Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences

Purdue University in West Lafayette

The ABET accredited occupational and environmental health sciences major will prepare undergraduates to work in environmental health, occupational health, safety and industrial hygiene.

The combined goal of the occupational and environmental health sciences is to control hazardous workplace and environmental exposures to prevent fatalities, injuries and/or illnesses that impact the health, performance and well-being of workers and the general public. At Purdue, the emphases of the OEHS program are on hazardous exposure assessment, understanding the relationships between exposure and disease and using engineering controls to eliminate such hazards.

Hands-on and experiential learning is a key component of this major. Students within this major have the opportunity to complete excellent internships within industry across the country.

OEHS is not to be confused with occupational or physical therapy which are healthcare professions that help patients perform daily living and working tasks or recover from functional problems. Occupational and physical therapists pursue master’s degrees in occupational or physical therapy. We recommend that students who are interested in occupational or physical therapy consider the kinesiology bachelor’s degree.

School of Health Sciences Honors Program
Students admitted to occupational and environmental health sciences may have the opportunity to participate in the School of Health and Sciences Honors Program, a program that promotes and supports honors research for high-achieving students.