While most people rarely encounter an environmental health officer, their work touches our day-to-day lives in countless ways - from the safety of the food we eat to the quality of the water we swim in, and the environments where we live, work and play.
Every day, environmental health professionals work behind the scenes to keep our communities safe, from monitoring food and water safety to responding to pollution events and helping to prevent the spread of illness.
Add in the challenges of a changing climate and the threat of emerging infectious diseases, and demand for qualified environmental health officers is growing rapidly across Australia.
UniSC's new one-year online Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health is designed to help meet this need, providing a pathway for graduates and professionals from health, environmental science and related fields to enter this growing profession.
Program co-coordinator and Senior Lecturer in Environmental Health Dr Zoe Murray says the new qualification responds directly to a national workforce shortage.
A UniSC Environmental Health student doing some water testing on a field trip to Stradbroke Island
Alongside foundational courses in public health, epidemiology, food safety and more, students complete a supervised professional placement, which provides real-world experience and helps prepare them for practice as environmental health officers.
Dr Murray says the program's content reflects the diverse nature of the job, which draws on a mix of scientific and technical knowledge, practical problem-solving and people skills.
"Environmental health officers need to be able to assess risks, identify hazards and make decisions based on relevant legislation and regulations, which requires strong analytical and critical thinking skills and good attention to detail," Dr Murray says.
"But environmental health is also about people, so good communication and relationship-building skills - whether it's with small business owners or government stakeholders - are just as important.
"Our goal is to ensure students are workforce-ready with skills that align to current and emerging national health priorities."
Applications are now open to study the Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health from February 2027.
"Environmental health officers are employed across well over 500 local government areas and other levels of government, including state public health units and the Australian Defence Force," Dr Murray says.
"As public health and environmental challenges become more complex, we're also seeing growing demand for this expertise in private organisations and industry.
"At the same time, the current workforce is ageing, and graduate supply is not keeping pace with demand, particularly in regional and remote areas."
If these skills shortages continue, Dr Murray says, governments and health services may struggle to manage growing risks associated with infectious diseases and climate-related disasters, especially outside urban areas.
Taught fully online, the new Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health gives students the knowledge and skills needed to identify and manage environmental hazards that impact human health.
