PROGRAMME APPROVAL FORM
SECTION 1 – THE PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION 1. Programme title and designation Environmental Health 2. Final award
Award Title Credit value ECTS
equivalent
Any special criteria
MSc Environmental
Health
180 90 Students take 3 x 15
credits core modules (7SSG5134, 7SSG5139, 7SSG5143), 3 x 30 credits core modules (7SSG5169, 7SSG5170, 7SSG5171), and 1 x 45 credit core dissertation (7SSG5144). 3. Nested award
Award Title Credit value ECTS
equivalent
Any special criteria
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
4. Exit award
Award Title Credit value ECTS
equivalent
Any special criteria PgCertificate Environmental
Health
60 30 To be eligible for the
awarded a Post-graduate Diploma (PG Dip) students must pass sufficient credits from the taught modules in the programme, and so this expressly excludes the Environmental Health Dissertation (7SSG5144). PgDiploma Environmental
Health
135 67 To be eligible for the
awarded a Post-graduate Certificate (PG Cert), students must pass sufficient credits from the taught modules in the programme, and so this expressly excludes the Environmental Health Dissertation (7SSG5144). 5. Level in the qualifications framework M
6. Attendance
Full-time Part-time Distance learning
Mode of attendance N/A N/A
Minimum length of programme N/A 2 years N/A
Maximum length of programme N/A 6 years N/A
7. Awarding institution/body King’s College London 8. Teaching institution King’s College London
9. Proposing department Geography
10. Programme organiser and contact details
Dr Christopher Day. Department of Geography Room N215, Norfolk Building, Strand Campus. Tel: 0207-848 1692.
E-mail [email protected] 11. UCAS code (if appropriate) N/A
12. Relevant QAA subject benchmark/ professional and statutory body guidelines
Chartered Institute of Environmental Health’s Core Curriculum - 2003
13. Date of production of specification December 2005; updated July 2008 14. Date of programme review 2015/16
16. Educational aims of the programme
To produce a Masters-level graduate who, upon completion of their practical training, may if they wish proceed to professional qualification in environmental health with the academic and theoretical capabilities to advocate appropriate interventions in response to various risks in a range of settings. Graduates from the programme will have developed their core knowledge of the physical, biological, chemical, social and psycho-social stressors encountered in Environmental Health practice, and, by applying their analytical and discriminative skills to problems unfamiliar to them, offer reasoned arguments for (and against) various interventions.
Graduates will be able to conceptualise problems in the context of risk, and suggest how they might be further explored through the application of appropriate research methods, and by other means of rational enquiry.
Graduates will be well-practised in considering problems drawn from Environmental Health practice, and for each provide a technically feasible and legally rational solution, having regard to current codes of practice and guidelines on good practice.
Graduates will have developed the skills of effective written and oral communication and will be able to work effectively alone or as part of a group. They will have become accomplished in using
information technology for various purposes. They will also be able to recognise the importance of criticism and evaluation.
17. Educational objectives of the programme/programme outcomes
The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding and skills in the following areas:
Knowledge and understanding The programme provides a knowledge and
understanding of the following:
These are achieved through the following teaching/learning methods and
1. the potential and realised impacts of a range of hazards (‘stressors’) encountered in different settings, particularly those for which the Environmental Health Practitioner (EHP) is called upon to act.
2. the techniques and approaches to ‘risk’ assessment, and their application to the stressors encountered in Environmental Health practice.
3. the intervention strategies available to protect health in the areas of:
Housing
Occupational Health Environmental Protection Food Safety
4. the relevance of ‘sustainable development’ and the ‘new public health agenda’ in the development of health policy and strategy, particularly those which influence
Environmental Health practice.
5. the importance of ethical and professional issues and how dilemmas may be managed. Also, the capacity to work with others to formulate solutions.
strategies:
The teaching of the programme will employ lectures seminars and tutorials delivered by the lecturing staff, augmented by talks and presentations given by visiting practitioners.
Students will be encouraged to contribute to the learning experience of the group by preparing material for delivery in seminars and presentations, not all of which will be assessed.
A number of lectures will be supplemented with laboratory sessions, and the ‘food inspection and judgement’ element of the Food Safety & Inspection module
(7SSG5170) will be largely conducted in demonstration rooms both in College and in facilities operated by wholesale food markets and / or those responsible for inspection services.
