MHS in Environmental Health
The Master of Health Science in Environmental Health program provides a firm academic foundation in the field of environmental health. The program primarily targets individuals holding a bachelor’s degree who see a place for environmental health in their future academic or career goals. In addition to coursework, MHS students prepare an essay addressing an environmental health problem and make a formal presentation on the topic to an audience of faculty and students.
Some graduates pursue doctoral degrees in public health, medicine, and law, while others head to governmental agencies, NGOs, and the private sector. The program may also accommodate the educational needs of those already working in these sectors, who want to develop a stronger knowledge base in environmental health.
If desired, the MHS further offers specialization in the following areas:
- Food Systems, Water, and Environmental Sustainability
- Health Security
- Pre-medicine
- Population Environmental Health
- Toxicology for Human Risk Assessment
Program Requirements
Course location and modality is found on the JHSPH website.
MHS students formally meet as a group four times during the academic year. These meetings aim to build community, provide professional development, and share information about administrative, course, or other programmatic issues. Attendance is mandatory for MHS students, as is attendance at the EHE Grand Rounds seminars scheduled on the second Friday of each month, and at the master’s presentations in May. This attendance, along with monthly check-ins with advisers, and meeting deadlines for the essay, forms the basis of the grade for special studies courses in terms 2-4 (PH.181.845 MHS Special Studies & Research in term 2 and PH.181.850 MHS Essay in terms 3 and 4). Students who do not successfully complete the requirements for all three terms of this special studies course face dismissal from the program. Failure to complete the program within four years from the date of matriculation also serves as grounds for dismissal.
MHS Curriculum
Students consult the course list and get formal approval from their faculty adviser prior to registration. Required core courses include environmental health, toxicology, epidemiology, risk sciences, and statistics. Electives allow students to select courses according to their interests and career goals.
Generally, full-time students register for at least 16 credits per term in order to reach the 64-credit requirement for the degree. In order to substitute a recommended course with something not listed, approval must be granted by the program director. Students may also consider earning certificates in addition to the MHS.
Discuss with your adviser the options which meet the biostatistics and epidemiology course requirements. Note: If you would like to take a course not listed here, contact the program director.
Course location and modality is found on the JHSPH website.
| First Term | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| PH.180.609 | Principles of Environmental Health I | 4 |
| PH.187.610 | Public Health Toxicology | 4 |
| PH.140.xxx | Biostatisitcs | 3-4 |
| PH.340.xxx | Epidemiology | 5 |
| PH.317.600 | Introduction to the Risk Sciences and Public Policy | 4 |
| PH.550.860 | Academic & Research Ethics at JHSPH | 0 |
| Credits | 20-21 | |
| Second Term | ||
| PH.181.845 | MHS Special Studies & Research | 1 |
| PH.140.xxx | Biostatistics | 3-4 |
| PH.180.610 | Principles of Environmental Health II | 4 |
| PH.260.713 | R3 Writing Seminar for Graduate Students | 1 |
| Select from focus area electives to reach a minimum of 16 credits | 7 | |
| Credits | 16-17 | |
| Third Term | ||
| PH.181.845 or PH.183.840 |
MHS Special Studies & Research or Scm Special Studies and Research |
1 |
| PH.552.601 | Foundational Principles of Public Health (Online) | 0.5 |
| PH.552.603 | The Role of Qualitative Methods and Science in Describing and Assessing a Population's Health (Online) | 0.5 |
| Select from focus area electives to reach a minimum of 16 credits | 14 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Fourth Term | ||
| PH.181.850 or PH.183.840 |
MHS Essay or Scm Special Studies and Research |
1 |
| Select two of the following: | 1 | |
| The Role of Quantitative Methods in Public Health (Online) | ||
| Causes and Trends in Morbidity and Mortality (Online) | ||
| The Science of Primary Secondary and Tertiary Prevention in Population Health (Online) | ||
| The Critical Importance of Evidence in Advancing Public Health Knowledge (Online) | ||
| Biologic, Genetic and Infectious Bases of Human Disease (Online) | ||
