[An evaluation of the new program of Master of Sciences in Environmental Health]

Our country is presently undergoing a historical, environmental and economic transition, along with an intense industrial expansion. As the rapid industrialization has not run parallel with the strengthening of environmental sanitary infrastructure, metropolitan cities have grown anarchically, turning over excessive amounts of air, water and soil pollutants. The harmonic combination of development, environment and health requires the supervision of trained human resources. The scarcity of such resources is a major restriction to overcome. In response to the lack of human resources devoted to environmental issues, the School of Public Health of Mexico established the Specialty of Environmental Health. In coordination with experts and decision makers from the health services, this specialty was reorganized in a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Health. Several institutions participated in this program actively, either with financial support or with human resources. The major obstacle to the continuity of the Program has been the lack of institutional financial support for students to devote fully to the programs. Nevertheless this Master's Degree is expected to undergo intense development in coming years. In the future, this program will have to reduce its epidemiologic focus and adopt a more general one. Efforts will be directed toward a wider national and international projection.