B.S.,
Biology,
Environmental Health Science Track
College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
What You'll Do
When it comes to healing something as complex as the Earth, you’ll need both knowledge and training. As an Environmental Health Science major pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, you’ll deepen your knowledge of the natural sciences while also polishing your analytical and problem-solving skills.
In IUP’s program, you’ll learn to identify, evaluate, and manage factors that can adversely impact human health and the ecological balances essential to human well-being. These factors include air pollutants, food and water contaminants, solid and hazardous wastes, vector-borne and communicable diseases, housing and shelter hazards, and ecological and global stressors.
Among the courses you’ll take are General Microbiology, Environmental Health and Protection, Introduction to Toxicology and Risk Assessment, Fundamentals of Environmental Epidemiology, and Organic Chemistry. You’ll also choose from a list of courses such as Air Pollution, Radiological Health, Introduction to Planning, and Hydrogeology. An internship is required.
What You’ll Become
The Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Health Science will provide preparation for employment as an environmental health specialist or practitioner in industry, government, or academia or for entry into graduate school.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of environmental scientists is projected to grow by 25 percent between 2006 and 2016, and employment of hydrologists should grow by 24 percent. Private-sector consulting firms offer the most promising hiring growth for both fields, the report states.
About 35 percent of environmental scientists, according to the labor report, worked in state and local governments; 21 percent in management, scientific, and technical consulting services; 15 percent in architectural, engineering and other services; and 8 percent in the federal government.
