Health and the Built Environment 1

Course Available
2 Units
Online Fixed-Date

Course Description

Learn How Human Interventions Impact the Environment

Building upon the previous two courses (ESH-X501A and ESH-X501B), this course will critically examine the complex interplay between human interventions that change the built environment (such as engineering and development interventions), and their impacts on community, global, environmental, animal, and planetary health. We will employ transdisciplinary, multilevel, and complex adaptive systems approaches to better understand how changes to the environment can impact health outcomes, and thereby foster an awareness of the unintended outcomes of their practice and the need for intentionality and an accompanying consciousness in planning, design, and implementation of engineering, development, humanitarian, and health projects. This course will also cultivate an understanding of the important, but often overlooked, development of social infrastructure in tandem with the development of physical infrastructure for fostering sustainability.

Course Details

Number of Units: 2.0 graduate level extension credit(s) in semester hours

Who Should Attend: course. This course is part of the ESH certificate and is intended as an introduction to the broader themes of the MESH Masters program enabling students to build confidence in their abilities, as well as experiencing the unique pedagogy and goals of the MESH community. It is aimed at those who have an interest in the subject matter but who are not yet ready to commit to the full Masters program, or who prefer to take a shorter course to raise skills and awareness. The course is open to students/ professionals from any discipline who wish to either change career direction or enhance their own potential career pathway. This can include but it not limited to : engineering, environmental science and health professionals wishing to change career or take on a different role or challenge within their organization; school teachers wishing to advance their career to administrative roles whilst also taking on a sustainability profile; any professional wishing to move into
sustainability management roles; students who have recently graduated looking for direction into future career paths related to sustainability and development.

Required Course Materials: List full citation including title, author, publisher, location and publication name, date of publication, number of pages of required reading for each citation. If course uses a reader, please submit several samples from the reader. For non-published materials, all materials must be submitted for
review. A reading list is provided.

Technical Requirements

Prerequisites: ESH-X501A and ESH-X501B, Recommended Bachelor’s degree with minimum GPA 2.75

Course Options

Course Date Units Price
ESH-502A – 001 16 Jun 202603 Aug 2026 2 $1375

Health and the Built Environment 1

16 Jun 202603 Aug 2026
2
$1375
Online Fixed-Date
Online

NOTE: To register for this course you must have successfully completed: ESH-501A Engineering Health & Sustainability I & ESH-X501B Engineering Health & Sustainability II

Once you have enrolled in your course, log in to your account to access the course Welcome Letter, which includes directions on how to access the New Student Orientation and your online course.

What You Will Learn

  • Apply a complex adaptive systems approach to analyze the impact of human interventions on human and environmental health
  • Explain the relationships between human interventions that change the built environment and health
  • Analyze the relationships between environmental health, human health, one-health, and planetary health
  • Assess what sustainability is and how social and physical infrastructure can impact sustainability

Instructors

Professional development courses offered by the University of San Diego’s Division of Professional & Continuing Education are taught by faculty that possess a depth and breadth of academic and real-world professional experience.

Why USD?

The Professional and Continuing Education program nurtures key partnerships on the local, national, and international level. The goal is to better serve working professionals who seek to enhance or build their careers and help achieve their highest value and potential. Contact us today to learn more.

Informative Stats and Facts

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Learning Method Information

Courses offer a convenient, yet rigorous style of learning that allows you to structure your education to suit your schedule while keeping you on pace toward achieving your educational.

Online Fixed-Date

Online fixed-date courses are delivered virtually but follow a predetermined schedule, requiring students to complete assignments, participate in discussions, and take assessments by specific deadlines—much like a traditional classroom. The key difference is that while traditional courses are conducted in person at set times and locations, online fixed-date courses allow students to engage remotely, offering more flexibility in where they learn while preserving structure and accountability through fixed timelines.  (Note: Any scheduled Zoom sessions will be outlined on the class schedule.)  These courses have fixed start and finish dates, but as an online student you will have 24/7 online access to your classroom assignments, syllabus and course resources.  Instructor feedback is shared along with the graded assignments.

How is the learning structured? Each online fixed-date course is asynchronous, meaning that you can work on your assignments anytime, although you are required to complete the assignments by specific dates. The course is designed with learning modules where all of the content is grouped into weekly assignments. Each module covers one or more topics. Within each of the learning modules, you can expect the following components:

• Module introduction that outlines what you can expect to learn in the module.

• Required readings (textbook, articles, journals, etc.) and presentations (audio and/or video).

• Assignments with due dates (which may include: written assignments, journal entries, research, blogs, etc.) based on the readings and presentations.

• Discussion forum where you answer prompts from the instructor and interact with your classmates.

• Module conclusion to review the topics and what you should have learned.

Typically, there is a final project, paper, or exam due in the last module that culminates all of the topics covered in each of the learning modules. You’ll find that the design of the learning modules has a rhythm to help you manage your time in the course.