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Department of Occupational Risk and Safety Science

With safety and sustainability at the core of organizational culture today, you can make a real difference as an occupational risk and safety professional. Learn how to protect people, property and the environment at the University of Central Missouri. Whether you’re a new student or a working professional, you’ll get exceptional value for your investment and be ready for your desired role.

UCM maintains a tradition of excellence in occupational risk and safety science and a firm commitment to your academic success. We introduced the nation’s first registered safety management degree over 50 years ago and continue to be a forerunner in accredited safety science education with options that meet your exact career goals — at some of the region’s most affordable tuition rates. 

UCM offers choices for your future in safety science:

  • Safety Management: Create and maintain working environments that safeguard employees and property.
  • Environmental Management: Lessen an organization’s environmental impact, in turn helping ensure the well-being of its people.
  • Risk Management: Use proven methods for assessing and mitigating risk to preserve the environment, as well as anyone and anything in it.
  • Occupational Health Management: Safeguard workers and even whole communities when you minimize their exposure to hazardous materials.
  • Industrial Hygiene: Learn to identify, analyze and manage health hazards in the workplace.

 

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Contact

Dr. Georgi Popov, QEP, CSP, ARM, SMS, CMC, FAIHA
Chair, Occupational Risk and Safety Science
Professor, Safety Sciences
Humphreys 327A
Warrensburg, MO
Tel: 660-543-4208
gpopov@ucmo.edu

College of Health, Science and Technology


Financial Aid and Scholarships

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A BCSP Qualified Academic Program

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ABET-accredited degree options

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CSP-certified and award-winning faculty

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Degree options unique to UCM

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On-campus, hybrid and online offerings

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Department scholarships available

Find your Occupational Risk and Safety Science future at UCM

Whether an undergraduate or graduate student of UCM’s Occupational Risk and Safety Science programs, you can maximize your potential through the ability to:

  • Earn a professional designation: Add the Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP) to your resume upon completion of your UCM Occupational Risk and Safety Science degree. This designation serves as an alternate path to the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certification and is only available to students who complete a Qualified Academic Program (QAP) as recognized by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP).
  • Access an extensive, modern laboratory: Apply your learning using our large selection of instruments, which include microscopes, a portable gas chromatograph, noise and vibration measurement equipment and benzene-specific photoionization detectors. Our strong partnership with Missouri Employers Mutual allows us to effectively maintain our tools and resources.
  • Gain real-world experience: Take part in an internship, sometimes paid, to earn experience that will get you noticed. UCM’s reputation for producing quality safety management professionals makes us a first stop for organizations seeking interns and full-time employees.
  • Build your professional network: Get involved with UCM’s chapters of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). You’ll attend meetings on UCM’s Warrensburg campus or in Kansas City, where you’ll make valuable professional connections for your future. You’ll also meet representatives from various organizations in construction, manufacturing, oil and gas and beyond at our “Careers in Safety Day,” hosted twice each year.
  • Sharpen essential skills and get noticed: Work with UCM faculty to develop research projects and presentations and even present at professional conferences such as the American Industrial Hygiene Conference or ASSP’s Annual Safety Conference.

 

What can you do with a degree in one of UCM’s Occupational Risk and Safety Science programs?

Graduates of UCM’s Occupational Risk and Safety Science programs are in high demand. Your education and training will allow you to stand out in the job market, since employers will know you’re ready for the job on day one.

Whether you’ve completed a bachelor or master’s degree, you’ll be recognized not only for having skills specific to upholding safety and health but also those necessary for conducting business — communication, analysis and problem-solving, among others. UCM graduates — 100% of them — report success in finding their first job in:

  • Safety Management
  • Environmental Management
  • Risk Management
  • Occupational Health
  • Industrial Hygiene

No matter if you’re helping to protect people and the environment or ensuring operational integrity, you’ll be well prepared for work in various industries with a UCM education that offers versatility and stability for your future.

 

 

 

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Earn your Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP) designation along with your UCM BS degree!

All Occupational Safety majors are awarded the Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP) designation upon application at graduation. A GSP is an alternate path toward the professional certification of Certified Safety Professional (CSP). Only students who graduate from a Qualified Academic Program meeting the standards of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals are eligible for the GSP designation, making it highly respected.

