Online Study
Safety Technology
Program Overview
The hallmark of professional capability in the field of safety is the certified safety professional (CSP) designation. In order to sit for the two exams leading to the CSP, an individual must have academic preparation in addition to work experience in the safety field. All students completing RIT's safety technology bachelor's degree program will be eligible to take the associate safety professional examination upon graduation. Eligibility for the CSP examination occurs once the graduate has acquired enough appropriate work experience (usually four years).
RIT is one of only a handful of universities that offer a bachelor's degree in safety, and does so in an online learning format, as well as a full- or part-time on-campus basis. The curriculum was developed to satisfy the requirements for accreditation by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
Virtually every organization today depends on safety experts to ensure a safe, smooth, and effective operation. These professionals address their organizations’ immediate safety needs, which range from creating physically safer work places and modifying employee behaviors to implementing voluntary protection programs that go beyond legal standards. Safety professionals protect resources such as workers, buildings, equipment, intellectual capital, and corporate reputations. They perform their functions in a variety of settings, including manufacturing, construction, engineering, insurance, risk management, consulting, corporate business, government, education, and health care.
The mission of the safety technology program is to provide an academically challenging program that prepares graduates with the skills and knowledge to address their organization’s immediate and long term safety needs, including protection and preservation of workers, buildings, equipment, and corporate reputations. This program will respond to the changing needs to society by being able to be completed through traditional or nontraditional (distance) means.
The program will prepare graduates that are:
1. Qualified to practice as safety professionals in industry,
government, or other relate areas of employment;
2. Able to progress toward safety management (leadership)
positions; and
3. Able to pursue appropriate advanced education or
certification as safety professionals.
The curriculum is grounded in math, science, and liberal arts, with specialized courses in a wide range of subjects, including occupational safety, fire protection, construction safety, incident investigation, ergonomics, and more. The safety technology curriculum emphasizes creative problem solving through challenging application-based courses, and you’ll have the opportunity to solve actual safety problems provided by industry.
The program is accredited by the Applied Science Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, telephone 410-347-7700, and is operated as a cooperative education program.
Transfer Admission
The admission of transfer students at the third-year level is
open to all students who have already received an appropriate
associate degree or the equivalent of two years of college,
which should include:
• Technical math (2 semesters of college-level math with
an introduction to calculus)
• Technical physics
• Technical sciences including chemistry, organic
chemistry, and biology
• Computer applications/programming
• Liberal arts
Students lacking these courses may still be admitted but may be required to take the missing courses concurrently within the program or in addition to the program requirements.
You may enter the upper-division safety technology BS program from a wide variety of associate degree programs or with the equivalent of two years of college, including appropriate courses in math, science, and liberal arts. In this program you will build on your foundation of science and math with specialized courses in a wide range of subjects, including occupational safety, fire protection, construction safety, incident investigation, ergonomics, and more. The safety technology curriculum emphasizes creative problem solving through challenging application-based courses, and you’ll have the opportunity to solve actual safety problems provided by industry.
The upper-division safety technology BS program is offered in an online format for persons wishing to continue their education while working, For further information contact the department at (585) 475-7318.
Curriculum Review
Cooperative education
Today’s employers are looking for ambitious graduates who have
professional work experience in addition to a quality academic
background. At RIT you’ll get both. Because the safety technology
program requires a minimum of four quarters of cooperative
education, you’ll get the chance to apply your skills in realworld
situations before you graduate. Hundreds of employers
recruit on campus each year because they know RIT graduates
have professional abilities, technical skills, and work experience
that are current with industry demands.
Part of your cooperative education requirement may be waived if you have prior safety-related professional experience.
Certification
The hallmark of professional capability in the field of safety is the
certified safety professional (CSP) designation. In order to sit
for the two exams leading to the CSP, an individual must have
academic preparation in addition to work experience in the safety
field. All students completing the BS degree program in safety
technology will be eligible to take the associate safety professional
examination upon graduation. Eligibility for the CSP examination
occurs once the graduate has acquired enough appropriate work
experience (usually three additional years for students who have
completed a full year of appropriate co-op assignments). RIT has
structured the safety technology program to be at the leading
edge of this field, providing you with high quality academic
preparation and relevant work experience.
Sample courses
0630-200 Environmental Health and Safety Seminar
1011-201/205 General Chemistry and Lab
1016-204 College Algebra and Trig
0502-227 Writing
1017-211/271 College Physics I and Lab
0630-201 Principles of Environmental Management
1016-231 Calculus for Engineering Technology I
0630-454 Occupational Safety
1011-213/207 Introduction to Organic Chemistry and Lab
0617-220 Manufacturing Processes
1004-212, 232 Human Biology II and Lab
1017-212/272 College Physics II and Lab
1016-319 Data Analysis I
0608-422 Elements of Building Construction
0633-505 Construction Safety
0630-450/451 Occupational Health and Lab
0633-401 Fire Protection
0634-321 Manmade Hazards
0633-526 Occupational Health II
0688-362 Instructional Design Principles
0630-465 Product Stewardship
0630-490 Project Management
0633-530 Mechanical and Electrical Controls
0303-415 Ergonomics
0630-509 Senior Project Planning 1
0633-540 System Safety/Incident Investigation
0633-545 Safety and Health Program Management
0630-511 Senior Project
Professional experience is an essential component of your degree program.
Three quarters of cooperative education are required, but four quarters are recommended. Part of your cooperative education requirement may be waived if you have prior safety-related professional experience.