Environmental Health

Environmental health is a discipline concerned with the relationship between environmental conditions and human health, and with the regulatory, investigative, and educational work that protects the public from environmental health hazards. Environmental health practitioners work to identify and address risks arising from food safety, housing conditions, noise and air pollution, infectious disease control, workplace safety, and the safety of commercial premises. It is a profession that combines scientific knowledge with regulatory authority and public service, and it is genuinely consequential for the communities it protects.

At Middlesex, in the only accredited environmental health degree programme in London and the south-east, you will develop the knowledge, skills, and professional certifications needed to work confidently as an environmental health practitioner. The programme covers food hygiene and safety law, housing standards and enforcement, environmental protection, infectious disease prevention, health and safety at work, licensing and noise nuisance, and the legal and investigative methods that environmental health officers use in practice. The degree is offered part-time with a foundation year, making it accessible to students who need flexible study arrangements and whose prior qualifications need to be developed before the main programme begins.

Graduates are prepared for careers as environmental health officers and practitioners in local authorities, the Food Standards Agency, the Health and Safety Executive, port health authorities, and the private sector. The professional qualification and accreditation that the degree provides are required for practice as an environmental health officer. Many graduates continue to postgraduate development or specialist training in areas such as food law, housing, or occupational health.