Public Health - Environmental & Occupational Health Graduate Certificate

Program Details

Next Start Date: January 8

Credit Hours: 18

Course Length: 16 weeks

Estimated Program Length: 18 months

The fully online Environmental and Health Occupation Graduate Certificate provides opportunities for working professionals looking to expand their knowledge in public health, health care and environmental sectors.

Why Study Public Health at UWF?

Whether you would like to work in public health, health care or environmental sectors, the Public Health Certificate in Environmental and Occupational Health from UWF will instill a foundation of public health knowledge, in addition to more specialized coursework in occupational safety, industrial hygiene, disease monitoring, environmental toxicology and risk management.

Cost-effective and ideal for working individuals, the public health graduate certificate in environmental and occupational health can benefit professionals from many industries, including health sciences, education, government, business, social and natural sciences and others. While this certificate program does not lead to professional certification, you can advance your career, secure a higher salary or confidently pursue certification after completion of the program.

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What You Will Learn

The fully online program is delivered asynchronously, meaning that you do not have to log in at any specific time; you can complete coursework and communicate with your professors at times that are convenient for you. Our professors, who are experts in their fields, have real-world experience in public health that translates directly to their teaching.

By completing this certificate, you will be able to:

Pursue career advancement in public health
Seek professional certification using your knowledge
Educate others on how to keep the environment clean and their workplaces safe

Courses

Courses & Requirements

The Environmental and Occupational Health Graduate Certificate requires the completion of 18 credit hours with a grade of C or higher. Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 to earn the certificate. The certificate does not lead to industry (OSHA) certification.

Required Core (9 credit hours)

PHC 5355 - Fundamentals of Occupational Safety and Health
PHC 5356 - Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene
PHC 6300 - Environmental Health

Non-Aerospace Students (9 credit hours)

Non-aerospace students must successfully complete the following 3 courses in addition to the foundational core courses:

PHC 5102 - Principles of Public Health
PHC 6251 - Disease Surveillance and Monitoring
PHC 6310 - Environmental Toxicology

RAM Residents (9 credit hours)

RAM residents must successfully complete the following 3 courses in addition to the foundational core courses:

PHC 6347 - Aerospace and Occupational Toxicology
PHC 6360 - Accident Investigation and Risk Management
PHC 6194 - GIS Applications in Public Health

To be considered for admission to the University of West Florida’s online Public Health—Environmental and Occupational Health Certificate program, you must be admitted to the University as a graduate non-degree seeking student.

How to Apply

Once accepted as a graduate non-degree seeking student, students should contact the Public Health academic advisor about course availability and scheduling, and to complete the online Graduate Certificate Declaration Form on MyUWF. Current UWF graduate students interested in completing the graduate certificate are not required to complete the non-degree seeking application but will need to contact the MPH academic advisor to review their degree audit and initiate the declaration of certificate process.

Have questions about this program or the admissions process? Contact our graduate admissions team at gradadmissions@uwf.edu. If you are a current UWF student, please reach out to the department academic advisor.

Full Course Descriptions Registration Requirements

Careers & Outcomes

Upon completion of our environmental and occupational health certificate, you can pursue a variety of careers within public health. Some careers require additional education, certification or training.

Job Titles

Environmental Health Scientists and Specialists
Health and Safety Engineers
Health Educators
Community Health Workers
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

Career Outlook

The median wage for occupational health and safety specialists is $78,570
The job outlook for occupational health and safety specialists is 13% (much faster than average)
Florida has the 2nd highest employment level in environmental scientists and specialists, including health

Source: BLS, 2024

Tuition Rate Per Credit Hour

Public Health - Environmental & Occupational Health Online Graduate Certificate Tuition
Component	Cost	Total*
In-state Tuition	$384.60 per credit hour	$6,922.80
Full Out-of-state Tuition	$1,044.24 per credit hour	$18,796.32
90% Out-of-state Tuition	$478.83 per credit hour	$8,618.94

Tuition waivers cover up to 90% of the non-resident portion of your tuition and are available to non-Florida residents (including international students) admitted to online campus programs and registered for online courses in active pursuit of that degree or certificate. You must pay all other assessed tuition and fees. The renewal of Online Campus Out-of-State Tuition Waivers is not automatic. Waiver requests must be submitted every semester and are not retroactive for previous semesters. Review Tuition Waiver Information to learn more.

Time to completion varies by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. Fees are charged per semester unless otherwise noted.

Refer to UWF Cost of Attendance Estimates and Financial Literacy for more information on UWF costs and financial aid.

* Tuition and fees are subject to change.

Alabama, Military & Financial Aid

Alabama Differential Out-of-State Tuition

Residents of Alabama are eligible for Alabama Differential Tuition, a reduced out-of-state tuition rate. To verify residency status for tuition purposes, new undergraduate students should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and new graduate students should contact the Graduate School. Current enrolled students should contact the Office of the Registrar. See more about Tuition Waivers.

Military & Veterans

The UWF Military & Veterans Resource Center (MVRC) serves as the campus advocate for military, dependents and veteran students. Contact the MVRC to learn more about the various military and veteran education assistance or tuition waiver opportunities and eligibility requirements.

UWF Financial Assistance

The University of West Florida provides eligible students with an alternative to paying the full amount of tuition at the beginning of each term in the form of an installment payment plan or a short-term loan. See more about Financial Aid and Education Funding Opportunities.