| Psychological and Behavioral Factors That Affect A Population's Health (Online) | ||
| The Social Determinants of Health (Online) | ||
| Globalization and Population Health (Online) | ||
| Essentials of One Health (Online) | ||
| Select from focus area electives to reach a minimum of 16 credits | 14 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Total Credits | 68-70 | |
Electives
Students may create their own program or they may choose an area of interest:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| First Term | ||
| PH.180.611 | The Global Environment, Climate Change, and Public Health | 4 |
| PH.180.634 | Public Health Emergencies: Risk Communication and Decision Science | 3 |
| PH.188.680 | Fundamentals of Occupational Health | 3 |
| PH.188.694 | Health of Vulnerable Worker Populations | 3 |
| PH.120.600 | Biochemistry I | 5 |
| PH.120.604 | Introduction to Molecular Biology | 3 |
| Second Term | ||
| PH.317.610 | Risk Policy, Management and Communication | 3 |
| PH.180.620 | An Introduction to Food Systems and Public Health | 4 |
| PH.180.621 | Protecting the Environment and Safeguarding Worker Health: A Problem-Based Approach | 3 |
| PH.187.632 | Molecular Toxicology | 4 |
| PH.188.688 | Global Sustainability & Health Seminar | 1 |
| PH.185.801 | Exposure Sciences & Environmental Epi Journal Club | 1 |
| PH.185.805 | Toxicology, Physiology & Molecular Mechanisms Journal Club & Seminar | 1 |
| PH.183.631 | Fundamentals of Human Physiology | 4 |
| PH.187.640 | Toxicology 21: Scientific Foundations | 1 |
| PH.180.650 | Fundamentals of Clinical Oncology for Public Health Practitioners | 3 |
| Third Term | ||
| PH.180.602 | Environment and Health in Low and Middle income Countries | 2 |
| PH.180.623 | Infectious Disease Threats to Global Health Security | 3 |
| PH.180.624 | Biotechnology and Health Security | 3 |
| PH.182.640 | Food- and Water- Borne Diseases | 3 |
| PH.180.655 | Baltimore Food Systems: A Case Study of Urban Food Environments | 4 |
| PH.180.625 | Community-Driven Epidemiology and Environmental Justice | 3 |
| PH.180.651 | Energy, Environment, and Public Health | 2 |
| PH.182.626 | Issues for Water and Sanitation in Tropical Environmental Health | 2 |
| PH.185.801 | Exposure Sciences & Environmental Epi Journal Club | 1 |
| PH.180.640 | Molecular Epidemiology and Biomarkers in Public Health | 4 |
| PH.182.637 | Noise and Other Physical Agents in the Environment | 4 |
| PH.317.605 | Methods in Quantitative Risk Assessment | 4 |
| PH.182.613 | Exposure Assessment Techniques for Health Risk Management | 3 |
| PH.183.638 | Mechanisms of Cardiopulmonary Control | 2 |
| PH.340.607 | Introduction to Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology | 4 |
| PH.340.701 | Epidemiologic Applications of Gis | 2 |
| PH.187.645 | Toxicology 21: Scientific Applications | 3 |
| EN.575.711 | Climate Change and Global Environmental Sustainability | 3 |
| Fourth Term | ||
| PH.317.610 | Risk Policy, Management and Communication | 3 |
| PH.180.606 | Case Studies in Food Production and Public Health | 4 |
| PH.180.653 | Climate Change: Avoiding Conflict and Improving Public Health | 3 |
| PH.188.688 | Global Sustainability & Health Seminar | 1 |
| PH.188.682 | A Built Environment for A Healthy and Sustainable Future | 3 |
| PH.180.628 | Introduction To Environmental and Occupational Health Law | 4 |
| PH.182.638 | Environmental and Health Concerns in Water Use and Reuse | 4 |
| PH.187.625 | Animals in Research: Law, Policy, and Humane Sciences | 3 |
| PH.180.627 | Lessons Learned in 1918 Pandemic Flu | 1 |
| PH.180.630 | Chemical and Biological Weapons Threats: Science, Public Health, Policy | 3 |
| PH.180.633 | The Sociocultural Dimensions of Disasters | 3 |
| PH.180.636 | Human Rights and Health Seminar | 3 |
| PH.185.600 | One Health Tools to Promote and Evaluate Healthy and Sustainable Communities | 3 |
| PH.180.608 | Public Health Responses to Environmental incidents and Disasters | 3 |
| PH.180.670 | Introduction to Public Health Emergency Preparedness | 3 |
| PH.185.801 | Exposure Sciences & Environmental Epi Journal Club | 1 |
| PH.317.615 | Topics in Risk Assessment | 2 |
| PH.185.621 | METHODS IN THE EXPOSURE SCIENCES | 3 |
| PH.180.632 | Introduction to Molecular Toxicology | 3 |
| PH.187.661 | Environmental Health in Neurological and Mental Disorders | 3 |
| PH.187.650 | Alternative Methods in Animal Testing | 3 |
| PH.187.655 | Evidence-Based Toxicology | 3 |
| PH.183.642 | The Cardiopulmonary System Under Stress | 2 |
| PH.183.631 | Fundamentals of Human Physiology | 4 |
| PH.340.651 | Emerging Infections | 2 |
