Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

The world is a dangerous place. Mitigating risk in the workplace, whether natural or man-made, is a critical skill and big business. In fact, according to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), businesses spend $170 billion each year on costs associated with occupational injuries and illness. It’s no wonder that employers seek out safety professionals to protect their personnel, property, and profits. Safety and Health magazine reports that the average salary of a safety manager tops $100,000 and demand for these professionals is projected to grow at a rate of 10%, faster than the average for all occupations.

Whether you are looking to advance your current position or are seeking a career change, Embry-Riddle’s Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management can prepare you to meet the needs in any industry, with an emphasis on the specific challenges that face aviation and aerospace. And Embry-Riddle’s reputation will put you in front of the leaders of the industry worldwide.

About Occupational Safety Management at the Daytona Beach, FL Campus

Students benefit from course work delivered on campus with access to real-world aviation safety operations, plus the added flexibility of completing some courses online. The program is made up of nine courses and students can choose a thesis option, graduate capstone option, or participation in an internship. Thirty-six credits are required and include safety-related topics, research, and statistics coursework.

The Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management is designated as a BCSP Qualified Academic Program, and graduates are eligible to apply for the BCSP Graduate Safety Practitioner® (GSP) designation. The GSP designation is an alternate path to the Certified Safety Professional® (CSP), waiving the requirement to sit for the ASP exam.

The Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management (MSOSM) provides the theoretical foundation, research, and application skills required to effectively anticipate, recognize, evaluate, prevent, and control workplace safety, health, and environmental hazards and to manage comprehensive occupational safety and health programs. One of the unique features is that it is offered on the Daytona Campus, where students will have the opportunity to observe maintenance and other related aviation facilities providing support for a large fleet of aircraft. These experiences will provide a perspective transferable to aviation and other industries. The program and courses are evaluated both internally by peers and externally by subject matter experts and modified regularly to ensure students are engaged with current topics to meet the demands of the industry. Applicants should have a strong academic record with a CGPA of approximately 3.0 or higher. No admissions examination is required.

The degree is a Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) Qualified Academic Program (QAP). Graduates of a QAP are eligible to apply for the Graduate Safety Practitioner® (GSP®), a BCSP-approved credential necessary to apply for the Certified Safety Professional® (CSP®). It is only available to SH&E graduates from degree programs that meet BCSP QAP standards.

About Occupational Safety Management at the Worldwide & Online Campus

The Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management at Embry-Riddle Worldwide prepares its graduates to effectively manage workplace safety and occupational health hazards in diverse environments. Through rigorous academic experience, students acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities to succeed as a safety professional or in a leadership position in the safety, health, and environmental fields. Students also obtain the background needed to work toward becoming Certified Safety professionals.

Worldwide, students are a part of the Embry-Riddle family, which means they learn from distinguished faculty members whose professional experience complements their academic backgrounds. The Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management degree program, in particular, is led by faculty members who have proven expertise in safety or related fields, including industrial hygiene, environmental science/engineering, ergonomics/human factors, and systems safety. And some are also highly credentialed in their specific fields — Certified Safety Professionals, Professional Engineers, and Certified Industrial Hygienists.

Many students in the program are already professionals in the safety industry, so class discussions often focus on real-world, firsthand experiences.

Professionals who hold graduate degrees in safety are in high demand and will be for some time. A master's degree in Occupational Safety Management prepares graduates for occupational safety, health, and environmental managerial positions in a variety of industries — from manufacturing, healthcare, and construction to military and government.

The Occupational Safety Management coursework also helps prepare students for certification by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP).

The Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management is a BCSP Qualified Academic Program (QAP). A QAP is an academic degree program in safety, health, and/or environmental practices meeting BCSP standards for participation and whose curriculum matches the Associate Safety Professional® (ASP) blueprint.

As a BCSP QAP, graduates of the Occupational Safety Management program are eligible to apply for and receive the Graduate Safety Practitioner® (GSP) designation. The GSP designation is an alternate path to the Certified Safety Professional® (CSP), waiving the requirement to sit for the Associate Safety Professional® (ASP) exam. The GSP is not a certification, and graduates must apply at the link provided below.

The benefits of GSP designation are:

• Recognition for being on a path toward the CSP certification.
• Recognition for the level of preparation for professional safety practice.
• No GSP application fee
• A waiver of the ASP examination requirement for CSP eligibility
• A certificate awarding the GSP designation

Program Student Outcomes

Upon graduation, students in the Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management program will have the ability to:

• 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.
• Formulate or design a system, process, procedure, or program to meet desired needs.
• Function effectively on teams that establish goals, plan tasks, meet deadlines, and analyze risk and uncertainty.
• Anticipate, recognize, evaluate, prevent, and control workplace safety and occupational health hazards within numerous industries to protect people, property, the environment, and organizational operations.
• Effectively manage occupational safety and health function within a variety of industries.
• Justify occupational safety and health programs, initiatives, and control efforts through the use of business and risk management metrics, by maintaining compliance with applicable standards and regulations, or through scientific evaluation of outcomes.
• Effectively communicate and interact with persons at all levels within an organization and externally about occupational safety, health, and environmental management.
• Practice and perform in an ethical, moral, responsible, and accountable manner in all aspects, but especially in the practice of safety, understanding the impact of technical and/or scientific solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
• Identify an occupational safety and health research problem, complete a thorough review of the scholarly literature, formulate and test hypotheses or research questions, and collect and appropriately analyze qualitative or quantitative data.
• Interpret and report research findings using scientific judgment to improve the field of occupational safety and health or to provide solutions to occupational safety and health problem.

Upon completion of the program, these focused skills and specialized degrees will distinguish graduates as astute and knowledgeable safety management professionals. With this distinction, graduates will be ready to take on occupational safety and health leadership positions – including director of safety, safety manager, safety consultant, compliance officer, and loss-control manager – in virtually every professional setting.

Program Educational Objectives

Program Educational Objectives are "broad statements that describe the career and professional accomplishments that the program is preparing graduates to achieve." Graduates from the Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management program can:

• Apply a broad educational background combined with strong critical thinking, analytical, and time management skills to lead, influence, and achieve the OSH goals and objectives of their employers.
• Effectively communicate, collaborate, and manage a diverse work environment.
• Manage and lead OSH organizations ethically and professionally.
• Engage in professional development and mentor others to demonstrate competency, ensure relevancy in knowledge, skills, and new technologies, and maintain currency in changing industry trends.
• Anticipate, recognize, evaluate, prevent, and control hazards to better ensure safe workplaces and develop best practices.