Structure of the MSc Program and Course Analysis

The Interdisciplinary Master’s Program (MSc) consists of three semesters, each with a specific curriculum and distributed ECTS credits, as described below.

First Semester (Total ECTS: 30)

The first semester includes five compulsory courses. Each course provides 6 ECTS, totaling 30 ECTS for the semester.

1. Introduction to Environmental Sciences
   • Type: Compulsory
   • Distance Learning: 70%
   • ECTS: 6

   This course covers basic environmental concepts, such as the atmosphere, water, and soil, and topics like air pollution and climate change.

2. Introduction to Basic Biomedical Sciences
   • Type: Compulsory
   • Distance Learning: 70%
   • ECTS: 6

   The course introduces the morphological characteristics of tissues, organs, and systems of the human body, with an emphasis on metabolic pathways and drug effects.

3. Building Materials, Radiation, and Health
   • Type: Compulsory
   • Distance Learning: 70%
   • ECTS: 6

   This course analyzes the effects of radiation and chemical emissions from building materials on the human body and methods to address these impacts.

4. Impact of Environmental Factors on the Human Body
   • Type: Compulsory
   • Distance Learning: 70%
   • ECTS: 6

   It examines the effects of environmental factors on human tissues and systems and their relationship with various diseases.

5. Crisis Management in Environmental Disasters
   • Type: Compulsory
   • Distance Learning: 70%
   • ECTS: 6

   The course covers resource management and health issues in environmental disaster scenarios, emphasizing proper organization and management of economic resources.

Second Semester (Total ECTS: 30)

The second semester also includes five compulsory courses, each providing 6 ECTS, totaling 30 ECTS for the semester.

1. Pathogenic, Mutagenic, Toxic Agents – Carcinogenesis, Teratogenesis, and the Environment
   • Type: Compulsory
   • Distance Learning: 70%
   • ECTS: 6

   This course analyzes the impact of pathogenic, mutagenic, and toxic agents on the environment and the human body, focusing on carcinogenesis and teratogenesis.

2. Study of Environmental Issues in Health Situations
   • Type: Compulsory
   • Distance Learning: 70%
   • ECTS: 6

   It examines the dependency of diseases on environmental parameters and the statistical relationship between environmental factors and disease occurrence.

3. Environmental Factors and Specific Systems of the Human Body
   • Type: Compulsory
   • Distance Learning: 70%
   • ECTS: 6

   This course presents the pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical manifestations of environmental toxins’ effects on the nervous system.

4. The Impact of Nutrition on the Human Body
   • Type: Compulsory
   • Distance Learning: 70%
   • ECTS: 6

   It examines human nutritional requirements and the impact of diet on various diseases and age groups.

5. Geographic Information Systems – Biostatistics – Medical Informatics
   • Type: Compulsory
   • Distance Learning: 70%
   • ECTS: 6

   The course develops skills in using GIS, biostatistics, and medical informatics for analyzing environmental impacts on health.

Third Semester (Total ECTS: 30)

The third semester focuses on the completion of the Master’s Thesis, which awards a total of 30 ECTS. The thesis can be written in Greek and/or English.

Educational Method

Courses are conducted up to 70% through distance and hybrid learning methods. The official language of the program is Greek, while the thesis can be written in either Greek or English.

With this structured curriculum, students will gain comprehensive knowledge and understanding of environmental sciences and their relationship with human health, preparing them to tackle contemporary challenges in this field.

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Introduction to Environmental Sciences

Basic environmental concepts covering the atmosphere, water, and soil are analyzed. Topics covered include air pollution, climate change, solar radiation, extreme weather events, the aquatic environment, drinking water, soil, and their contamination from human activities. Introductory elements from Atmospheric Sciences (Meteorology, Climatology, Atmospheric Environment), Hydrology (Water Cycle, Water Pollution), Agricultural Sciences (Soil, Soil Burden from the use of agricultural chemicals), and Biological Sciences (Ecological models, pollen grains) are developed. The aim is for students to become familiar with the terminology of Environmental Sciences and understand basic mechanisms related to environmental processes and study tools. Emphasis will be given to the possibilities of accessing open environmental data.

Introduction to Basic Biomedical Sciences

Understanding the impact of environmental factors on health primarily requires knowledge and understanding of the pathways of exposure and metabolism of the human body. The course will teach the basic morphological characteristics of various tissues, organs, and systems with particular emphasis on the texture and function of tissues and their importance in the structure and function of organs. The basic metabolic pathways of the human body and metabolic diseases, the biochemical and molecular basis of tissue and system functions and corresponding diseases, as well as the basic principles of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and drug effects will be analyzed. Finally, the course includes the study of morphological alterations developed in tissues and organs, as well as epidemiological data, pathogenic mechanisms, predictive and prognostic factors for pathological conditions and neoplasms.

