Environmental Health

What is Environmental Health?

Environmental Health is one of the subdisciplines of Public Health, which studies how environmental and anthropological (man-made) factors affect human health.

The list of subdisciplines of Environmental Health or related to Environmental Health include:

Toxicology studies the effect of exposure to chemical elements (toxins) on the human body, animals and plants.

Environmental Law is a branch of Law which is dedicated to legal regulation of the human impact on the environment, as well as the possible consequences of this impact.

Environmental Engineering is a complex of scientific and engineering methods aimed to improve the environment - maintaining the clear water, air and earth for comfortable life of humans and other living organisms.Environmental Engineering studies the impact of technological progress on the condition of the environment.

Exposure Science is the science of the impact of various factors (chemical, mechanical, biological, environmental - most often random) on human beings and other parts of ecosystems.

Structure of Environmental Health study programs

Environmental Health can be taught as a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science or PhD degree. Associate degrees in Environmental Health rarely exist. Environmental Health can also be taught as a part of degree in Environmental Sciences or Public Health by Environmental or Medicine and Life Science faculties.

As in many other disciplines, first years of education are dedicated to basic courses - public health, ecology, water management, soil science and many other. After completing one or two years of education, students get to choose their specialisation. It can be zoonotic diseases, occupational hazards, bacteriology and environment, air quality and living conditions, or some other subdisciplines - it depends on the chosen study program. Some Bachelor study programs in Environmental Health do not have any specializations at all and students study together until they complete a degree. After choosing a specialization, students can undertake elective courses according to their academic interests - for example, Bacteriology, Epidemiology, Occupational Health, etc. Students also engage in ecological research during most of the education period.

Entry requirements for Environmental Health applicants

Entry requirements for Environmental Health applicants for undergraduate study programs are usually similar to requirements for any other study program in Environmental Sciences, since they have a lot in common during the first years. Applicants in foreign universities need to have excellent grades in Biology and Chemistry. Sometimes high scores in other sciences, such as Mathematics or Physics, are required too - it depends on the specialization of the chosen program and specific requirements of a chosen university. Many foreign universities ask Russian applicants to complete at least one year on relevant undergraduate education in Russian universities with a good GPA score.

Those applicants whose native language is other from English need to demonstrate language proficiency by providing the results of TOEFL, IELTS or other equivalent language certificate.

Applicants for foreign universities need also to meet some specific requirements of the country they have chosen. Some helpful tips about applying for popular countries, for example, USA or UK, can be found on our website.