UHCL now offers bachelor’s, master’s in occupational safety and health

September 17, 2018 | Jim Townsend

Aligning with evolving industry and academic expectations, University of Houston-Clear Lake  now offers bachelor’s and master’s of science degrees occupational safety and health.

The change fills “past, current and future needs,” said Robert Phalen, associate professor of industrial hygiene and safety in the university’s College of Science and Engineering.

UHCL has long offered bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental science, with the ability to specialize in either industrial hygiene or safety, among other specializations. The environmental science degrees are still offered, minus the industrial hygiene and safety specializations.  Those specializations are now part of the new occupational safety and health degrees. “We’re not replacing any existing programs. We are simply changing the name to reflect the field of study and attract students into this growing profession,” Phalen said.

“Environmental science is not a natural home for industrial hygiene or safety and thus these programs are not well advertised to the industries dependent on qualified professionals in this area,” Phalen said. “Separating these disciplines under a standalone program will make the program more visible to students, and this will in turn, increase enrollment in these disciplines, allow potential employers to find us more easily and be able to seek our graduates for employment.”

Phalen added that the changes support the university’s existing accreditation with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. “It will help improve our visibility to occupational health and safety degree-seekers, regionally and nationally,” he said.

Because of ABET accreditation, graduates from these tracks are eligible to receive a Graduate Safety Practitioner designation, which is the first of two steps toward the highly sought Certified Safety Professional designation. Also, the two degrees are board-approved by the Institute for Safety and Health Management, which certifies health and safety professionals.

Students may also prepare for a professional certification examination in industrial hygiene to become a Certified Industrial Hygienist. “The Certified Industrial Hygienist and Certified Safety Professional designations are recognized nationally and internationally as a pinnacle mark of credible professionals in the field,” Phalen said. “Some states have enacted legislation to recognize and protect these designations. There is a lot of value to these programs.”

Moreover, the occupational safety and health master’s program is available online, he said. To learn more about the new degrees, visit the web pages for B.S. in Occupational Safety and Health or the M.S. in Occupational Safety and Health or call the College of Science and Engineering Office of Academic Advising at 281-283-3700.