Building Materials, Radiation, and Health

The course includes teaching the effects on the human body from radiation and chemical emissions of certain natural and artificial building materials found in the indoor environment of both residential and workplace settings. The role of various natural and artificial building materials such as rocks, concrete, cement, bricks, plasters, tiles, paints, metals, and chemically treated wooden elements (such as floors, furniture, etc.), the effects of natural radioactivity and chemical emissions, the “sick building syndrome,” and the risk assessment from radiological and chemical emissions will be analyzed. Methods and means of control, prevention, and addressing these effects will also be taught through interactive teaching, laboratory measurements and exercises, field measurements, and the application of computational tools.

Impact of Environmental Factors on the Human Body

The aim of the course is to introduce the environmental parameters that can affect human tissues and, consequently, human health. Environmental factors may refer to atmospheric (such as atmospheric composition, pollutants, natural emissions), climatic (e.g., temperature, precipitation), or water parameters. The histological impacts of the aforementioned elements can be of different types and concern different and simultaneously multiple systems of the body (e.g., skin cancer, infectious diseases, respiratory diseases, etc.). Emphasis will be mainly on the analysis of the healthy histological structures of various organs, the alterations that may be observed, and the correlation of these with environmental factors.

Crisis Management in Environmental Disasters

Topics related to the management of natural resources for the benefit of health in cases of environmental disasters are developed. In disaster situations, the balance of materials and elements of air, soil, and water can be disrupted, necessitating the proper management of financial resources to restore them to their previous state and address the changes they have caused. Health is one of the main sectors affected in cases of environmental disasters. The improper organization of the state in managing financial resources to address diseases and conditions arising in such crises can perpetuate the problem without achieving a definitive solution. This course analyzes the economics and policies for fishing, mineral extraction, oil and gas, forest resources, agriculture, and the environment with particular emphasis on managing these resources for public health benefit.

Infectious, Mutagenic, Toxic Factors – Carcinogenesis, Teratogenesis, and Environment

This course includes the detailed teaching of infectious agents, possible and certain mutagenic and toxic factors in our environment, their ways of creation and accumulation, their degree of danger, and the damage they can cause at the cellular level, in tissues, organs, and entire plant and animal organisms affected in the soil, water, and air. Methods and means of controlling these factors will be taught through interactive teaching and laboratory exercises. Finally, the concepts of teratogenesis and carcinogenesis, particularly concerning the modern lifestyle of industrially developed countries, as well as the ways of creation and processes of prevention, management, neutralization, and destruction with the least possible environmental burden, will be analyzed.

Study of Environmental Issues in Health Situations

This course analyzes the dependence of diseases on environmental parameters for different temporal and geographical scales, as well as the statistical connection of environmental parameters (air, water, soil) with the occurrence of diseases. It also refers to: i) extreme meteorological phenomena (floods, heatwaves) and their impact on vulnerable population groups, ii) the concentration of pollutants, toxic and allergenic substances in the atmosphere, water, and soil and their corresponding impacts on health, iii) climate changes (solar radiation, “ozone hole,” etc.) related to infectious, cardiac/respiratory diseases, neoplasms, nutritional changes, and vitamin deficiencies, etc.

Environmental Factors and Specific Systems of the Human Body

The Central and Peripheral Nervous System of humans is subject to the harmful effects of numerous environmental factors. Specific areas of the nervous system along the “cerebral cortex-peripheral nerves” axis are selectively vulnerable to the action of toxic factors, which, in this way, cause particular clinical entities with symptoms from the neurological and psychiatric fields. The course will briefly present the pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical manifestations of the effect of environmental toxins on the nervous system. Additionally, the neurological effects of toxins from social use (e.g., alcohol) and iatrogenic causes will be addressed. Finally, diagnostic approach algorithms and therapeutic management of this significant medical and social problem will be proposed.

The Impact of Nutrition on the Human Body

This course examines the basic concepts concerning human metabolism and the body’s nutritional needs, as well as a series of conditions involving nutritional issues in their etiology. Additionally, various types of diets and dietary habits are examined, emphasizing their impact on tissues and, consequently, human health. It also analyzes a series of special situations regarding feeding, such as feeding groups with increased needs (pregnant women, infants, and children), feeding in old age, feeding individuals with metabolic diseases, etc. Finally, the course addresses modern developments in the food sector and some basic principles of nutrition concerning various countries or cultures.

Geographic Information Systems – Biostatistics – Medical Informatics

The course aims to develop skills in experimental design and the management of experimental data to safely draw conclusions on environmental impacts on human health.

Cognitive subunits to be developed include:

• Presentation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications. The nature of geographic data – concept of geographic space. Experimental design, experimental hypothesis, experimental setup. Data collection (creation of an arc catalog library). Geometric and thematic data – digitization of numerical and qualitative data. Presentation of GIS data in arc maps. The role of GIS in decision-making (GIS and management of primary and secondary medical care, GIS and diagnostic practices). Descriptive data statistics and graphical representation. Fidelity and Accuracy-Uncertainty. Statistical tests of experimental hypothesis (parametric and non-parametric tests). Multivariate data analysis. Graphical presentation of experimental data. Queries, measurements, transformations – Descriptive summary and conclusion extraction. Special Applications and independent Medical Informatics software in managing environmental factors’ impact on human health.