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Arnold School of Public Health

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Environmental Health Sciences

Environmental Health Sciences (ENHS) is primarily concerned with the interactions of humans with the environment. Our field focuses on the adverse effects of environmental conditions or contamination on human health and the impacts of human activities on the environment. 

Career opportunities for ENHS exist in federal, state and local environmental regulatory agencies, national research laboratories, industries, environmental consulting companies and universities. Jobs in the field include research scientist, industrial hygienist, water quality specialist, health and safety officer, ecotoxicologist, molecular toxicologist, environmental microbiologist, community engagement and environmental justice scientist, nanomaterial scientist, air pollutions scientist, health physicist and professor.

ENHS examines the causes and effects of interactions between humans and their environment. Our goal is to understand and minimize impacts on human health and the environment. To explore these complex interactions, numerous elements of pure and applied sciences, including biology, chemistry, geography, physics, engineering, public health and medicine, are required. Two broad areas of emphasis are available to students entering the department’s graduate programs: environmental health and human health.

ENHS holds at least 20 nationally competitive grants from a variety of our field's esteemed professional organizations. Our graduate students receive financial support from these grants via Graduate Research Assistantships. In addition, ENHS graduate students are routinely recipients of nationally competitive research fellowships. 


Degrees Offered

We offer four advanced degrees in environmental health sciences. Find the degree option that works best for you then explore the application deadlines and requirements for each degree.

 

Environmental Health Sciences News

Laura Langan

Environmental health sciences assistant professor Laura Langan uses science to create solutions

As an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Laura Langan is looking for her own answers to the array of impacts that result from the nexus of human and environmental interactions.

care logo

CARE evaluators, environmental health sciences researchers collaborate to support farm to school program

When the Green Heart Project approached CARE to help them determine if their work was making a difference, CARE and ENHS helped them navigate the process of finding answers.

Samantha Case

Environmental health sciences graduate joins Occupational Safety and Health Administration

At USC, Samantha Case found community with the Grace Jordan McFadden Professor Program and the Black Graduate Student Association and conducted research on the impacts of silver nanoparticles when absorbed by E. coli. 

Mirza Isanovic

Environmental health sciences graduate completes third USC degree to tackle antibiotic resistant bacteria

Mirza Isanovic has been learning about environmental health since he enrolled at USC more than 12 years ago. Bosnia and Herzegovina-born and Columbia-raised, he has been interested in the field for as long as he can remember.

Karlen Correa Velez

December graduate continues environmental health research with postdoctoral fellowship

Karlen Correa Vélez has been studying Vibrio – a harmful bacteria – for nearly a decade, and she’s not done. The Ph.D. in ENHS graduate will continue her research as a postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University. 

Ryan Leighton

Environmental health sciences graduate joins National Institutes of Health’s Safety Operations and Support Branch

As a biologist with the Safety Operations and Support Branch of the National Institutes of Health, Ryan Leighton leans on the lessons learned from his Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences program in his day-to-day work.

 

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