Master of Science in
Occupational Safety Management
The world is a dangerous place. Mitigating risk in the workplace, whether natural or man-made, is a critical skill and big business. In fact, according to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), occupational injuries and illness cost companies $170 billion each year. It’s no wonder that employers need safety professionals to protect their employees, property and profits.
Whether you are looking to advance your current position or are seeking a career change, Embry-Riddle’s Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management prepares students to effectively manage workplace safety and health hazards in a range of environments.
Through rigorous academic experience, students acquire the knowledge, skills and abilities to succeed as a safety professional or a leader in the safety, health and environmental fields.
The median salary for full-time safety, health and environmental professionals is $98,000 according to the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) and demand for these professionals is projected to grow 7% through 2030.
Professionals who hold graduate degrees in safety and health are in high demand and will be for some time. Upon completion of the program, the focused skills gained in this specialized degree will distinguish students as knowledgeable safety and health management professionals. With this distinction, graduates will be ready to take on environmental and occupational safety and health leadership positions, including director of safety, safety manager, safety consultant, environmental health and safety compliance officer and loss-control manager – in virtually every occupational setting — from manufacturing, healthcare and construction to military and government.
The master’s degree program in Occupational Safety Management (MSOSM) is offered both on campus in Daytona Beach, Florida, or 100% online through the Worldwide/Online Campus.
DETAILS
This offering is available at the following campuses. Select a campus to learn more.
About Occupational Safety Management at the Daytona Beach, FL Campus
Students benefit from course work delivered on campus with access to real-world aviation safety operations, plus the added flexibility of completing some courses online. The program is made up of nine courses and students can choose a thesis option, graduate capstone option, or participation in an internship. Thirty-six credits are required for students completing a thesis, and thirty-three credits are required for those completing the capstone. Courses include safety-related topics, research and statistics coursework.
The Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management is designated as a BCSP Qualified Academic Program, and graduates are eligible to apply for the BCSP Graduate Safety Practitioner® (GSP) designation. The GSP designation is an alternate path to the Certified Safety Professional® (CSP), waiving the requirement to sit for the ASP exam. For information on the GSP go to https://www.bcsp.org/GSP.
The Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management (MSOSM) provides the theoretical foundation, research, and application skills required to effectively anticipate, recognize, evaluate, prevent, and control workplace safety, health, and environmental hazards and to manage comprehensive occupational safety and health programs. One of the unique features is that it is offered on the Daytona Campus where students will have the opportunity to observe maintenance and other, related aviation facilities providing support for a large fleet of aircraft. These experiences will provide a perspective transferable to aviation and other industries. The program and courses are evaluated both internally by peers and externally by subject matter experts and modified regularly to ensure students are engaged with current topics to meet the demands of industry. Applicants should have a strong academic record with a CGPA of approximately 3.0 or higher. No admissions examination is required.
The degree is a Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) Qualified Academic Program (QAP). Graduates of a QAP are eligible to apply for the Graduate Safety Practitioner® (GSP®), a BCSP-approved credential necessary to apply for the Certified Safety Professional® (CSP®). It is only available to SH&E graduates from degree programs which meet BCSP QAP standards.
Degree Requirements
| SF 520 | Occupational Health and Safety Foundations | 3 |
| SF 530 | Safety, Health and Environmental Legislation, Litigation & Compliance | 3 |
| SF 550 | Fire Safety Management and Disaster Response | 3 |
| SF 580 | Environmental Protection for the Safety, Health and Environmental Manager | 3 |
| SF 590 | Hazard Control Methods in Occupational Safety and Health | 3 |
| SF 600 | Occupational Safety and Health Management | 3 |
| SF 611 | Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology | 3 |
| SF 619 | Human Factors and Ergonomics | 3 |
| Research Core | ||
| MSA 662 | Statistical Analysis for Aviation/Aerospace | 3 |
| MSA 670 | Research Methods in Aviation/Aerospace | 3 |
| Select one of the following Options | ||
| Option I: Capstone | ||
| SF 691 | Graduate Capstone | 3 |
| OR Option II: Thesis | ||
| Total Credits | 33 | |
| SF 700A | MSOSM Thesis I | 3 |
| SF 700B | MSOSM Thesis II | 3 |
| Total Credits | 36 | |
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Summary
36 Credits
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About Occupational Safety Management at the Worldwide & Online Campus
Embry-Riddle Worldwide’s Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management (MSOSM) is offered 100% online and can be completed from anywhere with internet access. Courses are taught over a nine-week term. For the MSOSM, these are primarily offered during the five major terms that begin in August, October, January, March and May. Courses are asynchronous, meaning that the students and instructors do not have to be present within the course at the same time. The online delivery provides flexibility for students to complete the work on their own schedule. However, courses are not self-paced. Each class has a set weekly structure and schedule for the assignments.
