Environmental Health - BSc (Hons) Degree

This degree can be studied as a three-year full-time degree or a four-year full-time degree that includes a year of foundational study.

There are two foundation routes available, and applicants can choose whether to study a foundation year in Health Sciences or Social Sciences.

Find out more about the foundation years:

• Foundation leading to Health Sciences
• Foundation leading to Social Sciences

The foundation year is intended to prepare you for your subsequent years of studying, offering you the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence.

The foundation year will be relevant to:

1. Students who aspire to enrol onto the first year of a science-based honours degree programme within the Cardiff School of Health Sciences, who have not achieved the standard entry requirements to enter at year one of the chosen degree.
2. Students who have not studied subjects that provide the necessary background within the scientific disciplines required to enter at year one of the chosen degree.

Please note: You will need to apply using a specific UCAS code if you wish to undertake the 4 years including foundation. Please refer to Key Course Information at the bottom of this page.

Degree:

Throughout the course you will study core areas, comprising: Food Safety; Housing; Health & Safety in the Workplace; Environmental Protection and the underpinning themes of Public Health; Epidemiology and Risk Assessment.

Year One:

The programme will begin with an introduction to Environmental Health in a global context, introducing students to historical and current environmental health challenges. You will also be taught all the key academic skills required to be able to study at degree level. You will learn about the determinants of health and environmental sciences before moving on to consider the role of the living and workplace environment on health including housing, health and safety and food safety. In the first year of the programme you will complete six modules:

• Professional and Interprofessional Development 1*
  

• Food Safety Management
• Determinants of Health
• Workplace Environment
• Environmental Health Sciences
• Living Environment

Year Two:

In the second year you will develop your skills and knowledge and start applying them to tasks and situations you will be dealing with when you graduate. The principles and practices of public protection will be taught across all areas of environmental health. You will also get the opportunity to consider the role of data and the relevance of health promotion in managing health impacts from your work. You will be introduced to research methods and will choose a subject for your final project.  You will be assisted to secure and undertake a work placement as an embedded element of the course. 
The second year modules are:

• Principles of Public Protection
• Professional and Interprofessional Development 2*
  
• Research Methods*
  
• Assessing & Improving Population Health
• Public Protection in Practice
  

Year Three:

In the final year you will consolidate your skills and knowledge by studying across four modules. You will undertake a large piece of supported independent study and develop your skills in health protection and the sustainable management of business to limit impacts on health and the environment. You will also undertake a capstone activity of designing environmental health interventions for health and sustainable development and evaluating these interventions utilising recognised tools and techniques. The final year modules are:

• Health Protection Incidents
• Applied Management Systems
• Intervention for Health & Sustainable Development
• Project*
  

*modules available through the medium of Welsh

A variety of learning and teaching methods are used, such as lectures, seminars, visits, practical sessions, problem based learning, case studies and role-play exercises. All teaching is supported by the Moodle virtual leaning environment and Microsoft Teams, which helps students to access information when it is needed. Notes, reading and discussion boards are used to support student learning.

Through the degree programme contact time varies. Our teaching is mainly on-campus through workshops, seminars and lectures and these are supported by online activities and resources. Your learning time with the staff and your peers should be supported by self-dedicated study time. 

A personal tutor scheme supports students with academic and pastoral support from the first year onwards, and encourages students to set and achieve their academic and career goals through all years of the programme.

Teaching staff are all actively engaged with the Higher Education Academy with a number of members of staff receiving awards and recognition for their innovative teaching practice.

Assessment consists of a variety of forms including:

• Coursework
• Practical assessments
• Presentations and posters
• Group work
• Peer assessment
• Professional interview
• Written examinations

All feedback on assessment is provided electronically and can take many forms including written, audio and video formats.

Additional feedback will be provided throughout the programme during taught sessions and personal tutor meetings.

At the beginning of each term students will be given details of the assessment programme for that term. This will include the precise nature and format of the assessment, the criteria for assessment and details of dates for submission of work.

Assessments have been written to closely resemble many day to day workplace situations. This provides students with hands on experience of what they will encounter before going into employment.

Undertaking an Environmental Health degree is a pathway into a large number of careers.

Within the private sector the five disciplines of the degree open up a wide array of employment opportunities. These include consultancy, auditing and regulatory compliance roles within medium to large companies both in the UK and abroad.

Within local government, the profession of the environmental health practitioner is highly regarded and environmental health practitioners are employed by local authorities throughout Britain. The armed forces and public health bodies also offer strong career options for environmental health practitioners.

Our graduates work in all the following areas:

• Local Authority Environmental Health Departments
• Central government and its agencies (e.g. Food Standards Agency, Public Health Wales/England, Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive)
• Military service (Army, Navy and RAF)
• Holiday & Travel companies
• Large Retailers such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s
• Private consultancy
• Housing associations
• Academia
• Overseas
• International Health Development.

Graduates from the course have a very high rates of employment. This is assisted by the strong reputation of the course and the integration of a Professional Employability module. This module aims to provide meaningful work experience and assistance from leading industry professionals in developing strong CV’s, personal statements for job applications and the knowledge and aptitudes required for the job application process.

Opportunities for further study include the MSc Occupational Safety, Health and Wellbeing and Masters of Applied Public Health, as well as a number of research studentships

Typical Offers

​The following requirements are based on typical offers relevant to entering year 1 of the degree.

If you do not meet these entry requirements, we also offer a Foundation Year in either Health or Social Sciences, which allows progression to Year 1 upon successful completion.

• Tariff points: 96-104
  
• Contextual offer: See our contextual offers page.
  
• GCSE: Five GCSEs at Grade C / 4 or above to include English Language / Welsh First Language, Mathematics / Mathematics – Numeracy and Science.
  
• English Language Requirement: Academic IELTS 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in all elements, or equivalent.
  
• A level subjects: Minimum three A levels to include grades CC. Welsh Baccalaureate – Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate considered as a third subject.
  
• BTEC National / Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: MMM-DMM.
  
• T Level: Pass (C+).
  
• Access to Higher Education Diploma: No specific subjects required.
  
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: Minimum two Grade 5 in Higher Level subjects.
  
• Irish Leaving Certificate: 2 x H2. No specific subjects required. Higher level subjects only considered with a minimum grade H4.
  
• Scottish Advanced Highers: Grades DD. No specific subjects required. Scottish Highers are also considered, either on their own or in combination with Advanced Highers.
  

Combinations of the above qualifications are accepted if they meet our minimum requirements. If your qualifications aren’t listed, please contact Admissions or refer to the UCAS Course Search.

Further information on Overseas qualifications can be found here.

If you are a mature applicant, have relevant experience or RPL that you would like us to consider, please contact Admissions.

How to Apply

Further information on how to apply can be found here.

For general enquiries please contact the Admissions Team on 029 2041 6044, email askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk or Tweet us at @CMetAdmissions​.

For course specific enquiries, please contact the programme leader, Henry Dawson: 
Email: hdawson@cardiffmet.ac.uk 
Tel: 029 2020 5786​