Careers in Environmental Health
We're here there and everywhere, keeping everyone healthy and safe.
There's only one thing predictable about life as an Environmental Health Officer. No two days will ever be the same, and that's because of the amazingly wide scope of our work. We're here to protect the public's health and improve general quality of life. Everything from the air we breathe and the food we eat, to the water we swim in, the houses we live in and the places we work in.
All of these things affect our wellbeing. Not surprisingly, we're here, there and everywhere!
Generalist or Specialist?
Qualified Environmental Health Officers, or EHO's, can take their skills into a huge variety of public and private sector employers, and all kinds of generalist and specialist roles. Offering a career that ticks all the right boxes for people who want real influence, satisfaction and challenge. Qualifying as an EHO will give you technical knowledge and some practical experience in all the core areas of environmental health practice: Food Safety; Health & Safety at Work; Environmental Protection; Housing and Public Health. Once you're qualified, you can choose to remain as a generalist, or specialise in any of the above areas. Whatever choice you make, there will always be options in the future to try new challenges and cross over into other areas.
Making the Grade
Environmental health is a graduate profession, so all would be EHO's must first obtain either a BSc (Hons) or MSc degree accredited by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH). This is combined with work based learning, plus professional exams after graduation before you're a fully qualified EHO.
School or College leavers looking to enrol on an accredited BSc degree course should be thinking in terms of 160 UCAS points with science at AS/A2 level, or 200 UCAS points without science. Alternatively, entry can be gained through an appropriate GNVQ, BTEC or Foundation Degree qualification. The ideal route is a four year sandwich course which includes a year of practical training experience. However there are some three year courses with the year of practical work tacked on at the end.
For more mature aspirants, including career changers, there are flexible alternatives into BSc degrees, including one year science access or Foundation Degrees. Graduates who already have a BSc in another field may be able to go straight onto a postgraduate MSc course and qualify that way.
The key thing to remember is that your degree course must be CIEH accredited. More and more universities are in discussions with the CIEH about running accredited courses, so the choice is growing all the time.
What is the CIEH?
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health has a long history and was originally founded in 1883 as the Association of Sanitary Inspectors to enable its members to share experiences, ideas and fellowship. Despite going through name changes, the Association of 1883 and today's CIEH share a common goal: the protection and enhancement of public health and wellbeing.
Today, the CIEH has over 10,500 members working in government, non-governmental agencies, companies and the armed forces. The CIEH also has a hugely important role in maintaining professional standards, campaigning for improvements in public health and engaging in debate about global environmental challenges. We advise governments and collaborate with professionals and organisations around the world including the World Health Organisation.
Further Information
For further information about careers in environmental health, and the work of the CIEH, visit:
If you live in Solihull and have additional questions about careers in environmental health, you can email environmentalhealth@solihull.gov.uk or telephone 0121 704 6833.