MS in Agricultural Safety and Health

The University of Iowa’s Department of Occupational & Environmental Health has the only Agricultural Safety & Health degree program in the country.

Our MS program will teach you about the industry of agriculture and the occupational and environmental exposures and risks associated with that industry. You will learn the necessary skills for anticipation, diagnosis, exposure assessment, treatment, and prevention of agricultural illnesses and injuries. You will graduate prepared to work as an agricultural safety and health specialist in education, health care, insurance, and agribusinesses.

Working with your advisor, you may choose elective courses for a concentration in one of these focus areas: industrial hygiene, injury prevention, environmental health, or communication. This additional specialization will help you stand out in the job market.

Overview

Number of credit hours: 42

Average time to degree: Two years.

Prerequisites:

  • Minimum cumulative grade-point average: 3.0
  • A bachelor’s degree is required. Our students come from a variety of undergraduate majors, but your undergraduate preparation should include previous coursework in mathematics, biology, chemistry, and either physics or engineering.

Funding opportunities: Many of our students in this degree program receive financial support. Financial support may be in the form of tuition payment and/or a monthly stipend.

Thesis: You will be required to complete a research project and thesis.

When and how to apply: The application deadline is May 1. You should apply as soon as possible to secure your position and funding. Learn more about how to apply to the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health.

How and where courses are delivered: All courses are delivered in person at our Iowa City campus, with most taking place in the College of Public Health building.

Full-time or part-time study options: Most students study full-time, but it’s possible to study part-time.

Funding

All of our students in this degree program receive financial support—100% tuition paid and a monthly stipend.

This funding, which is only available to U.S. citizens, is provided by the Heartland Center for Occupational Health & Safety through a grant from NIOSH.

Sample Plan of Study

Semester 1, Fall

NUMBERTITLEHOURS
OEH:6120Topics in Agriculture and Rural Health1 s.h.
OEH:5620Occupational Health3 s.h.
EPID:4400Epidemiology I: Principles3 s.h.
OEH:5010OEH Seminar0 s.h.
Elective3 s.h.
CPH:6100Essentials of Public Health2 s.h.
 CPH:7270Principles of Scholarly Integrity: Public Health0 s.h.
Total12 s.h.

Semester 2, Spring

NUMBERTITLEHOURS
OEH:6110Rural Health and Agricultural Medicine3 s.h.
OEH:6120Topics in Agriculture and Rural Health1 s.h.
OEH:6710Human Toxicology and Risk Assessment3 s.h.
OEH:5010OEH Seminar0 s.h.
CPH:7270Principles of Scholarly Integrity: Public Health1 s.h.
Elective3 s.h.
Total11 s.h.

Semester 3, Fall

NUMBERTITLEHOURS
OEH:4240Global Environmental Health3 s.h.
BIOS:4120Introduction to Biostatistics3 s.h.
OEH:7040Preceptorship in Rural Health1 s.h.
Elective3 s.h.
Total10 s.h.

Semester 4, Spring

NUMBERTITLEHOURS
OEH:5410Occupational Safety3 s.h.
OEH:6120Topics in Agricultural and Rural Health1 s.h.
OEH:5010OEH Seminar1 s.h.
OEH:7000Thesis4 s.h.
Total9 s.h.
Grand Total42 s.h.

Required Courses

Required Courses

All of the following:

NUMBERTITLEHOURS
OEH:6110Rural Health and Agricultural Medicine3 s.h.
OEH:6120Topics in Agriculture and Rural Health3 s.h.
OEH:7040Preceptorship in OEH1 s.h.
OEH:4240Global Environmental Health3 s.h.
OEH:5620Occupational Health3 s.h.
OEH:5410Occupational Safety3 s.h.
OEH:6710Human Toxicology and Risk Assessment3 s.h.
OEH:5010OEH Seminar1 s.h.
BIOS:4120Introduction to Biostatistics3 s.h.
EPID:4400Epidemiology I: Principles3 s.h.
CPH:6100Essentials of Public Health2 s.h.
CPH:7270Principles of Scholarly Integrity: Public Health1 s.h.

Elective Credits

Students should complete at least 9 s.h. of electives; it is recommended that students select elective courses from the list below and work with their advisor to identify appropriate areas of emphasis (e.g. industrial hygiene, injury prevention, environmental health, or communication).

Recommended Elective Courses

(this is a partial list of OEH courses, any OEH course can fulfill an elective requirement)

NUMBERTITLEHOURS
OEH:6420Methods in Exposure Science3 s.h.
OEH:6431Assessing Noise Hazards1 s.h.
OEH:6432Assessing Non-Ionizing Radiation Hazards1 s.h.
OEH:6433Assessing Ionizing Radiation Hazards1 s.h.
OEH:6440Control of Occupational Hazards3 s.h.
OEH:4310Occupational Ergonomics: Principles3 s.h.
OEH:4510Injury and Violence Prevention3 s.h.
OEH:6520Injury Epidemiology3 s.h.
OEH:4260Global Water and Health3 s.h.
OEH:6720Advanced Toxicology4 s.h.
 CPH:4200Agriculture, Food Systems & Sustainability3 s.h.

Approved Elective Courses in other departments

(additional courses may be considered with your advisor’s approval)

NUMBERTITLEHOURS
ISE:3400Human Factors3 s.h.
EPID:6400Epidemiology II: Advanced Methods4 s.h.
EPID:5600Intro to Epi Data Management & Analysis3 s.h.
 CBH:4105Intro to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention3 s.h.
CBH:5305Evaluation: Approaches and Applications3 s.h.
CBH:6220Health Communication Campaigns3 s.h.
CBH:5235Community-Based Participatory Research3 s.h.

Thesis

Completion and acceptance of a master’s thesis is required. A maximum of 4 semester hours will be allowed for thesis credit hours.

NUMBERTITLEHOURS
OEH:7000Thesis/Dissertation4 s.h.

Total Semester Hours Required for MS Degree (Minimum): 42 s.h.

Degree Description and Learner Competencies

The Agricultural Safety and Health MS program will provide graduate students with knowledge about the industry of agriculture and the related occupational and environmental exposures and risks. Students will gain the necessary skills for anticipation, diagnosis, exposure assessment, treatment and prevention of agricultural illnesses and injuries. Graduates of the program will be prepared for positions in education, health care, insurance and agribusinesses as agricultural safety and health specialists.

Graduates of the MS in Agricultural Safety & Health will be able to:

  • Describe the basic concepts of agricultural safety and health.
  • Summarize epidemiological principles that can be used to determine health outcomes associated with exposure to occupational hazards.
  • Explain appropriate research design and methodology related to the field of agricultural safety and health.
  • Communicate agricultural safety and health concepts both orally and in writing.
  • Interpret the significance of occupationally derived data relative to an exposure or health outcome.
  • Analyze agricultural safety and health intervention programs.
  • Design and implement a research project relative to peer-reviewed literature in agricultural safety and health.