Environment and Health

The aim of the bachelor's degree program Environment and Health ( www.zivotniprostrediazdravi.cz) is to educate students to gain a deep and comprehensive understanding of the impact of the environment on human health and ecosystems, where health is understood not only as the physical health of individuals, but also as the sum of other needs that the environment fulfills. The program focuses on preparing university-educated experts capable of integrating interdisciplinary knowledge of biological and chemical disciplines and well versed in complex environmental issues and their interrelationships, causes, consequences, and solutions at various levels. Special attention is paid to the contamination of individual components of the environment with toxic substances and the related direct and indirect effects of these substances on the quality of the environment and human life. With its interdisciplinary approach and emphasis on understanding the chemical and biological nature of environmental problems and their impacts, the study program is unique in the context of higher education in the Czech Republic.

The study program includes two specializations: Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology and Environmental Health. The first specialization emphasizes the chemical nature of most environmental problems and their impact on organisms (toxicology and ecotoxicology). It is suitable for students with an interest and talent for chemistry. The second specialization focuses on the relationship between the environment and human (public) health. It is suitable for students interested in biology and human health. In courses taught by outstanding experts, students will learn about the properties of individual components of the environment, their possible degradation and contamination, the behavior of toxic substances in the environment, and their effects on human health and society as a whole, on other living organisms, natural communities, and entire ecosystems. The educational objectives of the program emphasize the development of both theoretical knowledge and practical skills through a series of seminars, laboratory practices, field exercises, and excursions. Through case studies in the form of "stories," students learn to solve problems independently and connect seemingly "abstract" knowledge with real-world challenges. Overall, the program supports and develops students' ability to think about problems at the intersection of disciplines and integrate knowledge from different disciplines into a comprehensive view. Students will have access to the state-of-the-art research and teaching infrastructure of the RECETOX center for their development and will be involved in the center's research activities during their studies. Students also acquire important transferable skills, such as working with information and data, analyzing and critically evaluating it, interpretation, presentation, and communication skills, the ability to engage in scientific discussion, the preparation of professional texts, and language skills (English). Contact with practice is ensured in the form of seminars attended by invited experts, excursions, and internships for students directly in the field. Thanks to a network of cooperating foreign universities, students in the program have access to a wide range of possible internships abroad. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

“Education for Healthy Future”

Practical training

The student will come into contact with practice at seminars with invited experts and on excursions to places such as the observatory of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute Košetice, wastewater treatment plants, accredited analytical and ecotoxicological laboratories and others. Individual practical internships are also possible, for example in analytical laboratories of ministries, in commercial laboratories or in environmental management departments in industry. Students can also choose from a wide range of internships abroad, thanks to the network of foreign universities with which the RECETOX Centre cooperates.

The study program prepares students for independent professional work in the field of environmental pollution assessment and regulation and related impacts on humans and ecosystems, not only in the Czech Republic but also in the context of Europe and the globalized world. Graduates will have unique interdisciplinary education at the intersection of biology and chemistry, enabling them to have an excellent understanding of environmental, toxicological, ecotoxicological, environmental-chemical, and epidemiological issues, not only in the context of human health. Given the increasing degradation of the environment with its negative impact on human health and ecosystems, the expertise of graduates of the program is in high demand in today's society. The program is suitable for all motivated students who have a positive attitude towards the natural sciences, especially biology and chemistry, are interested in environmental issues, and want to contribute to solving environmental problems in their future profession. The study program is also the best preparation for entering follow-up master's programs focused on toxicology, ecotoxicology, environmental chemistry, environmental epidemiology, and related fields.

As a graduate, you will have broad interdisciplinary knowledge and practical skills in the field of chemical pollution of the environment and its consequences for human health and ecosystems.

You will be able to offer future employers not only extensive knowledge of biology, chemistry, environmental issues, and the basics of epidemiology, but also a range of practical skills from performing laboratory and field procedures to critical thinking, working with technical information, and statistical data analysis.

Graduates of the Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology specialization will find employment primarily as internationally competitive experts on the behavior and effects of chemicals in the environment, toxicity, and ecotoxicity. You will find employment, for example, in the industrial sector, water management, agriculture, food industry, healthcare sector, science and research, regional government, and state administration. In short, anywhere where the handling of chemicals, their regulation, waste management, environmental protection, environmental management, public health protection, prevention, and related legislation need to be addressed.

Graduates of the Environmental Health specialization will find employment primarily as internationally competitive experts on the complex relationships between external and internal exposomes and human and population health. You will find employment, for example, in science and research on human health and disease in the context of the environment, but also in regional government, state administration, hygiene, food industry, healthcare sector, etc. In short, anywhere where environmental management, public health protection, prevention, and related legislation need to be addressed.

The Learning Potential Test (Czech only)

Criteria for evaluation

The Learning Potential Test results

Recommended literature

The knowledge required to pass the Learning Potential Test is not obtained by studying specific information sources. Examples of previous years' tests can be found on http://www.muni.cz/study/admission/tsp

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Minimum score and numbers of accepted applicants in past years

A graduate of a Bachelor's degree program may, after fulfilling the conditions of admission, continue in any follow-up Master's program at the Faculty of Science, or at other universities in the Czech Republic and abroad. The graduate is especially well-prepared for programmes focusing on toxicology, ecotoxicology, environmental chemistry, environmental epidemiology and related fields. However, the graduate is primarily prepared for the follow-up Master's program Environment and Health.