| PH.340.680 | Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology | 4 |
| PH.340.688 | PRACTICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY FOR BASIC SCIENTISTS | 3 |
Essay
MHS students must write an essay and present a summary of it during a formal symposium. The essay serves as an integrating experience for students, representing a substantive application of analytic and technical skills learned during the degree program. The content addresses a current environmental health problem pertinent to the educational goals of the student and approved by the adviser. The essay is not a research paper or thesis, but rather an informative and in-depth literature review that includes potential solutions to the problem. Ideally students will work with community-based organizations, governmental agencies, or researchers on a real-world issue. A more detailed guidance document for the essay will be shared with students during their second term.
Format
The essay must be between 6,000 and 8,000 words of text (equivalent to about 20 pages), with at least 30 peer-reviewed journal article references in addition to other references (e.g. government sources). The pages must be 1.5 or double-spaced using 12-point font with one-inch margins. All essays must contain: title page; table of contents; text with section headings; and a reference list. The reference citations in the text and the reference list should follow the format used by Environmental Health Perspectives, the journal of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Tables and figures may be incorporated into the body of the text but must be annotated to indicate the source of each.
The student will meet with the adviser throughout the essay-writing process in order to ensure fulfillment of essay requirements, as well as assure that the essay is properly prepared for presentation and final approval. The essay must be reviewed and approved by the adviser and one other faculty member or expert chosen by the student and approved by the adviser.
Presentation
All students completing the MHS are required to make at least one presentation of their essay to an audience of faculty and students of the Department. This presentation will be based on the student’s essay and will typically occur after completion of the written essay. Each student is allotted 15 minutes: 10 minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes for questions and answers.
Timeline for Completion
The MHS essay must be prepared in a timely manner, so that the adviser and second reader have adequate time to provide comments to be incorporated into the final document. A timeline of milestones and deadlines will be provided at the start of the academic year. Note that meeting these expectations is linked to receiving a grade of “pass” in PH.181.845 MHS Special Studies & Research and PH.181.850 MHS Essay. It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to meet all deadlines. Any student who fails to meet the April or May deadlines will be moved to the summer conferral date.
Academic Year 2020-21Applies to MA, MAS, MHA, MHS and MSPH
Due Dates for Summer Conferral (August 28, 2020)
JUNE 19, 2020
- Special Project, Scholarly Report, Paper or Thesis has been submitted to the Department Chair or Adviser
August 28, 2020
- Department Chair has:
- Indicated in writing to the Office of Records and Registration that all degree requirements have been fulfilled
- Certified the student's eligibility for award of degree
Due Dates for Fall Conferral (December 31, 2020)
October 23, 2020
- Special Project, Scholarly Report, Paper or Thesis has been submitted to the Department Chair or Adviser
December 18, 2020
- Department Chair has:
- Indicated in writing to the Office of Records and Registration that all degree requirements have been fulfilled
- Certified the student's eligibility for award of degree
Due Dates for Spring Conferral (May 27, 2021)
April 9, 2021
- Special Project, Scholarly Report, Paper or Thesis has been submitted to the Department Chair or Adviser
APRIL 30, 2021
- Department Chair has:
- Indicated in writing to the Office of Records and Registration that all degree requirements have been fulfilled
- Certified the student's eligibility for award of degree
MHS Policies
MHS to ScM Transfer Process
Students who are interested in transferring to the ScM program may begin the process to do so at the start of term 2. Identification of an appropriate and willing faculty research mentor serves as an essential step in the process, which should be initiated as early as possible, preferably while an applicant to the MHS program.
