In order to become a public health engineer, students must obtain the right education, licensure and training. Some students earn a bachelor’s degree and begin working, bust most public health engineers finish graduate school.
Study the Basics
The most common type of degree programs for this career is either public health or environmental engineering. These degree programs offer standard courses that engineers and public health officials must know. As far as engineering goes, there will be classes related to engineering drawings, mechanics, materials and fundamental theories. Other engineering coursework might be related to geology, surveying and civil or electrical engineering basics. Most programs introduce students to the mechanics of fluids, soils and solids. Required math courses will most likely be calculus and analytical geometry. Advanced electives may be offered in structural analysis, project management and hydrology and transportation engineering.
Earn a Graduate Degree
Because most state licensure requires graduate degrees, students should consider earning a master of science in environmental engineering with a specialization in public health. Some students elect to pursue common specializations, such as environmental chemistry, watershed management and hazardous waste science. Others choose highly unique concentrations, such as thermodynamics, air quality control and statistical computing. Standard classes offered in environmental engineering programs are sediment transport, energy grids, hydraulic systems, groundwater hydrology and electrochemical engineering. Advanced electives include eco-hydrology, sustainable energy management and environmental microbiology. Assignments may be related to developing governmental policies, conservation plans or hazardous waste reports. Projects may require students to evaluate the environmental effect of materials or conferring with officials and engineers about real world problems.
Earn Licensure
All states require that engineers maintain professional engineering licensure in order to perform certain services for the public. To illustrate, only licensed engineers may seal designs, accept government contracts and offer public consulting services. The exams are administrated by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). To qualify for the two exams, candidates must first successfully finish four years of relevant work experience under the supervision of a licensed engineer. Additional private certifications are available through the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE), which offers the Board Certified Environmental Engineer (BCEE) exam. Being certified through a professional organization will expand employment options by demonstrating engineering expertise.
Related Resource: Public Health Information Officer
Potential Employers
Public health and environmental engineers work in many industries. These include universities, testing laboratories, utility companies, manufacturing facilities and gas and petroleum companies. Some public health engineers are entrepreneurs who start their own consulting firms. Regardless of the position, all public health engineers will continually solve problems related to pollution, public health and waste management, according to the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) . They may be assigned to water treatment facilities or they may be tasked with working with civil engineers to improve current city sewer systems. Some may work in major corporations to combat and ameliorate the effects of manufacturing processes. Experienced public health engineers may work for their state’s Department of Health or the federal government’s Center for Disease Controls (CDC).