The impact of the quality of the environment on health has been clearly established. The EHESP health engineering course is designed to provide a knowledge of the effects on health and of the definition and implementation of prevention measures and risk management that call for high level, transverse, interdisciplinary expertise. This course is also open to students with at least a higher education diploma.
What is a specialised engineering diploma?
A specialised engineering diploma is open to those who already have an engineering degree. Those with equivalent qualifications can take an EHESP public health diploma with health engineering option. The course lasts for 1 year. The syllabus focuses on specific aspects of environmental health.
The health engineering course was approved by the Commission des Titres d’Ingénieur (CTI) in 1972.
The course provided by the EHESP brings added value to those who already have an engineering diploma. It endows students with dual skills in the environmental health field that a health engineer can implement in a range of professional situations. It is complementary to the standard engineering diploma.
A health engineer operates at the interface between the public health and environment fields. They contribute to the protection of human health through actions relating to living environments and behaviour. Health engineering posts can be found in the private sector as well as in public or semi-public institutions.
Download the health engineering job description (pdf, 98 kb)
A course provided by a higher public health school
The health engineering course is co-ordinated by the EHESP’s environmental health and health at work department (DSET) and the Laboratory for study and research into the environment and health (LERES). The 5 other departments of the EHESP and the research centres provide a diversified, high level scientific environment.
Students benefit from an interdisciplinary research platform close to current scientific and social issues to ensure that the course is both up-to-date and of an excellent standard.
The EHESP is also a member of the Conférence des Grandes Écoles (CGE), an association of higher education schools, including engineering schools, business schools and schools providing specialist or multiple subject courses, all recognized by the State.
The training programme
The syllabuses and teaching methods provide knowledge, tools and methods required for operating in the environmental health field. The teaching staff is made up of lecturers with a wide range of recognised scientific and professional skills, who have firm practical experience and are actively involved in research and the scientific community.
Many outside lecturers from the professional world and research are also involved in the course.
The health engineering course lasts for 1 year and includes 7 months tuition at the EHESP starting in October, followed by a field study that will be the basis for a thesis presented to a panel.
The course is divided into 6 teaching modules, alternating lessons, presentations, file studies, self-training and field visits.
Module 1 – Fundamentals of environmental health risks.
Module 2 – Tools and methods for quantitative health risk assessment
Module 3 – Situations and operating methods – public health, environmental health
Module 4 – Health and hygiene – water for human consumption
Module 5 – Regions, towns, habitats and health – land development
Module 6 – Thesis
The course is worth 75 ECTS.
Download the detailed course programme (pdf, 120 kb)
The course includes a 4-month work placement (Module 6 – thesis). With the assistance of their tutor, students arrange the time and place for their work placement which may be in a wide range of organisations in France or abroad.
Download recent thesis subjects (pdf, 73 kb)
An overview of work produced in previous years can be found by consulting the EHESP student thesis library.
Eligibility requirements
| Eligibility | Diploma*
|
| French engineers, with a diploma recognised by the State. | EHESP health engineering diploma. |
| Applicants with a diploma accepted as being equivalent to a French engineering diploma (see list of diplomas and names of foreign engineering establishments accepted by the State on the CTI site). | |
| Applicants with a higher education diploma or qualification considered by the selection committee to be equivalent. | EHESP Public Health Diploma, health engineering option (EHESP diploma). |
| Third year students in engineering schools with an agreement with the EHESP. | Engineering diploma from the school of origin. These students also receive a certificate showing that they studied at the EHESP. |
* Subject to having attended the teaching modules and attained a specific level of achievement.
Applicants are selected on the basis of their motivation, their career and works and the profile of their school of origin. See the specialisations of students admitted to previous academic years (pdf, 98 kBytes).
For the year 2009-2010, 27 students were selected out of 111 applicants.
What jobs does the course lead to?
A specialist health engineer can work in various organisations in the public or private sector such as:
- Major industrial groups
- Water or waste management companies
- Consultancies (water, environment, town planning, etc.)National bodies: ministries responsible for health or the environment
- Local authorities (regional, departmental, urban areas, etc.)
- Public agencies or establishments: water agencies, AFSSA (French Food Safety Agency), INERIS (French National Institute for industrial and environmental risk, InVS (French Health Watch Institute), AFSSET (French Agency for Environmental and Occupational Health Safety), etc.
- Research organisations (laboratories, IFREMER (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea), universities, CEA (Atomic Energy Commission), etc.)
- International organisations: WHO, Unicef, UNDP, European Union, non-government organisations, etc.)
- Etc.
The Health Engineering diploma offers new graduates a very high employability rate: about 95% of new health engineer graduates have found a job within one year after leaving the EHESP.
Download the statistics for monitoring the careers of health engineer alumni (pdf, 108 kb)
Foreign students
The EHESP health engineering course is open to foreign applicants (see Eligibility requirements). Tuition is given in French.
Full details about the minimum language requirements to take the health engineer’s course at the EHESP, on funding your studies and the French and European university system can be found under International courses.
You can also find out about accommodation in Rennes, health insurance, how much money you will need to allow for your stay in France, etc by downloading the Welcome guide for international students (pdf, 995 kBytes). It gives a lot of useful information to help you make preparations for coming to France as well as during your stay in Rennes.
Contact
Further information can be obtained from the Health Engineering secretariat:
Tel: +33 (0)2 99 02 26 02
E-mail : contact.IGS@ehesp.fr
Download the health engineering career brochure (pdf, 959 kb).
Deadline for applications: end May 2011. The registration file will be downloaded from February 2011.