 
ABET

ABET, Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission

These Safety degrees are accredited by the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission of ABET.

  • Occupational Safety, Bachelor of Science – the only ABET accredited bachelor's degree safety program in Missouri
  • Industrial Hygiene, Master of Science – the only ABET accredited graduate industrial hygiene program in Missouri
  • Occupational Safety, Management Master of Science - the only ABET accredited graduate occupational safety program in Missouri

 

Program Student Outcomes

At the time of graduation, students with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Risk and Safety Sciences will be able to:

  1. Anticipate, recognize and evaluate hazards for the development of control strategies through the application of math, science, business and risk management concepts.
  2. Formulate, design, implement and evaluate safety, health and/or environmental programs.
  3. Communicate professionally both verbally and in writing as an individual and as a contributing member of a multidisciplinary team.
  4. Identify and interpret applicable standards, regulations, and codes in a global society.
  5. Conduct an accident investigation including root cause analysis and development of a corrective action plan.
  6. Demonstrate the ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern scientific and technical tools necessary for professional practice of the fundamental aspects of safety, health, and environmental sciences (SH&E).
  7. Design and conduct experiments and formulate an analysis and interpretation of associated qualitative, semi-quantitative and/or quantitative data.
  8. Apply SH&E knowledge and principles in an internship, cooperative, or supervised experience.
  9. Understand and communicate professional and ethical codes.
  10. Develop the business case and demonstrate the value of SH&E interventions
  11. Develop SH&E training utilizing appropriate adult learning theories and techniques to meet diversity in occupational settings.
  12. Articulate the need to maintain technical professional competency of contemporary issues in order to understand the impact of SH&E solutions in a global and societal context. 

 

At the time of graduation, students with an MS Occupational Safety Management degree will have an ability to:

  1. 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.
  2. Formulate or design a system, process, procedure or program to meet desired needs.
  3. Develop and conduct experiments or test hypotheses, analyze and interpret data and use scientific judgment to draw conclusions.
  4. Communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  5. Understand ethical and professional responsibilities and the impact of technical and/or scientific solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
  6. Function effectively on teams that establish goals, plan tasks, meet deadlines, and analyze risk and uncertainty.
  7. Develop a project or research activity resulting in a report that demonstrates both the mastery of the subject matter and a high level of communication skills.

Program Educational Objectives

Graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Risk and Safety Sciences will be prepared to attain the following objectives:

  1. Anticipate, recognize, and evaluate hazards, exposures, and risk through development and management of control strategies for hazardous conditions and work practices.
  2. Uphold the responsibilities of the profession to protect people, property, and the environment in a global or societal market with personal integrity and honesty through adherence to professional ethical codes.
  3. Acquire and evaluate evolving SH&E-related information through research, and the application and continuing development of abilities, skills, and knowledge gained in the program to identify practical solutions for safety issues.
  4. Continually enhance discipline-specific technical competencies, skills, and knowledge by seeking certification, and through active participation in professional societies, conferences, workshops, networking, continuing education, and/or other professional development activities.
  5. Develop, implement, and provide ongoing leadership for organizational SH&E programs.

Program Educational Objectives for MS Occupational Safety Management include:

  1. Demonstrate the ability to communicate professionally, both verbally and in writing.
  2. Demonstrate knowledge of professional integrity and ethical standards.
  3. Recognize the importance of contemporary, global and societal issues as they relate to the practice of occupational safety and health.
  4. Develop, coordinate, and/or participate on multidisciplinary teams to protect people, property, and the environment.
  5. Recognize the importance of life-long learning for the purpose of enhancing technical competencies in safety, health and environmental fields.

 

Graduation Requirements

  • A minimum 2.2 cumulative GPA.
  • The grade of C or better must be attained in all designated safety, math, and science courses.
  • An assessment examination must be completed during the last semester of course work

Get involved in safety outside the classroom!

At UCM, we value engaging learning experiences that include student involvement and service-learning projects. In Occupational Safety and Health, there are several involvement opportunities: 

Request Info   Visit   Apply Today!

 

 

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