Students undertaking their dissertations will, in addition to receiving advice through tutorials on protocol design, data collection and analysis, be expected to develop their understanding of their subject upon the direction of their supervisor
Assessment:
Although there are circumstances where knowledge and understanding can be assessed discretely, it is desirable in a practically- and professionally-orientated programme to see them assessed alongside skills. An integrated process is achieved by using a mix of assessment methods from formal examination to peer-assessed seminar presentations. The summative elements of coursework will include essays, short literature reviews, laboratory reports and individual and group oral presentations from which detailed feedback will be given.
The Dissertation will be assessed on the basis of academic scholarship and skill-based competencies.
Point 5. Is assessed in all of the
professional modules of the degree but is assessed specifically in Integrative Studies in Environmental Health Practice module (7SSG5139).
Skills and other attributes
Intellectual skills: These are achieved through the following
1. Ability to conceptualise problems in a manner that will lead to the assessment of the risk posed to health and the selection of a suitable management intervention. 2. Ability to identify the hazards and
characterise the risks arising from
complex and multi-faceted environmental health problems in advance of suggesting managerial solutions, and, where these are not forthcoming, enforcement options. 3. Demonstrate, through the completion of
a Dissertation, the capability of developing research topic from the writing of a protocol, through the investigative process to the synthesis and interpretation of data and culminating in a summary of findings based on the data acquired
teaching/learning methods and strategies:
The intellectual skills identified here are largely developed through the
teaching/learning process outlined above, though the role of directed reading must be acknowledged as the fundamental source of intellectual development throughout the programme. The higher level skills implicit in (1) and (2) opposite are practised through the completion of ‘case studies’, particularly in the Integrative Studies in Environmental Health Practice module (7SSG 5139).
The Environmental Health
Dissertation(7SSG5144) is supported by an embedded series of lectures and tutorials which will seek to ensure that the
intellectual skills so derived exceed merely the writing of a report based on the
discovery and analysis of data. Assessment:
The assessment of knowledge,
understanding and intellectual skills are, as far as possible integrated and achieved by using formal un-seen examinations and summative coursework comprising essays, reports and oral presentations. The special capacity of assessing risks and selecting appropriate intervention strategies will be assessed in 7SSG5139 exclusively through the completion
of case studies drawn from naturalistic settings, some permitting a degree of research before the writing of a report (to be set as coursework) and others which will be examined under examination conditions where the emphasis will be on
recommending the most appropriate course of action
As mentioned previously, the Dissertation is assessed in accordance with the special ‘rules’ that apply to this module, with the marks reflecting the demonstration of academic scholarship and skill-based competence.
Practical skills:
Ability to perform basic laboratory microbiological techniques using growth
These are achieved through the following teaching/learning methods and
strategies:
The Fundamentals in Environmental
media to culture organisms, and to employ various detection methods to identify and enumerate organisms, including microscopy. Ability to represent several key constructional details of houses by producing sketches and drawings in support of reports and schedules of work.
Capacity to inspect various foods as they would be presented at different points along the ‘food chain’ in order to confirm their identity and to pass judgement on their fitness and wholesomeness.
Be conversant with different methods of risk assessment used in industry, and be capable of criticising the efforts of others.
Fulfil the practical tasks required of a ‘field researcher’, including the collection, collation and analysis of data.
The ability to design and execute an effective presentation on various topics, both familiar and not.
Health Practice (7SSG5134) module, which includes a laboratory session and a laboratory write-up (submitted formally but assessed formatively)
The module The Living Environment (7SSG 5169) will require students to practise these skills
This programme is required by the
professional accrediting body (the CIEH) to include extensive instruction and
demonstration on food as a commodity. This is covered in the module Food Safety & Inspection (7SSG5170)
Management control and compliance in occupational health (in Occupational Health & Safety - 7SSG5171) and in food safety (in Food Safety & Inspection - 7SSG5170), provide opportunities to practice these skills
The Environmental Health Dissertation module (7SSG5144) provides for these skills, though these skills are also practised elsewhere in the programme
Emphasis is placed throughout the programme on the need for EHPs to express themselves clearly and effectively. Accordingly, several modules provide an opportunity to practise oral presentation skills.
Assessment:
The assessment of knowledge and skills are, as far as possible, integrated in this programme, and so practical skills will be assessed in the course of several modules where reports and oral presentations must be completed as part of the coursework component. The one major exception is the practical inspection of food where the CIEH require a ‘stand-alone’ examination of one-hour duration, which must be passed in its own right
Generic/transferable skills:
To communicate effectively in writing, through the use of visual images and orally,
These are achieved through the following teaching/learning methods and
strategies:
The programme was founded at King’s for
both in one-to-one exchanges and in group presentation.
