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Environmental Health MSc

Learn about the course below
Code
PGB919
Start
September 2024
Duration
1 year full-time
2 years part-time
Attendance
Full-time
Part-time
Fees
£10,500 (UK) *
£16,800 (INT) *
Course leader
Jenny Jacobs

Environmental health is the branch of public health concerned with how our living, working and leisure environments affect our health. It's a gripping subject to study and a fascinating field to work in. Whether you're helping improve the living conditions of society's poorest, or working with a company to improve health and safety for staff and customers, your work will have a huge, life-changing and often life-saving impact.

Why study MSc Environmental Health at Middlesex University?

Middlesex University is the largest and foremost provider of environmental health education in the UK. This course is highly work-focused, with a strong emphasis on practical laboratory work and real-life case studies and you'll be able to take advantage of our close links within the industry.

The course is centred on UK law and practice, but is designed to be flexible and provide education and training that will be valuable internationally. You will have access to a range of excellent facilities include a microbiology laboratory and pestology materials. You will be able to study specialist modules areas such as food safety, and health and safety which are particularly valued by both local authorities and the private sector.

Many of our teaching staff are chartered environmental health practitioners and under their expert guidance, previous students have done research into a wide variety of areas, including listeria in food, the effects of heavy smoking, skin lightening, water pollution and the attitudes of people living in high-rise buildings towards recycling.

Course highlights

  • The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, and you'll be eligible to apply for membership of the institute.
  • As a student of this course you'll receive a free electronic textbook for every module.

Find out more

Sign up now to receive more information about studying at Middlesex University London.

What will you study on the MSc Environmental Health?

This degree will cover the impact of different factors on public health, the spread and control of diseases, health protection measures, and human anatomy, physiology and toxicology. You will also explore inequality and deprivation, housing and health, and law and ethics. You will focus food safety including understand food-borne illnesses, methods of food storage and processing, legal requirements and food safety standards.

What will you gain?

As well as gaining an in-depth understanding of all five key areas of environmental health (food safety, housing, environmental protection, occupational health, and public health), you will also gain the knowledge to identify and assess health and safety risks. You will be competent in implementing measures to safeguard and improve health and safety in a variety of settings.

Modules

  • Modules - changes for students in 2020

    • Public Health Leadership (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module takes a strategic view of public health and applies relevant policy and strategy to a range of settings. This module will provide you with theory, knowledge, skills and abilities to develop and implement strategies to improve population health and in particular explores how evidence based environmental health practice adds value to public health. It reviews how environmental health can better disseminate and promote its purposes as part of a wider public health agenda.

    • Pollution and Health Protection (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      The aim of this module is to provide you with the necessary knowledge and skills to enable you to assess, judge and determine the effects of pollution and disease-causing agents, the likely or recognised impact on humans and how this impact can be minimised through control strategies and methodologies.

    • Stressors and Vectors of Disease (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to interpret and analyse the range of stressors which impact act on the physical, social and human worlds and the mechanisms, points of impact and consequences for human health and well-being. It will develop your skills to critically evaluate potential and actual health outcomes, methodologies utilised in establishing causation and undertake detailed examination of the toxicological, epidemiological, and health demographics in the surveillance and prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases. It will give you an opportunity to explore and critically appraise examples of vectors of disease, including microorganisms; their diversity  social, economic and public health significance; prevention and control.

    • Factors Affecting Risk and Strategic Risk Intervention (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to provide you with an overview, framework and functions of risk management in the context of cultural, legal and policy drivers and actor related factors influencing risk and strategic risk interventions, including organisational (structural and cultural positioning) and individual (resources and psychological constraints) to reveal tensions in both implementing and responding to risk.

    • Management of Workplace Safety (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to thoroughly appraise and evaluate the theoretical and practical aspects of identifying, managing and controlling occupational health and safety risks.

    • Interventions in Environmental Health (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module aim to display mastery in the professional practice of environmental health through exploring the application of knowledge and skills in the development of innovative solutions to complex environmental health problems taking account of the social, psychological and physiological context in which they present themselves. It will give you the opportunity to explore available interventions across all areas of environmental health, including food safety, health and safety, housing and environmental protection, to ensure a holistic approach to professional practice.

    • Food Safety (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to explore and critique the theoretical and practical aspects of identifying, managing and controlling food safety risks. Also, it will thoroughly appraise the factors that determine food safety provision including legal requirements, management responsibilities, systems, and control options. The module will further develop your skills to determine and evaluate the appropriateness of legal and managerial approaches in light of current best practice, and the influence of external factors.

    • Practical Food Inspection (10 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to develop a detailed knowledge of the composition and properties of foodstuffs and the relationship with safety, fitness, and quality within an overarching public health framework.

