COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR DEGREES IN
ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

The Department of Environmental and Occupational Health has two degree program tracks:

• Master of Public Health (MPH) degree with a specialty in Environmental and Occupational Health
  Prospective MPH students should consult the following links: COPH Catalog and Admission to College of Public Health.

• Master of Science (MS) degree Occupational and Environmental Health
  Prospective MS students should consult the following links: COPH Catalog and Admission to Graduate School.

Environmental and Occupational Health MPH Curriculum

* REQURIES ATTENDANCE OF INTEGRATION PROJECT SEMINAR and a public presentation. (Requires approval of Integration Project Advisory Committee)

Environmental and Occupational Health MS Degree information

Prerequisites to Degree Program: Applicants should have an undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 or higher and above average scores on the Graduate Record Examinations. Prerequisite course work should include satisfactory completion of undergraduate courses in mathematics, chemistry (general and organic), physics and biology. On occasion, certain of these requirements can be completed after admission to the program for an otherwise outstanding student.

College-Wide Electives

PBHL 5001: COPH Seminar Series: This course is designed to give students a broad overview of current topics in public health through ongoing seminar series sponsored by the College of Public Health and its partners.  The seminar series provides students an opportunity to learn about the diversity in public health research and practice, to apply their knowledge of public health concepts to a variety of topics, and to increase their professional network within the public health field.

PBHL 601V: Special Topics in Public Health (1-3): (Offered intermittently.)  Course offerings from visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or in-depth examination of a current topic in public health. (Requires prior approval of faculty advisor and course instructor.)

PBHL 602V: Directed Study (1-6):   Provides an opportunity for students to engage in detailed study of a public health topic relevant to their program of study, with the guidance of a faculty supervisor. A completed and signed directed study contract is required at the time of registration. (Requires prior approval of faculty advisor and independent study faculty supervisor.)

EOH Electives

OEHM/PBHL 9043: Environmental and Occupational Health Policy: This course covers issues relevant to policy decisions in the environmental and occupational health field, including such topics as strategies for the assessment, management and communication of risk, alternative approaches to environmental regulation and compliance, ethical questions in environmental and occupational health, and similar contemporary concerns. Prerequisites: PBHL 5113 and 5023.

OEHM 509V: Advanced Toxicology: This advanced course is a modular course consisting of several interdisciplinary areas. Those areas of study include developmental, occupational, and environmental toxicology. Will provide students with in-depth information concerning the use of basic medical sciences to assess chemical and drug-induced toxicity and to evaluate public health problems. (Same as INTX 509V.) Prerequisite: OEHM 5023.

OEHM 5033: General Principles of Pharmacology and Toxicology: The time course and spatial distribution of drug levels in various body compartments are analyzed using the fundamentals of transport phenomena, reaction kinetics, and process dynamics. (Same as INTX 5033)

OEHM 5082: Introduction to Oncology: Lectures, assigned readings and examinations regarding the molecular basis of carcinogenesis. Emphasis is placed on in-depth study of chemical carcinogenesis and factors mediating the oncogenic response. The role of host-factors and techniques for assessment of carcinogenic risk are presented.

PBHL 5153/OEHM 5153: Environmental and Industrial Biological Hazards (On Demand): Biological hazards in the workplace and the natural environment. Covers human perturbations of the natural environment, contamination and treatment of water resources, biohazardous agents in occupational environments, and prevention, surveillance and regulations regarding biological hazards. Prerequisites: Eight hours of biology coursework, or permission of the instructor.

PBHL 5163/OEHM 5163: Introduction to Aerosol Science and Technology (On Demand): An introduction to aerosol technology and environmental instrumentation related to air pollution control. Topics include physical characterization of aerosols, optical and electrical properties, particle dynamics, size and concentration measurement, calculation of filtration efficiency, particulate air cleaning devices and environ-mental monitoring of aerosols.

PBHL 5183/OEHM 5183: Noise and Vibration Measurement and Analysis (On Demand): Primary emphasis on the principles of operation of instruments used for measuring, recording, and analyzing noise and vibration signals. Topics such as modal analysis, digital signal processing, transducer capabilities and limitations, and vibration testing are covered. Typical applications include occupational noise analysis, noise source characterization, and machinery vibration analysis.

PBHL 511V: Special Topics in Occupational and Environmental Health: Gives in-depth treatment to topics of current importance and to specialized subjects not covered in general courses. Each topic will be a narrowly defined aspect of occupational or environmental health.

