Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology

Environmental and occupational epidemiology strives to understand the causal impact of environment and occupation on human health, because public health interventions are most likely to be effective when disease and injury etiology is understood. Epidemiologists develop studies to identify factors that cause diseases and injuries. The study of environmental and occupational epidemiology requires knowledge of both subject matter and methods. The curriculum emphasizes both, comprising epidemiologic methods, biostatistics, basic sciences, toxicology, and environmental health. Students may focus in one of three components: exposures related to cancer, exposures related to injury, or epidemiologic methods.

Degree Options

The Master of Public Health (MPH) degree is designed to educate health professionals. Students are admitted to the School of Public Health's environmental health major. A full-time program of study takes two years, including course and project work, and an internship.

The Master of Science (MS) degree is designed for both practitioners and for those planning careers in research and academia. Students are admitted to the Graduate School's program in environmental health. A full-time program of study takes two years, including course and project work; an internship is not required.

The primary objective of the Ph.D. program is to bring students to a high level of academic competence through a combination of advanced course work and research. Students develop their dissertation topics from a funded research project. The thesis must make an original contribution to the body of knowledge in environmental or occupational health. Prospective doctoral students must have fulfilled the requirements of the master's program in environmental health, or its equivalent, before admission to the program, or take additional courses to meet that level of knowledge once admitted. A newly funded doctoral program in occupational injury prevention training and research is available.

Career Opportunities

Environmental and occupational epidemiologists often work for state health departments, federal agencies, private industry, private consulting companies, academia, and health care organizations. They conduct studies on a wide range of environmental and occupational exposures: examples include the human health effects of exposure to hazardous waste, physical energies, indoor and outdoor air pollution, occupational exposures, preventive-health behaviors, pesticides, electromagnetic fields, passive cigarette smoke, and radiation.

Financial Assistance

Students choosing this specialty are eligible for several scholarships and traineeships available within the division. They may also apply for research assistantships when these positions become available. Traineeship support is available to students who elect a focus in injury epidemiology. Doctoral students are supported as research assistants by the doctoral research project. Financial Assistance Information

Admission Information

Probationary Admission

Applicants may be admitted to the MPH program on a probationary basis. Each application for probationary admission will be evaluated and considered individually. Full time students will be required to take three courses in the first semester (PubH 5320, Fundamentals of Epidemiology; PubH 5414 Biostatistical Methods I; and one of three core EnHS courses) and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0. Part-time students will be required to take the same courses over a period of two semesters and maintain a GPA of 3.0. Students who successfully complete these requirements will be admitted to regular student status.

Curriculum for MPH Program

Curriculum for MS Program

Curriculum for PhD Program

Primary Faculty

Bruce Alexander, Ph.D., Associate Professor (Occupational and environmental epidemiology, reproductive health, health effects of lead, injury prevention research, health of agriculture production population, use of biological markers in epidemiological research)

Timothy R. Church, MS, PhD, Associate Professor (clinical trial methodology, cancer screening models, model uncertainty)

Susan G. Gerberich, MSPH, PhD, Professor; Director, Center for Violence Prevention and Control; Director, Regional Injury Prevention Research Center (injury surveillance, occupational and agricultural injuries, violence, including work-related assault, brain and spinal cord injuries, sports injuries)

George Maldonado, MSPH, PhD, Associate Professor (epidemiologic methodology)

Adjunct Faculty

L. Ron French, Ph.D., Adjunct Assistant Professor, Senior Epidemiologist, Division of Chronic Disease and Environmental Epidemiology, Minnesota Department of Health

Gary Olmstead, PhD, CIH, CSP, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Director of Safety and Environmental Management, General Mills, Inc. (industrial safety, health and safety management)

David Parker, MD, MPH, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Occupational Medicine Physician, Chronic Disease and Environmental Epidemiology, Minnesota Department of Health, (occupational diseases, injury surveillance, occupational injury and safety).