Safety & Occupational Health Applied Sciences (B.S.)
This major prepares students for a variety of occupational safety and health program management positions in the private and public sector. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking, hazard identification and prioritization, problem solving, cost effectiveness, professional skills in programmatic management, and safety and environmental regulatory compliance. Graduates will have the capacity to pursue graduate study, participate in applied research, or transition directly into careers in loss control, risk management, organizational safety, and consulting.
Integrative Studies Requirements
40 credits minimum
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements (56 credits) | ||
| *Must achieve a grade of "C" or higher in all courses | ||
| ISSAFE-101 | Safety Awareness | 4 |
| INSAFE-213 | Safety Chemistry | 4 |
| SAFE-202 | Occupational Safety | 4 |
| SAFE-215 | Human Factors in Safety | 4 |
| SAFE-216 | Safety Standards & Regulations | 4 |
| SAFE-302 | Law & Ethics in Safety | 4 |
| SAFE/ENST-304 | Environmental Law & Regulation | 4 |
| SAFE-305 | Health Hazard Identification | 4 |
| SAFE-307 | Safety Management Systems | 4 |
| SAFE-319 | Fire & Hazmat Response | 4 |
| SAFE-329 | Safety Training Methods | 4 |
| SAFE-401 | Industrial Hygiene | 4 |
| SAFE-420 | Safety Research Methods | 4 |
| SAFE-497 | Innovative Safety Leadership | 4 |
| Internships (Highly Recommended) | ||
| Safety Internship (2-8 credits. Open Elective credit only.) | ||
| Advanced Safety Internship (2-8 credits. Open Elective credit only.) | ||
| Total Credits | 56 | |
Electives
Select additional courses of your choice to bring total number of credits earned to 120.
Honors Program
Motivated Safety students can participate in an advanced program of research through independent study projects and internship experiences. This program recognizes and formalizes outstanding academic achievement, culminating with graduation with Honors in Safety. This program allows students to pursue supervised research or applications of safety in greater depth than provided in principal course offerings during their final years as an undergraduate at Keene State College. Students electing to participate in this program complete all requirements for the Safety major plus 4 credits of SAFE-401 Industrial Hygiene.
Admission to the Safety and Honors Program is based on:
- Self-nomination after completion of 75 credits; consistent with the Rho Sigma Kappa National Safety Honor Society requirements, students will hold an overall grade point average of 3.0 and a grade point average in the Safety and Occupational Health Applied Sciences major of 3.4 or better.
- Support of an Honors Committee consisting of three full-time tenure-track Safety faculty selected by the Safety faculty. Students accepted into the Safety Honors Program will participate in research projects funded by external grants. Honors Program capacity may fluctuate due to availability of research project positions or seats in Graduate classes. To maintain program capacity, final selection will be based on students with the highest overall GPA at the time of application to the program.
- Completion of, or enrollment in, all SAFE Core Courses. Final admission requires successful completion of those Safety courses enrolled in at the time of application for admission to the Honors Program.
Qualified candidates may complete the Safety Honors Program via two separate tracks.
1. Honors Research Track
(This track is dependent on availability of research positions.)
Complete eight credits of SAFE-491 Honors Research during the two semesters of the senior year. These credits may be in lieu of or in addition to Safety Elective credits used to fulfill the requirements for the Safety major.
At the end of the senior year, to graduate with the distinction of Honors in Safety, each participant in the Honors Research Track:
- Submits a final written report (or publication-ready document) on the Honors work for approval by their Honors Committee.
- Presents the results of their work and responds to questions about the project and its relationship to the safety profession.
- Immediately following the project presentation, the student's Honors Committee votes on whether or not to accept the Honors project.
Students are encouraged to apply for applicable undergraduate research grant funding.
2. Advanced Study Track
Complete two 600-level Safety courses, one from the Fall scheduled and one from the spring schedule. Safety Honors students are limited to two Graduate level classes and may enroll in one for a semester. Undergraduate students who successfully complete two 600-level Safety courses totaling 8 credits, with a minimum grade of B, will not be required to repeat those courses if they enroll in the Graduate program.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Courses Available for Honors Enrollment | ||
| Select two of the following - one per semester: | 8 | |
| Current Issues in Safety | ||
| Best Practices in Safety | ||
| Applied Occupational Health | ||
| Leading Safety Change | ||
| Safety Management Systems | ||
| Risk and Safety | ||
Students successfully completing all facets of the Honors Program and having an average of 3.00 overall and 3.4 in Safety Studies will graduate with Honors in Safety.
Degree Requirements
120 credits
40 credits at upper level
Upon completion of the Safety & Occupational Health Applied Sciences major students will:
- apply knowledge of mathematics and science to identify contemporary issues and solve applied science problems.
- design and conduct experiments, as well as analyze and interpret data.
- formulate or design a system process or program to meet identified outcomes.
- communicate effectively and actively contribute toward the goals of multi-disciplinary teams.
- understand the impact of solutions from a global and societal context.
- reflect on personal performance to address a broad range of professional and ethical responsibilities.
- acquire and apply techniques, skills, and technical-scientific tools.