Industrial Hygiene Training, July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2014. Final Progress Report.

摘要

The Department of Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH) at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) College of Public Health provides graduate education leading to the Master of Science (MS) degree in Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Health Sciences (IH/EHS). The goal of the IH/EHS program is to prepare professional practitioners to apply scientific knowledge to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of environmental hazards or stresses affecting human health. The IH/EHS degree has been prized by employers and students because graduates are prepared to direct environmental compliance programs as well as occupational health and safety programs. The program has been accredited by the Applied Science Accreditation Commission (ASAC) of ABET since 2000. The curriculum consists of 48 semester hours of coursework, including masters thesis research and a field practice experience, and can be completed in 21-24 months of full-time study. The OEH Department consists of 8 full-time faculty with diverse research interests and rich experience in professional practice. The program received its first NIOSH Training Project Grant in 1999, and was awarded five-year continuations of the project in 2004 and 2009. Since 1999, 38 trainees have been supported on the grant, including 11 trainees who received their initial appointments in the 2009-2014 project period. A total of 29 NIOSH trainees have graduated from the program, including 10 trainees from the 2009-2014 cohort. Approximately thirty percent of NIOSH trainees, and a similar proportion of graduates, have been members of minority groups. The availability of NIOSH training support has been instrumental in attracting highly qualified students of diverse educational and ethnic backgrounds into the industrial hygiene field. Only four academic institutions in the south-central United States offer ABET-accredited masters level industrial hygiene programs; the IH/EHS program is thus a key factor in building, sustaining, and enhancing the occupational health and safety workforce in the region. Program graduates are in high demand by employers, especially in the energy sector. Eighty-eight percent (22/25) of masters graduates during the 2009-2014 project period were employed in jobs with occupational or environmental health and safety responsibilities.