Occupational Safety Concentration
Occupational safety practice involves identifying and addressing potential hazards, developing and implementing safety protocols and procedures, training employees, and creating a work environment that minimizes the risk of accidents, injuries, or illnesses.
When you get a degree in occupational safety, you will learn about the health, safety, and well-being of workers in their workplace. The selected coursework will enable students to approach safety problems from an engineering hazard control perspective while understanding how these problems fit into the broader societal spectrum of the public’s health. Students who complete the concentration in Occupational Safety are eligible to become a Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP ®) upon graduation.
Students in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences may choose to pursue a formal concentration in Occupational Safety as part of the MPH or MS degree program by noting such in their application materials. Apply today!
Degrees & Curriculum Heading link
Students can enroll in our Master of Public Health (MPH) or Master of Science (MS) program in occupational safety. All students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to develop, manage, and evaluate occupational safety and health interventions. Which degree is right for you?
MPH: Practical focus, with internships and capstone projects.
MS: Research-oriented, with a thesis requirement.
Students must complete the school-wide core requirements and a sufficient number of the following courses as part of their divisional and elective choices as necessary to attain 48 semester hours of credit for the Master of Public Health degree and 52 semester hours of credit for the Master of Science degree. In addition, students must adhere to the divisional requirements as stipulated for their individual program of study.
Occupational Safety Core (24 semester hours)
- EOHS 421 – Occupational Health and Safety Practice (2 semester hours)
- EOHS 424 – Evaluation and Control of Radiation Exposures (1 semester hour)
- EOHS 425 – Evaluation and Control of Physical Agents (2 semester hours)
- EOHS 427 – Evaluation and Control of the Psychosocial Work Environment (2 semester hours)
- EOHS 495 – Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Seminar (1 semester hour)
- EOHS 501 – Exposure Assessment Strategies (3 semester hours)
- EOHS 502 – Environment, Toxicology, and Disease (4 semester hours)
- EOHS 503 – Occupational Safety (2 semester hours)
- EOHS 504 – Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics (1 semester hour)
- EOHS 563 – Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (3 semester hours)
- EOHS 571 – Injury Epidemiology and Prevention (3 semester hours)
Additional Requirements
Trainees are required each year to:
- Attend all weekly Illinois ERC Interdisciplinary Seminars (EOHS 495) (held weekly throughout the academic year)
- Attend at least 3 hr of Occupational Medicine Clinic per semester
- Attend at least 4 Industrial Process Tours each year
- Participate actively in at least one Illinois ERC Targeted Research Training Team each semester
Trainees are required to complete once:
- Present an Industrial Process Talk (scheduled during the ERC Seminar)
Admission Requirements Heading link
In addition to a BA or BS degree, students should have at least one year of college math and college-level science coursework in chemistry, and either biology or physics prior to starting our MPH or MS occupational safety concentration.
Funding & Traineeships Heading link
Traineeships are awarded to US Citizens MPH, MS, and PhD students interested in pursuing an Occupational Safety curriculum. Due to federal funding of the trainee program, only US Citizens and US Permanent Residents are eligible to be considered for these positions. Current students interested in consideration for the traineeship should talk to the traineeship director (contact information below). The traineeship is coordinated through the Great Lakes Center for Occupational Health and Safety.