Key messages
- Environmental health officers (EHOs) provide a variety of public health services to the community.
- Under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008, the qualifications necessary for appointment as an EHO are published in the Victoria Government Gazette.
- The enHealth Environmental Health Officer Skills and Knowledge Matrix forms the basis of the qualifications required and services provided.
Environmental health officers provide a variety of public health services to the community in the following areas:
- safe and suitable food
- prevention and control of notifiable and communicable conditions
- water management
- environmental management
- land use management
- built environment
- Aboriginal environmental health
- sustainability and climate change
- emergency and incident management.
The enHealth Environmental Health Officer Skills and Knowledge Matrix provides more detail on each of these areas.
The Secretary delegates the Chief Health Officer to the Department of Health the power to declare the qualifications necessary for appointment as an Environmental health officer in Victoria. The current schedule of qualifications was declared and published in Victoria Government Gazette on July 18 2024.
Schedule of qualifications necessary for appointment as environmental health officers
-
Victoria
Swinburne University of Technology
- Graduate Diploma of Environmental Health Practice
New South Wales
- Western Sydney University
- Bachelor of Science (Environmental Health)
- Bachelor of Advanced Science (Environmental Health)
Queensland
Central Queensland University
- Bachelor of Public Health (Environmental Health)
Griffith University
- Bachelor of Health Science (Environmental Health)
Queensland University of Technology
- Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health
- Master of Health, Safety and Environment (Environmental Health)
University of the Sunshine Coast
- Bachelor of Health Science (Applied Environmental Health)
South Australia
Flinders University
- Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health Practice
- Master of Environmental Health
Western Australia
Edith Cowan University
- Bachelor of Health Science (Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety)
Curtin University
- Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health
-
Victoria
La Trobe University
- Bachelor of Public Health (Environmental Health)
- Bachelor of Health Sciences (Environmental Health)
- Graduate Certificate of Environmental Health
Swinburne University of Technology (and under previous names)
- Bachelor of Applied Science (Environmental Health)
- Bachelor of Health Science (Public and Environmental Health)
- Bachelor of Health Science (Environmental Health Management)
- Diploma of Environmental Health completed prior to 2000
- Diploma of Applied Science (Environmental Health) completed prior to 2000
The Royal Society for the Promotion of Health
- Diploma for Public Health Inspectors completed prior to 2000
Not Applicable
- Certificate of Competency issued under section 38 of the Health Act 1958 prior to July 1992
New South Wales
Western Sydney University
- Graduate Diploma of Applied Science (Environmental Health)
- Bachelor of Natural Science (Environment and Health)
- Bachelor of Applied Science (Environmental Health)
Queensland
Central Queensland University
- Bachelor of Environmental Health
Griffith University
- Bachelor of Science (Environmental Health)
- Bachelor of Public Health (Environmental Health)
Queensland University of Technology
- Bachelor of Health Science (Environmental Health)
- Bachelor of Applied Science (Environmental Health)
University of the Sunshine Coast
- Bachelor of Science (Environment and Health) completed after 2010
- Bachelor of Environmental Health Science completed between 2010 to 2018
South Australia
Flinders University
- Bachelor of Applied Science (Environmental Health)
TAFE
- Associate Diploma in Environmental Health
Tasmania
University of Tasmania
- Bachelor of Health Science (Environmental Health)
- Graduate Diploma of Environmental Health
TAFE
- Advanced Diploma of Environmental Health
Western Australia
Curtin University
- Bachelor of Science (Environmental Health)
- Master of Environmental Health
Edith Cowan University
- Bachelor of Health Science (Environmental Health)
Western Australian Institute of Technology
- Bachelor of Applied Science (Environmental Health)
Any
Royal Society of Health or any TAFE institution
- Diploma in Public Health completed prior to 2000 -AND-
- Diploma in Meat and Other Food Inspection completed prior to 2000
-
New Zealand
Any institution located in New Zealand
- National Diploma in Environmental Health Science or equivalent as declared by the Ministry of Health
England, Wales or Northern Ireland
Any institution located in England, Wales or Northern Ireland
- Bachelor degree course accredited by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health
Scotland
Any institution located in Scotland
- Bachelor degree course accredited by the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland
USA
Any institution located in the USA
- Bachelor degree course accredited by the National Environmental Health Science & Protection Accreditation Council
Canada
Any institution located in Canada
- Bachelor degree course accredited by the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors
South Africa
Any institution located in South Africa
- Bachelor degree course in Environmental Health
Fiji
Fiji National University
- Bachelor of Environmental Health
Ireland
Technological University of Dublin
- Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health
Kenya
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology
- Bachelor of Science in Public Health
Kenyatta University
- Bachelor of Science (Environmental Health)
Namibia
Namibia University of Science and Technology
- Bachelor of Environmental Health Sciences
Zambia
University of Zambia
- Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health
Zimbabwe
Chinhoyi University
- Bachelor of Science (Environmental Health)
National University of Science and Technology
- Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Health
Solusi University
- Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health
International environmental health officer qualifications
If you have worked as an environmental health officer/practitioner overseas and hold an international environmental health officer qualification that is not listed in the Victorian Government Gazette, your qualification must be assessed before you can work as an environmental health officer in Victoria.
The Chief Health Officer can assess international environmental health officer qualifications to determine if they are substantially equivalent to those listed in the Victoria Government Gazette.
For an assessment, you will need to provide details and proof of your qualification including an academic transcript. Once your qualification has been assessed, you will receive a letter from the Chief Health Officer advising you of the outcome of the assessment.
To request an assessment of your international environmental health qualification, please email the completed application form to environmental.healthunit@health.vic.gov.au, or call 1300 761 874 for further information.
Reviewed 25 September 2024