MSc in Environmental Health
University of Birmingham - College of Life and Environmental Sciences
Key Information
Campus location
Edgbaston, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 - 5 year
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
GBP 10,530 *
Application deadline
07 May 2024
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
* for UK full-time students | for international full-time students: £29,340
Introduction
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.
We recognise the value of providing practical experience and expertise to our students as well as the taught elements of the course. 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 programme is open to international students and is the route that must be taken by people who intend to work in the UK as an Environmental Health Practitioner. If you are an international student and not intending to work in the UK, the Public and Environmental Health MSc programme is more tailored for international students. This Public and Environmental Health MSc is also accredited by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
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 either the new Environmental Health registration scheme or Chartered Environmental Practitioner Programme (CPP), both of which are run by the CIEH. Both of these routes lead to registration and are designed to develop highly competent and professional practitioners in the field.
Our students can apply to be an Affiliate member of the CIEH.Details of membership can be found on the CIEH website.
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 Birmingham in collaboration with Birmingham City Council (BCC)’. This is the second award that Gam has received for his dissertation, having previously been awarded the Sir Oliver Lodge Prize. Find out more about Gam's award
Top marks in the 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 Birmingham.
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.
Gallery
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Birmingham Masters Scholarship
Our Birmingham Masters Scholarship offers £2,000 via a tuition fee discount, to support the brightest and best applicants undertaking Masters study at Birmingham during 2024-2025.
Postgraduate Progression Award
Our Postgraduate Progression Awards offer final year undergraduates at the University of Birmingham a fee discount of £1,500 for postgraduate taught study.
As a Birmingham graduate, we want to support you in taking the next steps in your journey as you continue to study and develop your career. With the familiarity of the University of Birmingham, you will have access to our resources, facilities and support networks to shape and secure your future. As one of the UK’s Top 15 universities, we can assure you that you will receive our wellbeing and careers support, community and resources to assist you in your development.
The tuition fee discounts for our progressing undergraduate students are our commitment to you, in appreciation of your choice to stay with us for your postgraduate degree.
Curriculum
Modules
- Food Control and Hygiene Management - (20 credits)
- Occupational Health and Safety - (20 credits)
- Environmental Protection and Climate Change - (20 credits)
- Health Protection - (20 credits)
- Housing and Law - (20 credits)
- Public Health Integration - (20 credits)
- Dissertation - (60 credits)
Course Schedule
Students must expect to attend four to 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 program, graduates are required to undertake a specific training program 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 £650.
Part-time students
The course is modularised and structured so that part-time students can accumulate credits over a period of time. There are two strands available to part-time students: a fixed duration strand lasting two years, and a flexible strand which allows you to complete the MSc within four years. Students studying the fixed duration MSc study 60 credits in their first year and 120 credits in their second year. We normally recommend the following route for these students:
Year 1, Semester 1
- Health Protection (10 credits) - Mondays, 1 day per week
- LM Food Microbiology and Safety (10 credits) - Thursdays, 1 day per week
Year 1, Semester 2
- Food Control and Safety Management (20 credits) – Thursdays, 1 day per week
- Housing and Law (20 credits) - Tuesdays and some Fridays from Feb-Easter break, 1-2 days per week
Year 2, Semester 1
- LM Environmental Protection and Climate Change (20 credits) - 1 day per week
- Research methods 60 credits inc dissertation 5 -6 days total
Year 2, Semester 2
- Public Health Integration (20 credits) - 6-7 days of teaching
- Research methods 60 credits inc dissertation 5 -6 days total
- Occupational Health and Safety (20 credits) - 1 day per week
- Dissertation – Complete over the summer
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Ten reasons to choose Environmental Health as a career
- 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.
- For an Environmental Health practitioner, no two days are ever the same; there are few careers that can offer that.
- 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.
- Environmental Health professionals have influence over policy development and implementation.
- Graduates have a good choice of jobs and attractive starting salary
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Environmental Health practitioners develop good arbitration and communication skills.
- You could be working alongside other professionals towards a sustainable agenda for the future.
- The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health can provide further information on Environmental Health careers
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