Master of Public Health in Environmental Health Sciences/Master of of Urban and Regional Planning

1. Course Requirements in Environmental Health Sciences 

• BIOS 100B: Introduction to Biostatistics

• EHS C200B: Foundations of Environmental Health Sciences

• EHS C240: Fundamentals of Toxicology

• EHS 400: Field Studies in Environmental Health Sciences (students enroll in this course the quarter that they have completed their final internship report)

• EHS 411: Environmental Health Sciences Seminar: One quarter each year is required

• EHS C200C: Foundations of Environmental Health Sciences

• EHS 200D: Policy Analysis for Environmental Health Sciences

• EHS 257: Risk Assessment and Standard Setting

2. Core Course Requirements in Public Health 

• PH 200A and B: Foundations in Public Health

• PH 401: Foundations in Public Health

3. Elective Courses 

In addition to UCLA Fielding and Department of Environmental Health Sciences requirements, at least 16 units of upper division or graduate level elective courses are required and are selected by students in consultation with their faculty adviser. Students must submit a blue petition each quarter for the electives that they want to use to satisfy degree requirements. MPH students who already have met these requirements as part of their area of focus e.g. Industrial Hygiene, are exempt.

4. Chemistry Waiver Exam

Students must successfully complete a written examination in chemistry when they enter the program, otherwise, they will be required to take Environmental Health Sciences 101.

5. Industrial Hygiene Focus 

Students may choose to focus on Industrial Hygiene, which has additional curricular requirements beyond the standard MPH program. 

Students interested in being supported for fees and a stipend by the NIOSH Southern California  Education and Research Center must contact the UCLA IH Program Director Dr. Shane Que Hee.

6. Field Training

The internship or field study constitutes a culminating experience for the degree and provides the student with an opportunity to apply the principles and knowledge obtained in the classroom to real world problems in a professional setting.

All students in the MPH program in EHS are required to complete a 400-hour internship in an appropriate environmental health setting. Internship settings may include government agencies or departments, non-profit organizations, local industry, consulting firms, community organizations, advocacy agencies, national laboratories, or a university, college, or school setting.

Students must write a project summary paper related to the work performed during the internship; the paper must be approved by both the field mentor and the faculty advisor. The subject of the paper may be on the student’s research project, an environmental sampling or analysis activity, or a policy white paper related to the internship topic. Students should seek approval of their intended paper topic from their faculty advisor and field mentor prior to writing the paper to ensure that the topic is appropriate.

View a list of faculty in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences.

Graduates of the department have pursued careers in both the private and public sectors as researchers, educators, managers, policymakers, and practitioners.

Examples of positions held by graduates include:

• Environmental Health Specialist
• Research Associate
• Air or Water Pollution Specialist
• Occupational Health Manager

For the most up to date fees and more information on fee breakdown, visit the registrar's office.

Please see the cost and aid section of our website for information on awards, scholarships, training opportunities, employment, summer internship funding, and need-based aid. Please note that opportunities listed under 'Summer Internship Funding' are only applicable to MPH students.

Desired Qualifications

In addition to meeting the University’s minimum requirements, students should have a bachelor's (or master's) degree in public health, environmental health, life sciences, physical sciences, engineering, environmental science, or a related field.  

Applicants with non-science majors who meet the following course work requirements will be considered for admission:

Course Work

• 1 university-level course or equivalent in Calculus, Linear Algebra, or Statistics
• 1 university-level course in Chemistry or equivalent
• 1 university-level course in Biology or equivalent

Students who do not have the prerequisites at the time of application may take equivalent courses at UCLA in their first year.

Admissions Process

Visit the application guide to learn about our admissions process.