. These include:

  • Time management
  • Communication Skills
  • Team working
  • Personal planning and organisation
  • Critical thinking skills