Worldwide students are a part of the Embry-Riddle family, which means they learn from distinguished faculty members whose professional experience complements their academic backgrounds. The master’s degree program in Occupational Safety Management, in particular, is led by faculty members who have proven expertise in safety or related fields, including industrial hygiene, environmental science/engineering, ergonomics/human factors and systems safety. Some are also highly credentialed in their specific fields — Certified Safety Professionals (CSPs), Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIHs) and other applicable certifications, such as QEP, CHMM and CPEA.
Program Student Outcomes
Upon graduation, students in the Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management program will have the ability to:
- Identify, formulate, and solve broadly-defined technical or scientific problems by applying knowledge of mathematics and science and/or technical topics to areas relevant to the discipline.
- Formulate or design a system, process, procedure, or program to meet desired needs.
- Function effectively on teams that establish goals, plan tasks, meet deadlines, and analyze risk and uncertainty.
- Anticipate, recognize, evaluate, prevent, and control workplace safety and occupational health hazards within numerous industries to protect people, property, the environment, and organizational operations.
- Effectively manage occupational safety and health function within a variety of industries.
- Justify occupational safety and health programs, initiatives, and control efforts through the use of business and risk management metrics, by maintaining compliance with applicable standards and regulations or through scientific evaluation of outcomes.
- Effectively communicate and interact with persons at all levels within an organization and externally about occupational safety, health, and environmental management.
- Practice and perform in an ethical, moral, responsible, and accountable manner in all aspects, but especially in the practice of safety, understanding the impact of technical and/or scientific solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
- Identify an occupational safety and health research problem; complete a thorough review of the scholarly literature; formulate and test hypotheses or research questions; collect and appropriately analyze qualitative or quantitative data; and interpret and report research findings using scientific judgment to improve the field of occupational safety and health or to provide solutions to occupational safety and health problem.
Upon completing the program, these focused skills and specialized degrees will distinguish graduates as astute and knowledgeable safety management professionals. With this distinction, graduates will be ready to take on occupational safety and health leadership positions – including director of safety, safety manager, safety consultant, compliance officer, and loss-control manager – in virtually every professional setting.
Educational Objectives
Program Educational Objectives are "broad statements that describe the career and professional accomplishments that the program is preparing graduates to achieve." Graduates from the Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management program can:
- Apply a broad educational background combined with strong critical thinking, analytical, and time management skills to lead, influence, and achieve the OSH goals and objectives of their employers.
- Effectively communicate, collaborate, and manage a diverse work environment.
- Manage and lead OSH organizations ethically and professionally.
- Engage in professional development and mentor others to demonstrate competency; ensure relevancy in knowledge, skills, and new technologies; and maintain currency in changing industry trends.
- Anticipate, recognize, evaluate, prevent, and control hazards to better ensure safe workplaces and develop best practices.
The risk of workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities presents a serious threat in any industry. Organizations rely heavily upon safety and health professionals to help them mitigate these risks and maintain a safe and healthy work environment. This graduate-degree program helps students develop the skills and knowledge they need to effectively anticipate, recognize, evaluate, prevent, and control workplace safety and occupational health hazards within numerous industries.
