EHAC Accreditation
What’s in it for Your Students and Your Environmental Health Degree Program?
More accredited degree programs are needed in order to fill the demand for highly trained environmental health professionals entering the workforce. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2018), Occupational Outlook Handbook: Environmental Scientists and Specialists report projects growth of the profession to be faster than average at about 8% in the next 10 years. EHAC has accredited 37 degree programs throughout the United States. While placement data are difficult to ascertain because graduates do not always report back to their institution when and where they secured their first job post graduation, many accredited programs report that the demand for their graduates is so high that most of their graduates have jobs within six months of graduation. What we can say with greater assurance is that the diversity of employment opportunities open to graduates of accredited Environmental Health degree programs is great.
Strengths of Degrees from EHAC accredited institutions
EHAC accredited environmental health degrees are deemed the industry standard by environmental health leaders. This report, Career Resource Guide for Uniformed Services Environmental Health Practitioners, published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provides valuable information on the rigor, quality and value of EHAC accreditation.
EHAC students graduate equipped with the skills and competencies to assess and address a myriad of environmental health issues as EHAC curriculum provides strong foundations in:
Environmental Health:
Toxicology
Water/food safety
Epidemiology
Vector control
Science and Math:
Chemistry
Biology
Microbiology
Algebra (college level)
Significantly, and of great value to potential employers, practical experience is a requirement as students must complete an internship to graduate.
Benefits to Students
- Graduation from an EHAC- or selected ABET-accredited degree program is required to enter the US Public Health Service as an environmental health officer if the applicant only possesses an undergraduate degree. Similar requirements for B.S. degree-holders exist for other uniformed services including the armed services. Undergraduate and graduate students from accredited degree programs are eligible to participate in their JRCOSTEP internship program, and no other accrediting body affords undergraduate students this opportunity. Long term careers often result for alumni of the JRCOSTEP internship program.
- Graduates of EHAC accredited degree programs meet the criteria to take the Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS) credential examination through the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) upon graduation. Students from non-accredited degree programs must be employed in the environmental health profession for 2 years before taking the REHS/RS examination.
- EHAC students have exclusive access to the National Environmental Health Association’s (NEHA) National Environmental Public Health Internship Program (NEPHIP).
- EHAC students are eligible to compete for scholarships and internships provided by AEHAP and NSF International, including a trip to NEHA’s annual conference to present their research, and are also provided with information about other internship and scholarship opportunities.