To become accustomed to working alone or as a member of a team.
To become accomplished in using information technology as a learning medium and a means of manipulating data.
To be able to conceptualise problems in a way that focuses on the risk posed to human health.
To recognise the value of criticism – both giving and receiving.
the purpose of developing the person, both academically and in terms of their skills, to seek qualification as an environmental health practitioner (EHP). It is recognised that for some, this means developing skills that will have already been acquired in the students’ first degrees. These
generic/transferable skills are central to almost all of the modules taught on this programme where they find expression in essay writing, seminar preparation, group oral presentations, laboratory reporting, poster presentations, and case study exercises
Assessment:
The assessment of knowledge,
understanding and intellectual skills are, as far as possible integrated and achieved by using formal un-seen examinations and summative coursework comprising essays, reports and oral presentations. The special capacity of assessing risks and selecting appropriate intervention strategies will be practised in the modules –Occupational Health & Safety (7SSG5171) and Food Safety & Inspection (7SSG5170) and specifically assessed in the Integrative Studies in Environmental Health Practice module (7SSG5139) through the
completion of case studies drawn from naturalistic settings, some permitting a degree of research before the writing of a report (to be set as coursework). Others will be examined under examination conditions where the emphasis will be on
recommending the most appropriate course of action, though not always representing the role of the local authority enforcement officer. Working alone or as a member of a team is also assessed in this module. As mentioned previously, the Environmental Health Dissertation (7SSG5144) is assessed on the basis of the demonstration of both academic
scholarship and skill-based competences.
18. Statement of how the programme has been informed by the relevant subject benchmark statement(s)/professional and statutory body guidelines
Although there is no specific benchmark statement and/or professional or statutory body guidelines informing this programme, it is subject to accreditation by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health acting for and in conjunction with the Environmental Health Registration Board (EHRB). On 20th December 2005 the programme was considered by a Panel appointed by the CIEH and it duly received conditional accreditation for a period of 4 years. In so doing it satisfied the CIEH’s Core Curriculum (revised 3rd April 2003).
Since the ‘Overall Objectives’ detailed in the Curriculum document explicitly point out that they are based on the completion of an appropriate course of education and work-based learning, it is difficult to express the discrete contribution of one with the other. However, the programme has been
developed with the ‘learning objectives’ contained in the Curriculum document firmly in mind. The granting of accreditation provides an endorsement to the programme’s general compliance with these, and points to it meeting the ‘essence’ of the Curriculum taken from Paragraph 2.3:
‘[The Curriculum]…encompasses: the study of the physical, social and human worlds with their interface with the environment; the study of the ‘stressors’, their public health impacts and the identification and implementation of appropriate ‘interventions for the purpose of eliminating, controlling or mitigating the various public health impacts, and for identifying opportunities to promote health and ‘well-being’…[it] requires the study of policy, strategy and management (in respect of a series of prescribed minimum environmental health interventions), together with the in-depth study of significant interventions.’
The Environmental Health programme is considered to fit with the Geography Benchmark Statement which recognises the value of finding different ways of knowing and understanding the world through an inter-disciplinary approach, where problems are considered ‘holistically’. The purpose of the CIEH Core Curriculum’s ‘Study in Depth’ is expressly to ‘facilitate the development of the holistic viewpoint’ (Para. 2.4(i)). The need for Environmental Health Practitioners to overcome
‘compartmentalism’ through inter-sectoral collaboration with their public health partners demands such an approach.
It is felt that the programme also meets the University of London’s guidelines on Masters-level programmes in that students, inter alia, will have shown themselves ‘…able to deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively…[showing] originality in tackling and solving problems.’ In looking ahead to the future, and in the knowledge that the CIEH is in the process of undertaking a fundamental review of its ‘core curriculum’ (mid-2008), change is inevitable. However, by keeping the programme under continuous review, and seeking authority to modify modules so that they meet the demands of the profession and employers, we aim to keep King’s at the forefront of
Environmental Health teaching in the UK, without compromising academic standards.
19. Programme structure and award requirements (where relevant the information should also differentiate the particular requirements of pathways within a programme or linked/exit awards) The programme provides for a single route to graduation through part-time study over two to four academic years. All course modules are core, though the student is free to choose the topic for their Dissertation.
