Environmental Master’s Degree Accreditation

EHAC accredited environmental health degrees are deemed the industry standard by environmental health leaders. This 2007 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.

Value of EHAC Accreditation 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 (EHO) 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 the USPHS 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 funding, including a trip to NEHA’s annual conference to present their research, and are also provided with information about other internship and scholarship opportunities.

For more information:  Why EHAC? – NEHSPAC