By the middle of term 2, MHS students submit a ScM transfer request form. The form includes a brief explanation of how the ScM research opportunity fits with the student’s educational and research goals. It must be signed by the current MHS adviser. The proposed research faculty needs to provide a letter of willingness to assume the role and responsibilities of ScM thesis adviser (this person may or may not be the current MHS adviser). A transcript of the first and second term courses and grades (obtained by the academic program administrator) completes the file for review. Students must demonstrate excellent academic success at the graduate level in the first two terms of the year (minimum GPA of 3.0).
A sub-group of the ScM research faculty (program director and 2-3 others) will review the file to confirm that the requirements have been met and, based on that input, the program director will approve or disapprove of the request for degree transfer. The academic program administrator will inform the Office of Records and Registration of the degree transfer and adviser change (if appropriate) to be effective term 3.
BA/MHS Credit Transfer
BA/MHS students in the public health studies major must fulfill the requirement for 15 credits of coursework taken at JHSPH while a senior. Online courses do not count towards this requirement. Up to one-half, but no more than 16 of the JHSPH credits taken as a public health studies undergraduate student may be applied to the MHS program. Students must earn a grade of B or higher in courses transferred to fulfill a program requirement; grades of C may only be transferred towards elective credits.
Advisers
All master’s students will be assigned an adviser, who serves as the primary contact for the Department, assists the student with course selection each term, approves their essay or thesis, and helps interpret Departmental and School policies. The student is free to change advisers, but this change must be approved by the program director and sent to the academic program administrator via email.
Assessment of Progress
Students must meet minimum academic standards to remain in the master’s program. Each term the student should review grades from the previous term with their adviser. Specific goals will be determined following this review. A student who is experiencing academic difficulty will be notified in writing if they are expected to achieve a specific GPA during the upcoming term. Failure to meet any of the following criteria is grounds for dismissal from the program.
Cumulative GPA
The School requires master’s students to maintain a minimum 2.75 cumulative grade point average. Students with a GPA falling below 2.75 will be placed on academic warning and will have one term of registration in which to raise their GPA above the threshold for their degree. The academic program administrator will notify students placed on academic warning and their performance will be reviewed by the Educational Programs Committee (EPC). All recommendations about academic standing will be then presented to the Department’s Executive Committee for final disposition. Students not meeting the minimum GPA after one term may be granted additional term(s) on academic warning if academic progress has been shown in the cumulative GPA; that approval beyond one term must be reported to the School’s Committee on Academic Standards. Students on academic warning must meet with their academic adviser and program director (or academic program administrator) each term to review their academic plan and receive approval for their course schedule prior to registering for courses. Students with a cumulative GPA below the minimum may not register for more than 18 credits per term. Any repeated courses count towards this 18-credit limit.
Grades in Core Courses
Students must earn a minimum grade on a set of required program-specific core courses: “Pass” for courses offered only on a pass/fail basis: “C” or higher for master’s students for courses offered for letter grading. A student who earns a grade below that threshold in a course that meets a core requirement must, at the next opportunity, make a second attempt to complete the core course by repeating the same course or by completing another course that has been approved by the program director. A grade below the threshold on the second attempt may be grounds for dismissal and must be reported to the School’s Committee on Academic Standards.
Department Retreat
Each January, the EHE faculty and students attend a retreat that includes faculty presentations and student posters on research currently be conducted in the department. The retreat ends with a keynote talk from an investigator outside of EHE. The retreat provides both ScM and MHS students with the chance to meet faculty and students and learn more about research being conducted in the department. Attending the retreat, including talks and poster sessions, is expected for ScM students and optional for MHS students.