Concentration · Verified September 2026

Environmental Health MPH and Master's Programs

134verified programs
125at CEPH-accredited schools
32offered online
$620median tuition per credit

Is an Environmental Health Master's the Right Environmental Health and Safety Degree for You?

An environmental health and safety degree at the master's level, usually an MPH or MS in environmental health, trains you to find and control hazards in air, water, food and workplaces. The BLS says occupational health and safety specialists typically need a bachelor's degree, so a master's is the route to specialist, research and leadership roles rather than the entry ticket. This site lists 134 environmental health master's programs at 83 schools, 125 of them at CEPH-accredited schools; see pay in the environmental health specialist guide.

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A man in a white protective suit, goggles and respirator holds a clipboard while inspecting a large waste dump
Photo: Gustavo Fring / Pexels

Environmental health covers the hazards people don’t choose: polluted air and water, unsafe food, toxic exposures at work, and the effects of a changing climate. The WHO says good health depends on clean air, a stable climate and access to safe water and sanitation, and it attributes 13.7 million deaths in 2016, 24% of all deaths worldwide, to environmental risks.

This page covers 134 environmental health master’s programs at 83 schools in 38 states. Public universities dominate, with 107 programs, and 125 programs sit at CEPH-accredited schools or programs.

Environmental Health and Safety Degree: Where a Master’s Fits

If you searched for an environmental health and safety degree, start with the entry requirements. The BLS says occupational health and safety specialists typically need a bachelor’s degree, with coursework in ergonomics, safety management and industrial hygiene, and that certification is often preferred or required. Environmental scientists and specialists, including environmental health and safety specialists, also typically start with a bachelor’s.

So the master’s isn’t the entry ticket. It’s what you add to move into risk assessment, toxicology, industrial hygiene, research or program leadership, or to switch into the field from another science degree. Choose the degree by the job:

  • MPH in environmental health (86 programs). Practice-oriented. Health departments, regulatory agencies, nonprofits and industry EHS programs.
  • MS or MSPH (45 MS, 2 MSPH, 1 MHS). Research-oriented, often lab or field based. Consulting, research labs, doctoral study.
  • Industrial hygiene MS or MSPH. Worker exposure science. CEPH classes the MS in industrial hygiene as a specialized academic degree.

Three Paths at One School: UAB’s Environmental Health Degrees

UAB offers all three, which shows how differently they’re built:

MPH, Environmental Health MSPH, Environmental Health Sciences MSPH, Industrial Hygiene
Credits 43 45 43 minimum (46 with internship)
Field work 3-credit public health internship Research in sampling, lab analysis or field data Internship for NIOSH-funded students
Finish line Integrative learning experience Written thesis Master’s thesis
Built for Environmental and occupational health practice Research careers and doctoral study Workplace exposure assessment and control

The industrial hygiene program belongs to the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety, one of 18 Education and Research Centers supported by NIOSH.

134 programs

Program facts come from each school's own program pages, reviewed September 2026. Tuition is the school's published figure with its basis; per-credit sorting uses programs that publish a per-credit rate. CEPH status comes from the CEPH accredited list.

What You Study in an MPH in Environmental Health

UAB’s MPH concentration is a clear example of the practice curriculum. After the public health core, you take Fundamentals of Environmental Health Science, Assessing and Managing Environmental Risks, Environmental Justice and Ethics, Essentials of Environmental and Occupational Toxicology and Diseases, Fundamentals of Air and Water Pollution, and Fundamentals of Occupational Safety.

Research-track MS programs go narrower and deeper. Columbia splits its MS in Environmental Health Sciences into tracks such as Toxicology and Environmental Health Data Science, each 36 credits in 12 months full time.

The concentration names across these programs show the field’s range:

Concentration name Programs using it
Environmental Health 21
Environmental Health Sciences 17
Environmental and Occupational Health 9
Industrial Hygiene 4
Global Environmental Health 4
Environment, Climate & Health 3

Climate has its own tracks at several schools. The University of Arizona offers Climate Change and Health, GWU’s online MPH offers Climate Health, and Georgetown’s 10-month MS in Climate, Environment and Health costs $79,560 in program tuition for 2026-2027. If your interest crosses borders, the global health programs include several environmental tracks.

The REHS/RS Credential and Why EHAC Accreditation Matters

For health department inspectors and many environmental health specialists, the credential to know is the REHS/RS (Registered Environmental Health Specialist or Registered Sanitarian) from the National Environmental Health Association. There are three routes:

Route Education Work experience
Track A A degree in environmental health from an EHAC-accredited program None required
Track B Any bachelor’s or higher, 30 semester hours of basic science, a math or statistics course Two or more years full time in environmental health
Track C (In Training) Same as Track B None to test; two years within three years to keep the credential

That makes EHAC accreditation, which is separate from CEPH, worth checking. The University of Illinois Springfield MPH in Environmental Health has an EHAC-accredited curriculum, is STEM designated, runs 48 credit hours over two years, and is offered online, on campus or hybrid. UIS estimates in-state tuition at $9,222 a year online and $8,544 on campus, before fees.

