Program Overview
The ScM program in Environmental Health at Johns Hopkins University provides students with a comprehensive foundation in environmental health, emphasizing hands-on research experience and preparing them for careers in research, doctoral programs, and public health practice. The program focuses on the interactions between environmental agents and human health, examining toxicologic mechanisms, risk assessment, and ethical considerations. Students conduct independent research under faculty guidance, culminating in a master's thesis and presentation.
Program Outline
Environmental Health, ScM Program at Johns Hopkins University
Degree Overview:
The Master of Science (ScM) in Environmental Health is designed for individuals interested in pursuing research in various environmental health fields. The program emphasizes hands-on experience in laboratory, field, or population-based investigations. Students are required to write a thesis based on original research conducted under the guidance of a faculty advisor.
Objectives:
Upon completion of the program, students are expected to achieve the following learning objectives:
Disciplinary Foundation:
Examine the nature and interactions of key disciplines forming the foundation of environmental health and their ethical application to environmental health issues.
Public Health Context:
Illustrate how environmental health fits within the larger context of public health problems, interventions, and practice.
Problem-Solving:
Use problem-solving approaches and tools to identify and address environmental problems related to toxicant exposures.
Literature Evaluation:
Interpret and critically evaluate the environmental health literature relevant to research on toxicologic mechanisms of adverse human health effects.
Communication:
Effectively communicate the nature and significance of environmental health problems, as well as their solutions, to expert and lay audiences.
Statistical Techniques:
Utilize statistical techniques to support research designs and perform data analyses.
Ethical Research Design:
Design and conduct ethical studies to gain knowledge of the adverse human health effects of environmental agents and conditions.
Independent Research:
Conduct independent research to address occupational and environmental (including the natural, built, and social environments) health challenges at regional, national, and international levels.
Research Presentation:
Effectively present research results in a formal oral presentation and in a written format appropriate for publication in a scientific journal.
Outline:
Program Structure:
- The program requires 64 credits of coursework and a year-long research project culminating in a master's thesis.
- Students are expected to register for at least 16 credits per term.
- The program is completed over two years.
Course Schedule:
Year 1:
- Term 1-4: Students complete required courses and electives.
- Term 4: Students draft a research proposal for their thesis project.
- Term 4: Students take the comprehensive examination.
Year 2:
- Term 5-8: Students dedicate full-time enrollment to their thesis research (PH.183.825 EHE ScM Thesis Research).
- Term 8: Students present their research during the MHS & ScM student presentation days in May.
Required Courses:
- PH.550.860 Academic & Research Ethics at BSPH
- PH.180.609 Principles of Environmental Health
- PH.180.610 Applied Environmental Health Practice
- PH.187.610 Public Health Toxicology
- PH.317.600 Introduction to the Risk Sciences and Public Policy
- PH.552.601 Foundational Principles of Public Health
- PH.552.603 The Role of Qualitative Methods and Science in Describing and Assessing a Population's Health
- PH.183.840 EHE Scm Special Studies and Research
- PH.183.825 EHE ScM Thesis Research
- Journal Club (select one):
- PH.185.805 Toxicology, Physiology & Molecular Mechanisms Journal Club & Seminar
- PH.185.806 Advanced Concepts in Toxicology, Physiology & Molecular Mechanisms
- PH.185.801 Exposure Sciences & Environmental Epi Journal Club
- Biostatistics (varies)
- Epidemiology (varies)
Electives:
- PH.180.611 The Global Environment, Climate Change, and Public Health
- PH.180.634 Public Health Emergencies: Risk Communication and Decision Science
- PH.188.680 Fundamentals of Occupational Health
- PH.188.694 Health of Vulnerable Worker Populations
- PH.317.610 Risk Policy, Management and Communication
- PH.180.620 Introduction to Food Systems and Public Health
- PH.180.621 Protecting the Environment and Safeguarding Worker Health: A Problem-Based Approach
- PH.120.601 Biochemistry II: Major Metabolic Pathways
