Online Study
Environmental, Health and Safety Management
Program Overview
The environmental, health, and safety management MS ensures that graduates can identify and leverage the regulatory, voluntary, and business drivers for environmental health and safety (EHS) programs to design and implement effective EHS management systems and programs. The program is available full-time and part-time in the evening. An online option is also available.
The last decade has seen significant changes in how organizations view and manage environmental, health, and safety (EHS) issues. Increasingly, companies are capitalizing on the synergies among these three areas by managing them together - necessitating that EHS professionals be cross-trained in all three functions. The emergence of voluntary standards and codes of conduct, including international standards, coupled with the need to manage costs has resulted in a trend to go beyond regulatory compliance through the use of EHS management systems and integration of EHS into key business processes.
Established in 1997, RIT's master of science degree in environmental, health, and safety management is offered by the department of civil engineering technology, environmental management and safety. Developed by experienced EHS professionals from the department's advisory committee and faculty, the MS program is designed to provide graduates with a solid grounding in both technical and managerial aspects of leading practices in EHS management. RIT's program in environmental, health, and safety management utilizes an integrated systems focus to ensure that graduates can:
* identify and leverage the regulatory, voluntary, and business
drivers for EHS programs;
* design and implement effective EHS management systems
and programs;
* design and implement performance measurement processes
to verify EHS effectiveness; and
* demonstrate how an effective EHS program adds value to the organization.
Distance learning option
The program is designed to be completed on campus or through distance learning in 15 months by full-time students, or in two years of part-time study while working full time. Students can tailor an individual program of study by complementing core and foundation courses with professional electives that match their academic and career interests.
Curriculum Review
The MS program in environmental, health and safety management consists of 48 credit hours of graduate study. The program is available in both classroom and distance-learning formats. Some courses are taught only in distance-learning format. The curriculum consists of a sequence of core courses (24 credits), professional electives chosen from the program or other departments (18 credits), and a graduate thesis or project (6 credits).
Foundation courses are intensive survey courses that allow each student to fill the gaps in their academic preparation and/or work experience related to the environmental, health, and safety fields. Necessary foundation course work will be determined at the time of admission to the program. Up to 18 credits of foundation course work may be counted toward the degree as professional elective course work.
Core courses include:
0630-720 Environmental, Health, and Safety Management
0102-740 Organizational Behavior and Leadership
0630-725 EHS Accounting and Finance
0630-740 EHS Management System Design
0630-760 Integrating EHS into Business Management
0630-790 EHS Internal Auditing
Career Outcomes
Job TitlesEnvironmental specialist, environmental manager, environmental planner, remediation operations manager, director of environmental health and safety, environmental oversight manager
Functions
Environmental management in public or private sector. Projects might include: management of recycling, safety & compliance, site remediation, hazardous waste management, environmental education and training, environmental planning, pollution prevention management.
Recent Employers
Pratt Whitney, Eastman Kodak Co., Ferro Corporation, LMS Engineers, Bergmann Associates, Radian, McNeil Consumer Products, International Paper, Kellogg, General Electric
Admission Requirements
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are not required. Applicants who do not meet the above requirements, however, may be required to submit GRE scores to support their candidacy.
International students are required to have achieved a score of 570 (paper-based), or 230 (computer-based), or 88 (Internetbased) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). In addition to the RIT graduate application, applicants to this program must submit:
Generally, applicants are expected to have formal academic training or documented experience in the areas of environmental management (air, water, solid, and hazardous waste), occupational health, and occupational safety. Academic and experiential gaps in these areas may be addressed through program foundation courses and electives.
The program was designed for environmental, health, and safety management professionals who have some work experience. Applicants with less than one year of relevant work experience may be expected to complete one or more graduate co-op quarters during their program of study. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the graduate program coordinator for informal advising and additional information about the program. Transfer credit Up to 12 quarter credits of graduate course work may be accepted into the program if appropriate and approved by the student's major professor or the admissions committee.
Prerequisites