MS in Industrial Hygiene

Our MS degree will prepare you to prevent occupational disease and injury in industrial, environmental, and occupational sectors by practicing the art and science of industrial hygiene. The Industrial Hygiene MS training program is accredited by Applied Natural Sciences Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org.

For more information on the program curriculum, faculty, students, and research areas, go to the Industrial Hygiene Program website.

Overview

Number of credit hours: 43

Average time to degree: Two years.

Prerequisites:

  • Minimum cumulative grade-point average: 3.0
  • An earned baccalaureate that prepares the applicant to apply the basic principles of college-level mathematics, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, and biology. Exceptions may be admitted with an individually documented plan of study to compensate for any deficiencies.

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..

Available Degree Options: This degree offers an Internship Option and a Research Option.

Internship Option: you will be required to complete a 150 hour (minimum) internship and an internship report.

Research Option: you will be required to complete a research project and a 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 how to apply here.

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:6420Methods in Exposure Science3 s.h.
OEH:5620Occupational Health3 s.h.
EPID:4400Epidemiology I: Principles3 s.h.
OEH:5010OEH Seminar0 s.h.
CPH:6100Essentials of Public Health2 s.h.
 CPH:7270Principles of Scholarly Integrity: Public Health0 s.h.
Total11 s.h.

Semester 2, Spring

NUMBERTITLEHOURS
OEH:6440Control of Occupational Hazards3 s.h.
OEH:5410Occupational Safety3 s.h.
OEH:6710Human Toxicology and Risk Assessment3 s.h.
OEH:5010OEH Seminar0 s.h.
CPH:7270Principles of Scholarly Integrity: Public Health1 s.h.
Elective2 s.h.
Total12 s.h.

Semester 3, Fall

NUMBERTITLEHOURS
OEH:6450Aerosol Technology3 s.h.
OEH:4310Occupational Ergonomics: Principles3 s.h.
OEH:4240Global Environmental Health3 s.h.
BIOS:4120Introduction to Biostatistics3 s.h.
Total12 s.h.

Semester 4, Spring

NUMBERTITLEHOURS
OEH:6431Assessing Noise Hazards1 s.h.
OEH:6432Assessing Non-Ionizing Radiation Hazards1 s.h.
OEH:6433Assessing Ionizing Radiation Hazards1 s.h.
OEH:5010OEH Seminar1 s.h.
OEH:7000Thesis6 s.h.
Total10 s.h.
Grand Total44 s.h.

Degree Requirements

Required Courses

Take all of the following:

NUMBERTITLEHOURS
OEH:6420Methods in Exposure Science3 s.h.
OEH:6440Control of Occupational Hazards3 s.h.
OEH:5620Occupational Health3 s.h.
OEH:6710Human Toxicology and Risk Assessment3 s.h.
BIOS:4120Introduction to Biostatistics3 s.h.
EPID:4400Epidemiology I: Principles3 s.h.
OEH:5010OEH Seminar1 s.h.
CPH:7270Principles of Scholarly Integrity: Public Health1 s.h.
CPH:6100Essentials of Public Health2 s.h.
22 s.h

Take at least 12 s.h. among the following:

NUMBERTITLEHOURS
OEH:6431Assessing Noise Hazards1 s.h.
OEH:6432Assessing Non-Ionizing Radiation Hazards1 s.h.
OEH:6433Assessing Ionizing Radiation Hazards1 s.h.
OEH:6450Aerosol Technology3 s.h
OEH:5410Occupational Safety3 s.h.
OEH:4310Occupational Ergonomics: Principles3 s.h.
OEH:4240Global Environmental Health3 s.h.
OEH:4510Injury and Violence Prevention3 s.h.
OEH:6520Injury Epidemiology3 s.h.
12 s.h.

Research Options Requirements
Completion of a research project and a thesis is required. A maximum of 6 semester hours will be allowed for thesis credit hours (enrollment in OEH:7000).

Internship Option Requirements
Completion of an internship and an internship report is required. A maximum of 3 s.h. will be allowed for internship credit hours (enrollment in OEH:7050). Students are required to complete a 150 hour (minimum) internship.

Electives
Elective courses are chosen to fulfill the minimum MS degree requirement of 43 semester hours. Courses most appropriate to the individual student’s professional goals are selected with the advisor’s input.

Total Semester Hours Required for MS Degree (Minimum): 43 s.h.

Educational Objectives/Competencies and Student Outcomes

Within a few years of graduation, we expect our graduates to:

  • Work in the field of occupational and environmental health and safety
  • Anticipate, recognize, evaluate, and control workplace hazards
  • Accept responsibility for their work, practicing ethically, adhering to sound scientific principles, and transitioning to independence
  • Engage with fellow professionals and professional organizations to champion continuous improvement of worker/community health and safety
  • Seek continued professional education
  • Become professionally certified through ABIH or other allied accredited professional certifications

At the time of graduation, we expect our students to:

  • Anticipate and recognize occupational and environmental hazards (i.e., physical, chemical, and biological agents, factors, and stressors) generated by or associated with defined sources, unit operations, and/or processes
  • Describe qualitative and quantitative aspects of generation of hazards
  • Apply scientific principles, instrumentation, and methods to adequately assess exposures to hazards
  • Organize and interpret exposure data using qualitative and quantitative methods in the context of physiological, epidemiological, and toxicological knowledge of the response of the human body to hazards.
  • Recommend and evaluate controls to reduce or eliminate hazards with regard to traditional hierarchy considerations
  • Understand applicable business, managerial, leadership practices with emphasis on program and project management
  • Communicate effectively and appropriately to advocate for continuous improvement in worker health and safety to pertinent audiences, including workforce, management, the public, and professional peers
  • Interpret and apply applicable and emerging regulations, consensus standards, and best practices affecting occupational and environmental health
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the professional code of ethics
  • Understand the value of and path to attain professional certification in industrial hygiene and allied fields

MS Annual Student Enrollment and Graduation data:

  • Number of MS students enrolled in 2020-2021: 16
  • Number of MS students graduated in 2019-2020: 4