- PH.180.647 The Health Effects of Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollution
- PH.180.644 Food System Resilience
- PH.187.632 Molecular Toxicology
- PH.188.688 Global Sustainability & Health Seminar
- PH.183.631 Fundamentals of Human Physiology
- PH.187.640 Toxicology 21: Scientific Foundations
- PH.180.650 Fundamentals of Clinical Oncology for Public Health Practitioners
- PH.180.602 Environment and Health in Low and Middle income Countries
- PH.180.623 Infectious Disease Threats to Global Health Security
- PH.180.624 Biotechnology and Health Security
- PH.182.640 Food- and Water- Borne Diseases
- PH.180.655 Baltimore Food Systems: A Case Study of Urban Food Environments
- PH.180.625 Community-Driven Epidemiology and Environmental Justice
- PH.180.651 Energy, Environment, and Public Health
- PH.182.626 Issues for Water and Sanitation in Tropical Environmental Health
- PH.180.640 Molecular Epidemiology and Biomarkers in Public Health
- PH.182.637 Noise and Other Physical Agents in the Environment
- PH.317.605 Methods in Quantitative Risk Assessment
- PH.182.613 Exposure Assessment Techniques for Health Risk Management
- PH.183.638 Mechanisms of Cardiopulmonary Control
- PH.340.607 Introduction to Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology
- PH.340.701 Epidemiologic Applications of Gis
- PH.187.645 Toxicology 21: Scientific Applications
- EN.575.711 Climate Change and Global Environmental Sustainability
- PH.317.610 Risk Policy, Management and Communication
- PH.180.606 Case Studies in Food Production and Public Health
- PH.180.653 Climate Change: Avoiding Conflict and Improving Public Health
- PH.188.682 A Built Environment for A Healthy and Sustainable Future
- PH.180.628 Introduction To Environmental and Occupational Health Law
- PH.182.638 Environmental and Health Concerns in Water Use and Reuse
- PH.187.625 Animals in Research: Law, Policy, and Humane Sciences
- PH.180.627 Lessons Learned in 1918 Pandemic Flu
- PH.180.630 Chemical and Biological Weapons Threats: Science, Public Health, Policy
- PH.180.633 The Sociocultural Dimensions of Disasters
- PH.180.636 Human Rights and Health Seminar
- PH.185.600 One Health Tools to Promote and Evaluate Healthy and Sustainable Communities
- PH.180.670 Introduction to Public Health Emergency Preparedness
- PH.317.615 Topics in Risk Assessment
- PH.120.604 Introduction to Molecular Biology
- PH.180.632 Introduction to Molecular Toxicology
- PH.187.661 Environmental Health in Neurological and Mental Disorders
- PH.187.650 Alternative Methods in Animal Testing
- PH.187.655 Evidence-Based Toxicology
- PH.183.642 The Cardiopulmonary System Under Stress
- PH.340.651 Emerging Infections
- PH.340.680 Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology
Assessment:
- Research Proposal: Students draft a research proposal for their thesis project during the first year.
- Comprehensive Examination: Students take a comprehensive examination at the end of the first year, demonstrating their knowledge of the proposed research and its relevance within the broader perspective of environmental health.
- Thesis: Students complete a research project and write a master's thesis based on their work.
- Thesis Presentation: Students present their research during the MHS & ScM student presentation days in May.
Teaching:
- Faculty Mentorship: Students are assigned a faculty advisor who serves as their primary contact for the department, assists with course selection, approves their thesis, and helps interpret departmental and school policies.
- Department Retreat: The EHE faculty and students attend a retreat each January, including faculty presentations, student posters, and a keynote talk from an investigator outside of EHE.
Careers:
- Doctoral Programs: Graduates are well-prepared to transition directly into doctoral degree programs in their primary areas of interest.
- Research Positions: The ScM program positions graduates to compete for research positions in the private sector, federal agencies, and non-governmental organizations.
Other:
- CEPH Requirements: All BSPH degree students must meet the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) requirements for foundational public health knowledge.
- Academic Standards: Students must maintain a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA and earn a minimum grade of "Pass" or "C" or higher in core courses.
- Academic Warning: Students with a GPA below 2.75 will be placed on academic warning and have one term to raise their GPA.
- Departmental Retreat: Attending the annual EHE retreat is expected for ScM students and optional for MHS students.
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