What you will study
What is occupational safety and health administration at the next level? You keep
a finger on the pulse of the latest occupational safety and safety science trends
while pursuing your master’s in Occupational Safety degree.
While this graduate program begins with core classes, the Master’s in Occupational
Safety Management is highly customizable. You can choose from one of these three areas
of concentration based on your qualifications:
- Professional Certification
- Work Experience
- Foundation
Regardless of your chosen concentration, all safety science graduate students will
take courses in occupational hazard management, risk management and financing, organizational
administration and supervision and sustainability. These advanced courses offer in-depth
safety science education and experience that you’ll need for leadership roles in environmental
health and safety (EHS) fields.
Our ABET-accredited M.S. in Occupational Safety Management also allows you to customize
your study plan and choose from over 20 electives based on your career focus, interests
and goals. For example, our graduate safety and health lab course provides a thorough
introduction to a variety of instruments used by professionals in occupational safety
and health jobs.You can also advance your knowledge and practical skills by taking
our advanced elective courses such as EHS legislation & standard, emergency planning
and operations, environmental compliance and remediation, EHS Risk assessment, loss
control, fire risk management, ergonomics, noise control, industrial ventilation,
etc.
Based upon your education and work experience at the time of application, you will
be admitted into one of our three OSM areas:
- Professional Certification area: Applicants have possession of GSP, ASP, or CSP certification from BCSP. Students complete
30 graduate credit hours for M.S. Occupational Safety Management degree.
- Work Experience area: Applicants have a minimum of 1 year of full-time work experience with at least 50%
safety related job duties, and the work experience must be documented with BCSP-approved
ASP exam eligibility letter or BCSP certificates such as SMS, OHST, CHST, STS or STSC.
Students complete 33 graduate credit hours for M.S. Occupational Safety Management
degree.
- Foundation area: Applicants needs to have possession of a bachelor’s degree from any discipline with
additional GPA and background requirements. Students complete 36 graduate credit hours
for M.S. Occupational Safety Management degree, including an internship to gain their
occupational safety management field and practical experience.
Excellence in Occupational Safety Management
- UCM offers the only ABET-accredited MS program in Occupational Safety Management in
Missouri. The Applied and Natural Sciences Accreditation Commission (ANSAC) of ABET
accredits the program.
- Our Safety Science master’s degree program also carries a distinction as a Qualified
Academic Program (QAP) through the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP),
setting your degree apart in the field. BCSP offers a variety of student services
that you’ll gain access to through UCM.
- Most Focused College for Occupational Safety & Health Technology (College Factual, 2022)
Unique learning opportunities in occupational safety management
No matter how you pursue your advanced occupational safety degree from the University
of Central Missouri, take advantage of everything our one-of-a-kind graduate program
offers:
- State-of-the-art facilities: Learn best practices and occupational safety and health jobs skills using the latest
safety and industrial hygiene equipment.
- Industry connections: Network with other industry professionals in Kansas City’s active chapters of the
American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and American Industrial Hygiene Association
(AIHA). Both chapters work closely with our program.
- Applied projects: Our Occupational Safety Management degree program provides hands-on experience you
need to advance your career in the industry. Gain exposure to new occupational safety
and health jobs through applied projects, as well as internship opportunities.
Earn your GSP designation
All Occupational Safety Management graduates are awarded the Graduate Safety Practitioner
(GSP) designation upon successful completion. GSP is an alternate path toward the professional certification of Certified Safety Professional (CSP). Only students who graduate from an ABET-accreditied saftey program or a Qualified
Academic Program (QAP) meeting the standards of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals are eligible for the GSP designation, making it highly respected.
Our Occupational Safety Management M.S. degree are both ABET-accredited and BCSP QAP. - Learn more about the GSP
What can you do with a master’s in Occupational Safety Management from UCM?
Graduate students in the University of Central Missouri’s Occupational Safety Management
master’s program find occupational safety and health jobs in a variety of industries,
including government agencies, construction, insurance, manufacturing and oil and
gas.
What is occupational safety and health administration and what can it mean for your
future?
Use our interactive tool below to learn more about how your Master of Occupational
Safety Management degree from the University of Central Missouri will help you achieve
your future career goals.
Check out UCM’s first destination success and salary statistics
Financial assistance options for your Occupational Safety Management master’s degree
The University of Central Missouri offers a variety of ways to help you finance your Occupational Safety Management M.S. degree.
In addition, several scholarships specifically for safety science students are available,
including:
- A $5,000 annual scholarship through the Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- Missouri Employers Mutual full tuition scholarship offered through the UCM Foundation
- A $1,000 to $1,500 scholarship from the Construction Safety Group of Kansas City
- ASSP Foundation Scholarships
- AIH Foundation Scholarships
- International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) Daniel K. Shipp Scholarship ($2,500)
- Don B. Daily Safety Steel Intern Scholarship, which includes a paid summer internship
at a North American steel manufacturing facility or industry supplier
You can learn more about program-specific scholarships at the UCM Scholarship Finder.