(a) numbers of introductory, core, compulsory and optional units to be taken in each year of the programme
Year 1*
90 credits in total: 2 x 15 credit core modules, 2 x 30 credit core module 7SSG5134 Fundamentals of Environmental Health Practice (15 credits) 7SSG5169 The Living Environment (30 credits)
7SSG5170 Food Safety & Inspection (30 credits)
7SG5143 Research Methods and the evidence base for practice in environmental health (15 Credits) Year 2*
90 credits in total: 1 x 15 credit core module, 1 x 30 credit core modules, 1 x 45 credit core module. 7SSG5171 Occupational Health & Safety (30 credits)
7SSG5139 Integrative Studies in Environmental Health Practice (15 credits) 7SSG5144 Environmental Health Dissertation (45 credits)
*Depending on efficiency needs for teaching, both year 1 and year 2 may be taught for the same module during the same year. Therefore, this pattern may vary slightly, with students told at the beginning of the academic year the path they will take during their two years. However, the balance will always be 90 credits year 1 and 90 credits year 2, with the dissertation always taken during the 2nd year.
(b) range of credit levels permitted within the programme 7
(c) maximum number of credits permitted at the lowest level 180
(d) minimum number of credits required at the highest level 180
(e) progression and award requirements (if different from the standard) N/A
(f) maximum number of credits permitted with a condoned fail (core modules excluded) N/A
(g) are students permitted to take a substitute module, as per regulations A3? No
(h) other relevant information to explain the programme structure
To be eligible for the awarded a Post-graduate Diploma (PG Dip) or Post-graduate Certificate (PG Cert), students must pass sufficient credits from the taught modules in the programme, and so this expressly excludes the Environmental Health Dissertation (7SSG5144).
Programme structure
Title Credit
level
Credit value
Status (I, C, O) for each type of programme Progression Assessment Single honours Joint honours Major / minor Single honours Joint honours Major / minor 7SSG5134 Fundamentals of Environmental Health
Practice
7 15 Cr Yes Examination, essay
7SSG5169 The Living Environment 7 30 Cr Yes Examination, essay
7SSG5143 Research methods and evidenced base practice in environmental health
7 15 Cr Yes essays
7SSG5170 Food Safety &Inspection 7 30 Cr Yes Examination, essay
7SSG5171 Occupational Health & Safety 7 30 Cr Yes Examination, essay
7SSG5139 Integrative Studies in Environmental Health Practice
7 15 Cr Yes Examination, case study
reports
7SSG5144 Environmental Health Dissertation 7 45 Cr Yes Research Protocol, report,
paper 20. Marking criteria
The College’s Generic Marking Criteria for Masters-level programmes will be used.
21. Particular features of the programme which help to reduce the barriers experienced by disabled students and ensure that the programme is accessible to all students who meet the entry requirements
The programme is delivered in those parts of the Strand Campus that have disability access, but as the staff offices are in inaccessible locations office hours are made
available in other, accessible parts of the building as the need arises. As much of the content as possible is backed up by materials made available in electronic form, to enable the application of reading aids.
PROGRAMME APPROVAL FORM
SECTION 2 – SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
Not all of the information in this section will be relevant for all programmes and for some programmes this section will not be relevant at all
1. Programme name Environmental Health
2. If the programme is a joint award with an institution outwith the University of London has the necessary approval been sought from Academic Board?
Yes No Not applicable
Please attach a copy of the request to Academic Board
3. In cases of joint honours programmes please provide a rationale for the particular subject combination, either educational or academic
N/A
Which is the lead department and/or School?
4. If the programme involves time outside the College longer than a term, please indicate how the time will be spent, the length of time out and whether it is a compulsory or optional part of the programme N/A
Year abroad Year in employment Placement Other (please
specify)
Time spent ……….. Compulsory/optional ……….
5. Please provide a rationale for any such time outside the College, other than that which is a requirement of a professional or statutory body
N/A
6. Please give details if the programme requires validation or accreditation by a professional or statutory body
Name and address of PSB:
Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) Chadwick House,
15, Hatfields,
X
London SE1 8DJ
Date validation/accreditation commenced: TBC Date of last validation/accreditation: December 2009
Frequency of validation/ accreditation Date of next validation/ accreditation TBC At discretion of CIEH
7. In cases where parts or all of the programme (other than those in box 4 above) are delivered either away from one of the College campuses and/or by a body or bodies external to the College please provide the following details N/A
Name and address of the off-campus location and/or external body
Percentage/amount of the programme delivered off-campus or by external body Nature of the involvement of external body
Description of the learning resources available at the off-campus location
What mechanisms will be put in place to ensure the ongoing monitoring of the delivery of the programme, to include monitoring of learning resources off-site or by the external body? Please attach the report of the visit to the off-campus location