Environmental Health Option Environmental Science Degree Program, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Home Economics
The Department of Health Science offers the nationally accredited "Environmental Health Option" for students majoring in Environmental Science, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Home Economics.
Program Objectives
The environmental science major is a multidisciplinary program based on a strong general science and environmental science foundation that focuses on environmental problems and solutions. Options permit an area of specialty. Although administered by the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, a multidisciplinary advisory committee recommends changes to the program. The objectives of the program are to educate students in a rigorous environmental curriculum with science as the basis of understanding and to prepare graduates for environmentally oriented careers in industry and government or graduate studies.
Collaborative Effort
This degree program is a joint effort between two departments in separate colleges at New Mexico State University .
Brief Program History
The early 1990’s found many students at NMSU majoring in Geology, Soils, Civil Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, Wildlife Science, and other disciplines, but these students were really interested in environmental science as a discipline. No one major or discipline put courses, experience, research, and faculty together to focus on the environment. With the approval of the dean, the soils faculty within the Agronomy and Horticulture Department, started work on the degree in September 1992. A survey was conducted of 212 institutions across the US that issued some type of environmental degree. An interdisciplinary degree program at NMSU was assembled with the help of numerous faculty and departments in 1993 and 1994. The program was approved by the Faculty Senate and the Board of Regents in May 1994. The first Bachelor of Environmental Science, major in Environmental Science was issued December 1996. Since 1994, the number of majors has fluctuated between 30-60 students. In 2005, an Environmental Health option was created in conjunction with the Department of Health Science. In 2006 the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture changed its name to the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Contact Information
William Lindemann, Environmental Science Program Coordinator
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
P.O. Box 30001 , MSC 3Q
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
Phone Office: (505) 646-1907
Phone Dept: (505) 646-3405
Email: wlindema@nmsu.edu
Fax: (505) 646-6041
Stephen Arnold, Environmental Health Option Coordinator
Department of Health Science
P.O. Box 30001 , MSC 3HLS
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
Phone Office: (505) 646-4160
Phone Dept: (505) 646-4300
Email: sarnold@nmsu.edu
Fax: (505) 646-4343
Required Courses for the Environmental Science Major
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Please see the actual advising sheet used by faculty and students.
Required Courses for the Environmental Health Option
| Environmental Health Option Requirements (15 credit hours) | |
| HLS 450, Epidemiology | 3 |
| HLS 452, Environmental Issues in Community Health | 3 |
| HLS 453, Worksite Health and Safety Education | 3 |
| HLS 454, Environmental Epidemiology | 3 |
| HLS 495, Internship in Environmental Health | 3 |
The Environmental Health Option in the Environmental Science major is accredited by the National Environmental Heath Science and Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC). This accreditation began June 2006 (the self study was prepared in 2005). 
The course work for this option is taught in the Health Science Department and Dr. Arnold advises those who choose this option. The environmental health option with accreditation has opened up many job opportunities. It was the first accredited program in the 3-state region of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico region.
New Mexico State University is an institutional member of the Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs.
CHSS, University Resource and related links
- College of Health & Social Services advising center - course and degree advising for pre-BCH and BCH majors
- College of Health & Social Services scholarship information
- Media & Resource Center (HSS 326) - available by appointment
- Comprehensive NMSU student resource listing - current students
- Comprehensive NMSU student resource listing - prospective students
- NMSU Graduate School
- EHO Accreditation - PDF
- AEHAP - PDF
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Department of Health Science New Mexico State University P.O. Box 30001, MSC 3HLS Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003 Telephone: 505.646.4300 Facsimile: 505.646.4343 |