MPH in Environmental Health Online

32 programs offer an online option and 14 are fully online. Accredited examples:

The research-track degrees on this page, such as Columbia’s toxicology MS and UAB’s MSPH programs, are on campus, so plan on relocating if you want lab-based exposure science. More options are on the online MPH programs page.

What an Environmental Health Master’s Costs

Among 42 programs with a published per-credit rate, tuition runs from $205 to $2,824 per credit, with a median of $620. Estimated tuition (published per-credit rate times credits, before fees) is available for 39 programs, with a median of $26,404.

Program Degree Estimated tuition
University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences MPH, Environmental Health $11,890
UTHealth Houston MPH, Environmental Health concentration $12,915
University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences MS, Industrial Hygiene $13,530
UNLV MPH, Environmental and Global Health track $18,013
NYU MPH, Environmental Health and Sustainability $115,322
Baylor University MPH, Environmental Health Science concentration $118,608

These use resident rates where a school lists two; UTHealth’s $287 per credit is $1,124 for non-residents. Compare more low-cost options on the affordable MPH programs page.

Environmental Health Jobs and Pay

The BLS occupation closest to this degree is occupational health and safety specialist. These specialists inspect and test workplaces, equipment and practices against safety regulations, and design programs that control chemical, physical and other risks to workers. There were 140,610 jobs in May 2025 and 19% projected growth from 2025 to 2035.

Pay level (May 2025) Annual wage
Bottom 10% earned less than $55,000
Median $90,150
Top 10% earned more than $134,950

Government employs 18% of these specialists, manufacturing 17%, construction 17%, transportation and warehousing 8% and consulting 6%. Pay is highest in the District of Columbia (median $111,530), Massachusetts ($103,970) and Washington ($102,920). Texas has the most jobs listed, 17,920, at a median of $79,660.

The broader environmental scientists and specialists occupation, which includes environmental health and safety specialists, had a median of $82,220 in May 2025. State governments employ 28% of that group. The environmental health specialist career guide has state-by-state pay.

How to Choose an Environmental Health Program

  1. Match the degree to the job. MPH for health department and practice roles, MS or MSPH for research, industrial hygiene for worker exposure work.
  2. Check both accreditations. CEPH for the school (125 of 134 programs qualify) and EHAC if you want the fastest REHS/RS route. The CEPH accreditation guide explains the first.
  3. Look for lab and field time. Research tracks like UAB’s MSPH involve sampling, lab analysis or field data; confirm the facilities match your interest.
  4. Consider a NIOSH center for industrial hygiene. UAB’s program is part of one of 18 NIOSH Education and Research Centers, and students there who receive NIOSH funding complete an added internship, bringing the degree to 46 credits.
  5. Price it at your residency and add fees.
  6. Compare with epidemiology. Environmental epidemiology sits between the two; see the epidemiology programs and the MPH vs MS guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the REHS/RS Credential?

It's the Registered Environmental Health Specialist or Registered Sanitarian credential from the National Environmental Health Association. You qualify through a degree from an EHAC-accredited environmental health program, or through any bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours of basic science, a math or statistics course and two years of full-time environmental health work. An in-training track lets you sit the exam before you have the experience.

Can You Get an MPH in Environmental Health Online?

Yes. 32 programs on this site offer an online option and 14 are fully online, including the University of Illinois Springfield MPH in Environmental Health and Eastern Kentucky University's online MPH at $540 per credit hour.

What Is Industrial Hygiene?

Industrial hygiene is the branch of environmental health focused on workers. UAB describes it as recognizing, evaluating and controlling workplace conditions that may lead to disease or injury, including setting safe exposure limits. It's usually offered as an MS or MSPH.

Do Environmental Health Programs Require the GRE?

Rarely. 48 programs say the GRE is not required and 28 make it optional. Only 1 program on this page lists it as required.

Keep Comparing

Sources

  1. Official program pages of each school listed, reviewed September 2026
  2. Council on Education for Public Health, accredited schools and programs
  3. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Occupational Health and Safety Specialists and Technicians
  4. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Environmental Scientists and Specialists
  5. WHO: Environmental health
  6. UAB Graduate Catalog: Department of Environmental Health Sciences
  7. University of Illinois Springfield: Environmental Health MPH
  8. CEPH: Accreditation Criteria, 2024

Every program here was checked against the school's own website. Accreditation comes from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) list, and graduate counts from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS). Sponsored listings are labeled and never change which programs we list. How we verify programs