Through the focused curriculum – which includes case studies, writing safety policies and initiatives, and participating in collaborative projects – the student will gain a solid foundation in the critical aspects of occupational safety and health, including:
- Occupational Safety and Health Management
- Hazard Control Methods
- Fire Safety
- Safety, Health and Environmental Legislation
- Human Factors and Ergonomics
- Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response
- Regulatory Compliance
- Industrial Hygiene
- Environmental Protection
The research component will expose you to statistics and research methodology that is both applicable to the workplace and good preparation for a doctoral program. Students will complete the degree with a Capstone Project that will provide the opportunity to explore a real-world safety and/or health issue, applying your new knowledge to answer a research question.
The Occupational Safety Management coursework also helps prepare students for certification by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals and the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM).
The Worldwide MSOSM degree program has been approved by the IHMM as an Associate Safety and Health Manager (ASHM) Program. Graduates from the MSOSM program may now apply for the ASHM credential upon graduation. The ASHM designation is an important stepping stone to the accredited Certified Safety and Health Manager (CSHM) certification. Graduates achieving a degree from an approved ASHM institution only have to demonstrate two years of experience, instead of four, in order to sit for the CSHM exam. Graduates can submit to IHMM to be able to add the ASHM designation behind their name, signifying to employers their level of preparation for the safety and health profession and they are on the path for full certification.
The MSOSM program is a Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) Qualified Academic Program (QAP). A QAP is an academic degree program in safety, health and/or environmental practices meeting BCSP standards for participation and whose curriculum has been reviewed as showing a substantial match to the Associate Safety Professional® (ASP) blueprint. Graduates of these programs may apply to hold the Graduate Safety Practitioner® (GSP) designation. The GSP designation is an alternate path to the Certified Safety Professional®(CSP), waiving the requirement to sit for the ASP exam. The GSP is not a certification, and graduates must apply at the link provided below.
Benefits of the GSP designation are:
- Recognition for being in a path toward the CSP certification
- Recognition for the level of preparation for professional safety practice
- A waiver of the ASP examination requirement for CSP eligibility
- A certificate awarding the GSP designation
BCSP and GSP details provided by http://www.bcsp.org/GSP
Upon completion of the program, your focused skills and specialized degree will distinguish you as an astute and knowledgeable safety management professional. With this distinction, you will be ready to take on occupational safety and health leadership positions – including director of safety, safety manager, safety consultant, compliance officer, and loss-control manager – in virtually every occupational setting.
Program Specific Criteria
Prerequisite Knowledge
Subject knowledge for a specific graduate course must be satisfied before enrollment in that course is permitted. Students may enroll in graduate level courses only if they meet prerequisite knowledge requirements.
Applicants for admission to the Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management (MSOSM) program must have prerequisite knowledge in the following areas:
- Quantitative Methods
Students should assume responsibility to see that prerequisites are satisfied. The prerequisite subject knowledge for a specific graduate course must be satisfied before enrollment in that specific course is permitted. Students may enroll in other graduate-level courses as they meet any specific prerequisite knowledge required.
The prerequisite knowledge can be validated through one of the following:
- Completed an undergraduate or graduate course in each of the specific subject areas and upon validation of the course from an official transcript; -OR-
- Completed a course listed in either the National or ACE Guide for which academic credit in one of the specific subject areas is recommended; -OR-
- Received at least the minimum recommended score on a CLEP, DSST/DANTES, PEP, etc. exam in each of the subject areas as required.
| SFTY 530 | Safety, Health and Environmental Legislation, Litigation & Compliance | 3 |
| SFTY 540 | Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response | 3 |
| SFTY 570 | Fire Safety Management | 3 |
| SFTY 580 | Environmental Protection for the Safety, Health and Environmental Manager | 3 |
| SFTY 590 | Hazard Control Methods in Occupational Safety and Health | 3 |
| SFTY 600 | Occupational Safety and Health Management | 3 |
| SFTY 611 | Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology | 3 |
| SFTY 619 | Human Factors and Ergonomics | 3 |
| RSCH 650 | Research Methods and Analysis | 3 |
| SFTY 691 | Graduate Capstone Course | 3 |
| Total Degree Requirements | 30 | |
Get Started Now:
Summary
30 Credits
Estimate your tuition by using the Tuition Calculator
View Financial Aid Information
Learn more about the benefits of an Online Degree
Learn about our General Education
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View our Academic Calendar
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