MPH (Environmental and Occupational Health)

MPH students electing to emphasize environmental and occupational health are trained to recognize, evaluate and communicate risks associated with health hazards occurring in community and occupational environments. Graduates are trained to function as independent investigators and as members of multidisciplinary teams. Graduates will be prepared to:

•  Describe the purpose, history and use of epidemiology and epidemiologic methods for evaluation of environmental health hazards;

•  Evaluate environmental and occupational health-related research questions and recommend the appropriate experimental design and statistical analysis techniques;

•  Explain the standard concepts and methods of environmental hazard evaluations, including measurements and prediction techniques, statistical interpretation of sampling results, use of exposure limits and development of sampling plans;

•  Describe the characteristics and effects of potential chemical, physical, biological and ergonomic hazards in community and occupational settings;

•  Describe the general procedures for reducing the impact of potential occupational and environmental hazards, including such techniques as airborne contaminant control, respiration protection, electrical and mechanical safety, noise reduction and hazardous material remediation;

•  Describe the toxicological basis for government regulation of environmental hazards to public health;

•  Explain the process of assessment of chemical and drug related toxicity within the context of a public health framework;

•  Describe the legislative basis and history of environmental and occupational health regulations;

•  Conduct environmental and occupational health-related research;

•  Participate as a member of a multidisciplinary research or evaluation projects;

•  Design appropriate research protocols;

•  Select statistical analysis methods and techniques;

•  Utilize epidemiologic methodologies.

Required course descriptions:

PBHL 5043/OEHM 5043: Occupational and Environmental Hazard Control: Detailed study of the principles and practices involved in the control of environmental health hazards, with particular attention to occupational hazards. Topics covered will include ventilation for airborne contaminants, respiratory protection, electrical and mechanical safety methods, and the control of hazards from noise, vibration, radiation, heat, biohazards, and chemical hazards.

PBHL 5063/OEHM 5063: Toxicology in Public Health: Considers the harmful effects of chemical agents, naturally occurring or synthetically produced, on animals and humans. Emphasis placed on general principles of the mechanism of action, the importance of intraspecies differences, as well as mutagenesis, teratogenesis, and carcinogenesis as manifestations of toxicity. Prerequisite: PBHL 5113/OEHM 5023.

PBHL 5073/OEHM 5073: Toxicology and Government Regulations: Operational and conceptual toxicology with the statutory basis for and aspects of governmental regulation of environmental hazards to public health. Provides potential industrial hygienists with a better understanding of the relationships that exist between scientific aspects of toxicology and their application through the statutory framework and related governmental regulations in the public health arena. (Same as INTX 5073)

PBHL 5153/OEHM 5153: Environmental and Industrial Biological Hazards (On Demand): Biological hazards in the workplace and the natural environment. Covers human perturbations of the natural environment, contamination and treatment of water resources, biohazardous agents in occupational environments, and prevention, surveillance and regulations regarding biological hazards. Prerequisites: Eight hours of biology coursework, or permission of the instructor.

PBHL 5263/OEHM 5263: Environmental Exposure Assessment: Quantitative introduction to the generation, propagation, measurement, and evaluation of air contaminants (including aerosols, gases and vapors). Principles of sample collection and analysis, direct measurement, and statistical analysis and interpretation of results are covered. Applications studied include monitoring and modeling of industrial, community, transportation, and indoor environments and sources.

MS Degree Program

The Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH) M.S. degree program is devoted to the recognition, evaluation, and control of workplace or environmental hazards which may cause impaired health or well-being or significant discomfort and inefficiency among workers or the general public. The program emphasizes the study of chemical exposure, noise and vibration, air pollution, biological agents, ergonomic stressors, injury risk factors and other hazards likely to be encountered in work or community environments.  The program is primarily directed toward the education of occupational and environmental health and safety specialists seeking the academic background that, along with suitable professional experience, will allow them to contribute to hazard mitigation and become nationally board certified in appropriate disciplines such as industrial hygiene, safety, or hazardous material management. It is intended for students from a wide variety of backgrounds including biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, environmental science, and nursing. The program is tailored for professionals already working in the occupational health field to further their education while continuing to work, as well as for full or part-time students new to the field.

