The Master of Science (MS) degree is designed for students who plan to be occupational hygiene practitioners and for those planning careers in research or academia. For full-time students, the MS degree requires two years to complete, with coursework required in occupational hygiene, environmental health, and public health. A field experience and Master’s project are part of the curriculum. The MS degree is accredited through 2026 by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Accreditation is an important element of the program because it ensures applicants that the program is of high quality and that their education will prepare them for future employment and certification.
The primary objective of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree is to bring students to a higher level of academic achievement through a combination of advanced coursework and research. These students are expected to go on to provide leadership in the field of occupational hygiene in academic, government, and corporate spheres. In most cases, students develop their dissertation topics as part of a funded research project. Prospective doctoral students must have fulfilled the requirements of the MS degree, or its equivalent, before admission to the program, or they may take courses to meet that level of knowledge once admitted.
ABET ACCREDITATION
The Occupational Hygiene MS degree is accredited through 2026 by the Applied Science Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.
