Undergraduate Advisement

Several classes that are required courses can also satisfy part of your general education (GE) requirements:

• EOH 352 satisfies upper division Section 3 (Social Sciences) for EOH majors
• HSCI 132 or 345 satisfies Section 3 (Social Sciences)
• The mathematics requirements satisfy Basic Skills (Mathematics)
• The chemistry and physics requirements satisfy Subject Explorations

If you took EOH 353 as an upper division Section 4 (Lifelong Learning) before declaring your major as EOH, the course may be grandfathered into your general education program.  EOH 353 is not available as GE for students who have declared EOH as their major and EOH majors may not take EOH 101 or 353.

Similarly, if you took EOH 101 as a lower division Section 4 (Lifelong Learning) before declaring your major as EOH, the course may be grandfathered into your GE program.  EOH 101 is not available as GE for students who have declared EOH as their major.

It is important to complete the science core biology, chemistry and physics courses before taking the upper division core and electives. 

EOH 455/L is the required science core course in infectious disease control for EOH majors.  However, it may be used as an elective by transfer students who have already completed a microbiology course (with lab) elsewhere.  Enrollment in the lab is a required part of the course.

See www.assist.org for articulation agreements between CSUN and regional universities and colleges.  If the course(s) is not listed at the articulation website, the student is responsible for demonstrating equivalence with catalog descriptions, course syllabi and course notes if necessary

The upper division core courses EOH 356A, 356B and 466A should be taken before enrolling in elective courses.  This allows you to develop a sound academic foundation for subsequent elective courses and to become better prepared to choose electives most appropriate to your career interests. The statistics course requirement may be met by taking HSCI 390/L or an equivalent basic statistics course such as MATH 140. We do recommend that you take HSCI 390/L for this requirement.

The upper division course EOH 456, Fundamentals of Toxicology, relies heavily on the student’s training in both inorganic and organic chemistry.  It is recommended to take these chemistry courses early and it is required that these courses be completed prior to taking EOH 456.

Your advisor must evaluate all other upper division course substitutions to determine if they are acceptable substitutes for the EOH course requirements.  It is your responsibility to document the content of any course or work experience that you wish to use as a substitute for an upper division requirement.

The internship course can be taken up to three times.  In fact, this is desirable in order to learn about additional career opportunities and to gain more professional experience.  It may also be necessary to sign up for this internship more than once in order to complete the required 180 hours of work experience mandated by national accreditation.  You must be registered in the EOH 494B during the semester (or interim or summer session) in which the work experience takes place.  Completion of EOH 356A, 356B and 466A is necessary for acquiring sufficient background before signing up for the internship.  It should be noted that paid internships are more readily available for those who have also completed EOH 466B/L.

The EOH undergraduate degree program is designed to develop in all EOH majors a strong foundation of skills and knowledge in both community environmental health and occupational health.  Upon graduation, you are eligible to take the California Registered Environmental Health Specialist examination and to become a Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS).  This is a professional credential that is useful and highly recommended for all EOH graduates.  It ensures that you are eligible for employment with city and county health departments throughout California.

Preparation for a variety of specialty careers in environmental health is also possible in the EOH program with judicious choice of appropriate electives.  Some of the careers include: environmental health specialist, air pollution specialist, hazardous materials specialist, water quality specialist, vector control specialist, water treatment and wastewater treatment operators, food sanitation and food safety specialists, land use planner, environmental auditors and risk assessment specialists, environmental affairs specialists, and others.

Specialty areas in the occupational health field include occupational safety, industrial hygiene, hazardous waste management, emergency hazardous materials response, environmental compliance, loss control consultant, radiation health physicist, ergonomics specialist, indoor air quality consultant, and others.  Professional certifications include Certified Safety Professional and Certified Industrial Hygienist and are highly recommended once graduates have achieved the required years of work experience.

A focus on Industrial Hygiene may be designated on your diploma as the Industrial Hygiene Option.  This requires that the IH Option appear on your graduation application form and that you have completed EOH 466B/L, 466C, 465, and two electives from the following list: EOH 453, 459, 467, 468, 469, 560 and 570. 

You may apply for graduation once you have declared a major and completed 90 units (including work-in-progress) or approximately one year prior to your planned graduation date. At least one semester of work must be completed in residence at Cal State Northridge before Undergraduate Degree Services can complete your graduation evaluation. 

Find Out the Next Steps to Graduate

• Networking is an important part of your strategy for finding your ideal job position. The student organization called EOHSA (Environmental and Occupational Health Student Association) is a good opportunity to develop your networking and leadership skills. It also sponsors monthly or bi-weekly speakers from government organizations and industries who explain what their careers entail.  EOHSA also sponsors field trips to some of the local industries. In conjunction with the EOH Alumni Association, an evening of Speed Mentoring is offered each year where EOH students get to interact with professionals in the field.  Information is posted near the EOH Department offices, or you can email the student association at csuneohsa@gmail.com 
• Job announcements are posted on the Department web page. Students are also advised to join the Southern California sections of the California Environmental Health Association (CEHA) and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) whose newsletters and web sites also contain job announcements.    California environmental health agencies have websites with job information – also accessible from the Department website.
• Conferences, meetings, and workshops sponsored by the professional associations are very useful sources of career information and job contacts, and students should make every effort to take advantage of the student rates usually available.
• Many of the students in the EOH M.S. program are currently working full time in local agencies and industries and are sources of valuable information about career prospects. See one of the graduate's interesting answers to their site.

Check Out the Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions

• The Career Center at CSUN offers assistance with resume building and interviewing skills.  Refer to their website for more information at http://www.csun.edu/career/. Job fairs on campus also provide opportunities for job interviews and should be utilized during your senior year.  EOHSA usually sponsors a resume workshop each spring semester as well.  It is never too early to begin developing your job search skills.