What Employers Say
Fred Manuele, PE, SMS, CSP - President, Hazards Limited
“It is to the credit of all who have been involved with the Occupational Safety Management
and Industrial Hygiene programs at UCM that they are accredited by ABET. Only a few
such programs are accredited.”
What Safety Science Students Say
Find out from graduate students in our Occupational Safety Management MS program.
Watch Students in Action
Meet Dr. Miaozong Wu
Distinguished industry leader
Dr. Miaozong Wu is the program coordinator of M.S. Occupational Safety Management
and will answer your questions regarding your application, study plan and career opportunity.
Dr. Wu holds CSP and ARM professional certifications, and his multiple research projects
in occupational safety and health have been funded by OSHA and NASA.
Learn More About Dr. Miaozong Wu
Meet More Faculty
Award-winning, experienced and published professionals
UCM’s Safety Science faculty boast a Certified Safety Professional certification holder,
Outstanding Safety Educator of the Year recipients from the American Society of Safety
Professionals and a fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. Our faculty
are also published authors who are featured in prestigious journals and write industry-leading
textbooks.
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What are the admissions requirements?
Students are admitted into one of three Areas based upon their education and work
experience at the time of application. Students must specify which Area they are seeking
admission into. Once admitted into an Area, students may not change Areas without
applying for a change of degree program through the Graduate School and being approved
by Safety Sciences.
All Applicants must meet the following admissions requirement:
Possession of a bachelor’s degree of any discipline from a Regionally Accredited University
with a GPA of 2.5 or higher
Additional requirements by Area are as follows (only need to meet the requirements
of the Area applying for and admitted into):
- Professional Certification Area – Admission into this Area requires current possession of any of the following designations
or certifications in good standing: Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP), Associate
Safety Professional (ASP), or Certified Safety Professional (CSP).
- Work Experience Area – A minimum of 1 year of full-time work experience with at least 50% job duties related
to safety. Work experience must be documented from one of the following:
- Eligibility to sit for the ASP exam; AnASP exam eligibility letter from BCSP must
be submitted with application to the program. OR
- Possession of current certification in good standing of any of the following certifications
through the BCSP:
- Safety Management Specialist (SMS)
- Occupational Hygiene and Safety Technician (OHST)
- Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST)
- Safety Trained Supervisor (STS)
- Safety Trained Supervisor Construction (STSC)
- Foundation Area –
- One semester each of chemistry, physics, college level mathematics (e.g., algebra,
geometry, mathematical analysis), and statistics at the undergraduate or postgraduate
level.
How do I apply?
Complete your application and be sure to provide the Graduate and International Student Services with official transcripts.
Those transcripts can be sent to:
University of Central Missouri
Graduate and International Student Services
Ward Edwards Building, Room 1800
Warrensburg, MO 64093
If you have any questions about applying, contact the Graduate and International Student Services at
660-543-4621 or 660-543-4092
FAX: 660-543-4778
Website: https://www.ucmo.edu/offices/
graduate-and-international-
student-services/index.php
Program Student Outcomes
At the time of graduation, the student with a Master of Science degree in Occupational
Safety Management will be able to:
1. anticipate, recognize, evaluate, and develop control strategies for hazardous conditions
and work practices;
2. demonstrate the application of business and risk management concepts;
3. demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental aspects of safety, industrial hygiene,
environmental science, fire science, hazardous materials, emergency management, ergonomics,
and/or human factors;
4. design and evaluate safety, health, and/or environmental programs;
5. apply adult learning theory to safety training methodology;
6. identify and apply appropriate standards, regulations, and codes;
7. conduct accident investigations and analyses;
8. apply principles of safety and health in a non-academic setting through an internship,
cooperative, or supervised experience.
Program Educational Objectives
The graduate with a Master of Science degree in Occupational Safety Management will
use the knowledge and skills obtained in the programs to:
- Demonstrate the ability to communicate professionally, both verbally and in writing.
- Demonstrate knowledge of professional integrity and ethical standards.
- Recognize the importance of contemporary global and societal issues as they relate
to the practice of occupational safety and health.
- Develop, coordinate, and/or participate on multidisciplinary teams to protect people,
property, and the environment.
- Recognize the importance of life-long learning for the purpose of enhancing discipline-specific
technical competencies.
- Analyze injury, illness, and liability trends to help establish priority direction.
- Organize limited resources for optimum risk control.
- Develop, implement, and evaluate hazard control processes for a performance safety
program.
Where can I find enrollment and graduation data?
The UCM Campus Data Hub allows you to access enrollment and graduation data for the
University and individual programs at: https://www.ucmo.edu/
offices/university-analytics-
and-institutional-research/
campus-data/index.php