    • Housing and Health (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module explores the relationship between housing, health and safety and ways in which housing, health and social care organisations can work more effectively together to deliver better health outcomes. The housing and health needs of a range of social and geographical communities will be considered with a view to developing effective, integrated, evidence-based strategies and interventions with a specific focus on the role of environmental health practitioners.

    • Research Methodology and Project (60 Credits) - Compulsory

      Details to follow.

  • Modules - typical course content

    • Public Health Leadership (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module takes a strategic view of public health and applies relevant policy and strategy to a range of settings. This module will provide you with theory, knowledge, skills and abilities to develop and implement strategies to improve population health and in particular explores how evidence based environmental health practice adds value to public health. It reviews how environmental health can better disseminate and promote its purposes as part of a wider public health agenda.

    • Pollution and Health Protection (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      The aim of this module is to provide you with the necessary knowledge and skills to enable you to assess, judge and determine the effects of pollution and disease-causing agents, the likely or recognised impact on humans and how this impact can be minimised through control strategies and methodologies.

    • Stressors and Vectors of Disease (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to interpret and analyse the range of stressors which impact act on the physical, social and human worlds and the mechanisms, points of impact and consequences for human health and well-being. It will develop your skills to critically evaluate potential and actual health outcomes, methodologies utilised in establishing causation and undertake detailed examination of the toxicological, epidemiological, and health demographics in the surveillance and prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases. It will give you an opportunity to explore and critically appraise examples of vectors of disease, including microorganisms; their diversity  social, economic and public health significance; prevention and control.

    • Factors Affecting Risk and Strategic Risk Intervention (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to provide you with an overview, framework and functions of risk management in the context of cultural, legal and policy drivers and actor related factors influencing risk and strategic risk interventions, including organisational (structural and cultural positioning) and individual (resources and psychological constraints) to reveal tensions in both implementing and responding to risk.

    • Management of Workplace Safety (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to thoroughly appraise and evaluate the theoretical and practical aspects of identifying, managing and controlling occupational health and safety risks.

    • Interventions in Environmental Health (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module aim to display mastery in the professional practice of environmental health through exploring the application of knowledge and skills in the development of innovative solutions to complex environmental health problems taking account of the social, psychological and physiological context in which they present themselves. It will give you the opportunity to explore available interventions across all areas of environmental health, including food safety, health and safety, housing and environmental protection, to ensure a holistic approach to professional practice.

    • Food Safety (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to explore and critique the theoretical and practical aspects of identifying, managing and controlling food safety risks. Also, it will thoroughly appraise the factors that determine food safety provision including legal requirements, management responsibilities, systems, and control options. The module will further develop your skills to determine and evaluate the appropriateness of legal and managerial approaches in light of current best practice, and the influence of external factors.

    • Practical Food Inspection (10 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module aims to develop a detailed knowledge of the composition and properties of foodstuffs and the relationship with safety, fitness, and quality within an overarching public health framework.

    • Housing and Health (15 Credits) - Compulsory

      This module explores the relationship between housing, health and safety and ways in which housing, health and social care organisations can work more effectively together to deliver better health outcomes. The housing and health needs of a range of social and geographical communities will be considered with a view to developing effective, integrated, evidence-based strategies and interventions with a specific focus on the role of environmental health practitioners.

    • Research Methods and MSc Project (60 credits) - Compulsory

      This module will give you the organisational and research management skills required to formulate research questions, design and implement an MSc project. Where appropriate, you will undertake fieldwork to generate quantitative and/or qualitative data, whilst other projects will utilise existing datasets collected from existing studies. Research skills are supported by knowledge of experimental design, quantitative and qualitative analytical techniques and communication approaches. These skills will be applied in the design and completion of practitioner-based research including the development of original and independent investigations. These aim to integrate theoretical knowledge and technical expertise to investigate a programme-relevant issue at the required postgraduate level.

More information about this course

See the course specification for more information:

Optional modules are usually available at levels 5 and 6, although optional modules are not offered on every course. Where optional modules are available, you will be asked to make your choice during the previous academic year. If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module,  or there are staffing changes which affect the teaching, it may not be offered. If an optional module will not run, we will advise you after the module selection period when numbers are confirmed, or at the earliest time that the programme team make the decision not to run the module, and help you choose an alternative module.

We are regularly reviewing and updating our programmes to ensure you have the best learning experience. We are taking what we have learnt during the pandemic and enhancing our teaching methods with new and innovative ways of learning.

We aim to model a wide range of teaching strategies and approaches on the course which you can adapt to your own setting.

How will the MSc Environmental Health be taught?

This programme will be delivered in a blended learning format with live lectures and interactive seminars or workshops provided online via a number of learning platforms e.g. Kaltura Newrow or Zoom. These sessions will be recorded to enable you to return to this learning at a future date or to study at your own pace. Learning may be supplemented by pre-recorded lectures where students can access the information at any point. Practical sessions will either be virtual or subject to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic on campus, with the timing of these sessions determined by the current government advice.

