Environmental Health (Distance Learning) - MSc/Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate

All modules are compulsory for the MSc Environmental Health, with the exception highlighted below. Modules are also available as stand-alone Continuous Professional Development (CPD) units.

If you wish to go on and register as an Environmental Health Practitioner with the CIEH, you must complete the Professional Food Practice Assessment, which is part of the Food Control Module. For this assessment, you attend a two-day course and exam at the Frenchay Campus UWE, Bristol.

If you do not take this module, or cannot attend campus, you will complete the Food Risk and Society Module for the award of MSc Environmental Health Studies. You can register with the CIEH at a later date, if you wish, having taken the food practical examination at UWE Bristol or another CIEH-accredited university or facility.

Core modules:

• Introduction to Environmental and Public Health (15 credits) - Learning how to critically analyse what determines health and illness in social, environmental and political contexts.
• Environmental Health Risk and Law (15 credits) - A critical understanding of environmental health legal systems, regulatory agenda and risk assessment
• Housing and Healthy Neighbourhoods (15 credits) - Looking closely at the relationship between housing, communities and health, and the risks associated with housing deficiencies.
• Food Control (15 credits) - Critical understanding of the food supply chain and evaluating the interventions required to control the risks to public health. This Module contains the Professional Food Practice Assessment OR
• Food, Risk and Society (15 Credits) - Looks the relationship between food and health with a critical understanding of the food supply chain and how risks are managed.
• Environmental Protection and Sustainability (15 credits ) - Learning to understand the links between the environment, health and sustainability through the evaluation, mitigation and/or management of human activity that may cause environmental contamination of air, land and water.
• Health and Safety Management (15 credits) - Understanding how working environments may affect our health, safety and welfare and how we can minimise incidents and negative impacts through focused interventions.
• Health Promotion (15 credits) - Learning how to devise and evaluate approaches to address health inequalities within communities.
• Quantitative Health Research (15 credits) - Critical analysis and interpretation of epidemiological studies, in preparation for the research aspect of the course dissertation.
• Environmental Health Professional Practice (15 credits) - Critical application of environmental theory into practice through case studies
• Dissertation (45 credits) - Design and execute a planned research study based on relevant methodology within an appropriate research framework.

Please also note this structure is for the full-time course delivery only. For part-time delivery, the same modules will be studied. However, the structure will differ.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.

This course uses a wide range of innovative teaching approaches to fit a range of learning needs. Our blended online learning approach uses, directed learning activities and supported collaborations and is a particularly distinctive and popular feature of the programme.

Directed learning activities include lectures, reading, quizzes, videos, blogs and taking part in discussion boards. Collaborative approaches include webinars, online tutorials and discussion groups, and encourage active participation and engagement with the learning process.

The interactive nature of the course means you can share and develop your experiences and ideas with students from around the world, creating the sense of 'community' we aim to foster on our programme.

Minimum IT requirements

You will need regular internet access and appropriate IT equipment and software for accessing learning materials through Blackboard, our secure virtual learning environment. You will also store and submit work through Blackboard.

Find out more about what IT system requirements you will need.

You will also need a computer-compatible headset with microphone, and a webcam to take part in interactive group activities and webinars.

For more details see our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

One to two years full-time; five years part-time, September start

The Master's degree requires an accumulation of 180 credits. All modules are 15 credits with the exception of the Dissertation which is 45 credits

We use a variety of assessment methods, according to each module's requirements, but they include reflective blogs, e-portfolios, online presentations and examinations, and written assignments. The methods used will vary for each module.

For more detail see our full glossary of assessment terms.