The OEH program is administered through the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the UAMS College of Public Health, with additional participation by faculty from other colleges at UAMS, UALR, NCTR, the Department of Occupational Health and Safety at UAMS, and occupational and environmental health practitioners from the community.  The program is described in the UAMS Graduate School Catalog. For more information about the program, or to receive application materials, contact the Program Director, Dr. Jay Gandy, at gandyjay@uams.edu or Dr. Tom Rimmer at twrimmer@uams.edu.

The first graduates of the program completed the program in 1993, and since then 33 students have successfully defended the thesis for completion of the Master's degree. All graduates are employed in their area of training or have gone on for additional graduate work in related fields. Graduates are employed in all sectors of the field of occupational and environmental health and worker safety, including federal and state regulatory agencies, manufacturing industries, consulting companies, and worker's compensation insurance companies. The OEH graduate program is thus meeting a vital need by training professionals with expertise in occupational and environmental health.

• Prerequisites to Degree Program . Applicants should have an undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 or higher and above average scores on the Graduate Record Examinations. Prerequisite course work should include satisfactory completion of undergraduate courses in mathematics, chemistry (general and organic), physics and biology. On occasion, certain of these requirements can be completed after admission to the program for an otherwise outstanding student.
• Requirements for the Master of Science Degree . In order to fulfill the requirements for Master of Science Degree in Occupational and Environmental Health, a student must satisfactorily complete the required course work, register for six thesis hours, complete a satisfactory written thesis, and pass the Final Comprehensive Examination. The master's thesis project may be based on either a laboratory research project or a field experience in which the student will have the opportunity to study the evaluation and control of specific health hazards in an actual community or workplace setting.
• Required courses include Environmental and Occupational Health, Biometrical Methods I, Principles of Toxicology in Public Health, Environmental Exposure Assessment, Quantitative Epidemiology I, Government Regulation of Environmental Health, Occupational and Environmental Hazard Control, and seminar.

Required course descriptions

The following courses, in addition to six thesis hours and completion of an acceptable thesis based on relevant field experience or independent investigative research, are required.

PBHL 5113/OEHM 5023: Environmental and Occupational Health  A detailed overview of environmental and occupational health science, with an emphasis on the recognition, evaluation and control of chemical, physical, and biological hazards. Additional topics include significant legal and historical influences as well as currently important issues in the fields.

PBHL 5013/OEHM 5013: Biostatistics I: Introductory topics in descriptive biostatistics and epidemiology, database principles, basic probability, diagnostic test statistics, tests of hypotheses, sample size estimation, power of tests, frequency cross-tabulations, correlation, nonparametric tests, regression, randomization, and analysis of variance.

PBHL 5043/OEHM 5043: Occupational and Environmental Hazard Control:   Detailed study of the principles and practices involved in the control of environmental health hazards, with particular attention to occupational hazards. Topics covered will include ventilation for airborne contaminants, respiratory protection, electrical and mechanical safety methods, and the control of noise, vibration, radiation, heat, biohazards, and chemical hazards.

PBHL 5073/OEHM 5073: Toxicology and Government Regulations: Operational and conceptual toxicology with the statutory basis for and aspects of governmental regulation of environmental hazards to public health. Provides potential industrial hygienists with a better understanding of the relationships that exist between scientific aspects of toxicology and their application through the statutory framework and related governmental regulations in the public health arena.

PBHL 5063/OEHM 5063: Principles of Toxicology in Public Health:  Detailed study of the science and methods of toxicology as applied to adverse health effects from toxicants in the environment, community and workplace with an emphasis on dose-response relationships.  Includes cancer, adverse reproductive outcomes, endocrine disruptors, and specific organ toxicants along with examples of regulatory applications. Prerequisites:  PBHL 5113/OEHM 5023

PBHL 5173/OEHM 5173: Quantitative Epidemiology I:  An introduction to epidemiology and the basic principles and methods of epidemiological research and practice. Overview of the history and the theoretical basis of epidemiology; measures of morbidity, mortality, disease transmission and risk; major study designs; measures of association; bias, confounding and interaction; evaluation of screening tests; inference; casualty. Prerequisite: Biostatistics I (may be taken concurrently) or equivalent.

PBHL 5263/OEHM 5263: Environmental Exposure Assessment: Quantitative introduction to the process of environmental exposure dose evaluation for inhalation, ingestion, and dermal absorption routes. Particular attention is given to air contaminant measurement principles and interpretation of monitoring results. Includes assessment and modeling of workplace, community, and residential environments and the associated sources and pathways of chemical exposure.