Where situation permits, there may be scheduled face-to-face activities where students may come to the campus or to another venue for their sessions. This will be clearly communicated to the students.

Middlesex is committed to accommodating learners fully online where they cannot reach campus, and where a second lockdown is in place. In such event, the fully online scenario will be in place to provide and support students’ learning.

Lectures will set out principles and topics, provide technical knowledge and identify links between theory and practice, as well as guiding your independent reading and study. Seminars provide an opportunity for discussion, research, practical exercises and examination of case studies, while in laboratory sessions, subject to availability and timing, you’ll learn how to use equipment and carry out practical inspections, audits and assessments. You will work on group and individual projects, case study analyses – some of which you’ll present to your fellow students - and laboratory experiments, as well as undertaking food examinations and visiting retailers and markets for the food safety modules.

Assessment

As well as written and oral exams and your research project and dissertation, you will be assessed through practical food examinations, the timing of which will be determined by the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak, tests, presentations, essays, work portfolios, case study analyses, data analysis, and other written assignments. For your dissertation, you'll design, conduct, evaluate and present the results of your own independent project into an area of your choosing. You will present your findings through a 10,000 to 12,000-word thesis and at a viva with your tutors.

You will receive regular feedback on your work, including your assessed coursework.

Teaching and learning from 2022

We are regularly reviewing and updating our programmes to ensure you have the best learning experience. We are taking what we have learnt during the pandemic and enhancing our teaching methods with new and innovative ways of learning.

We are currently reviewing our approach to teaching and learning for 2023 entry and beyond. We've learned a lot about how to give you a quality education - we aim to combine the best of our pre-pandemic teaching and learning with access to online learning and digital resources which put you more in charge of when and how you study. We will keep you updated on this throughout the application process.

Your timetable will be built around on campus sessions using our professional facilities, with online sessions for some activities where we know being virtual will add value. We’ll use technology to enhance all of your learning and give you access to online resources to use in your own time.

The table below gives you an idea of what learning looks like across a typical week. Some weeks are different due to how we schedule classes and arrange on campus sessions.

This information is likely to change slightly for 2023 entry as our plans evolve. You'll receive full information on your teaching before you start your course.

Learning structure: typical hourly breakdown in 2021/22

Live in-person on campus learning

Contact hours per week, per level:

10 hours

Live online learning

Average hours per week, per level:

5 hours

This information is likely to change slightly for 2024/25 entry as our plans evolve. You'll receive full information on your teaching before you start your course.

Definitions of terms

  • Live in-person on campus learning – This will focus on active and experiential sessions that are both:
    • Led by your tutors including seminars, lab sessions and demonstrations We'll schedule all of this for you
    • Student-led by you and other students, like small group work and presentations.
  • Tutor set learning activities – This covers activities which will be set for you by your tutor, but which you will undertake in your own time. Examples of this include watching online materials, participating in an online discussion forum, completing a virtual laboratory or reading specific texts. You may be doing this by yourself of with your course mates depending on your course and assignments. Outside of these hours, you’ll also be expected to do further independent study where you’ll be expected to learn, prepare, revise and reflect in your own time.

Support

You have a strong support network available to you to make sure you develop all the necessary academic skills you need to do well on your course.

Our support services will be delivered online and on campus and you have access to a range of different resources so you can get the help you need, whether you’re studying at home or have the opportunity to come to campus.

You have access to one to one and group sessions for personal learning and academic support from our library and IT teams, and our network of learning experts. Our teams will also be here to offer financial advice, and personal wellbeing, mental health and disability support.

  1. Standard entry requirements
  2. International (inc. EU)
  3. How to apply
  1. UK
  2. International
  3. Additional costs
  4. Scholarships and bursaries

How can the MSc Environmental Health support your career?

The work of an environmental health practitioner is incredibly wide-ranging, covering anything from dealing with outbreaks of food poisoning or TB, to ensuring the health and welfare of farmed livestock. It is a rewarding, varied, challenging and satisfying career. Traditionally, our graduates have gone on to be public health practitioners with local authorities. This rewarding role gives you the chance to work on different sites and in different settings, and draws not only on your science background but your ability to be a good communicator and listener.

Equally, you might be interested in developing you career into research, consultancy, education or training. There are also a growing number of international opportunities which you might wish to consider.

The variety of roles available means that you will be able to work in a wide range of sectors such as:

  • The Environment Agency
  • Public Health England
  • DEFRA
  • The Food Standards Agency
  • The Health and Safety Executive
  • NHS

There are also opportunities within local authorities, housing associations, or in sectors ranging from travel to retail or waste management.


We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.

Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.

Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.

At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.

Other courses

Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental Management MSc

Start: September 2024

Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time

Code: PGB92A, B926AA (Apprenticeship)

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