Health and Safety Option - Environmental Sustainability, Health and Safety BS
RIT’s Health and Safety Option – ESHS BS prepares you to be on the frontlines of keeping people safe each day and in intense environments.
Overview for Health and Safety Option - Environmental Sustainability, Health and Safety BS
Why Pursue RIT’s Health and Safety Option in Environmental Sustainability, Health and Safety BS?
Dynamic Courses: Develop your understanding and expertise in Sustainable Product Stewardship, Mechanical and Electrical Safeguarding, Fire Protection, Construction Safety
Career-Launching Co-op: Four semesters of full-time, paid experience that sets you apart in the job market
STEM-OPT Visa Eligible: The STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) program allows full-time, on-campus international students on an F-1 student visa to stay and work in the U.S. for up to three years after graduation.
The health and safety option of the environmental sustainability, health and safety BS prepares you with advanced skills to be on the frontlines of keeping people safe every day, and in intense environments. You’ll learn to analyze and assess risks, determine the most effective strategies for hazard control, and implement safety systems -- preventing fires, and controlling chemicals, extreme heat, massive machines, and powerful energy systems.
Through hands-on projects and real-world applications, you’ll gain the expertise to design, evaluate, and implement systems that make workplaces—and the world—safer.
In this program, you’ll gain the skills to design and lead programs that protect workers every day, create safety systems that actually work in the real world, and educate and empower people to take charge of their own safety. Graduates of this option are highly valued in industries ranging from manufacturing, energy, and environmental services.
This isn’t just about rules and regulations—it’s about building a culture where everyone goes home safe, every single day.
Courses for Health and Safety Option in Environmental Sustainability, Health and Safety BS
Alongside a comprehensive curriculum in environmental sustainability, health, and safety, this BS degree offers specialized courses focused on health and safety, including:
- Construction Safety: Receive your OSHA 30-hour card for essentials of OSHA regulations, and key construction hazards, including fall protection, scaffolding, and trench safety.
- Fire Protection: Learn fundamentals of fire and explosion safety, including fire chemistry, detection, extinguishment, building design, and industrial life safety.
- Mechanical and Electrical Safeguarding: Focus on machine and electrical safety, hazard analysis, risk assessment, and safeguarding techniques across wood, metal, and automation systems.
- Sustainable Product Stewardship: Analyze ethical, legal, and environmental aspects of product sustainability, lifecycle management, and strategies to reduce health and safety risks.
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Apply for Fall 2026
First-year students can apply for Early Decision II by Jan. 1 to get an admissions and financial aid assessment by mid-January.
Careers and Cooperative Education
Cooperative Education
What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries.
Co-ops and internships take your knowledge and turn it into know-how. Your engineering co-ops will provide hands-on experience that enables you to apply your engineering knowledge in professional settings while you make valuable connections between classwork and real-world applications.
Featured Work and Profiles
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ESHS Student finds surprising fit with Electric Vehicle Team
Janet, a third-year environmental sustainability, health and safety and economics major from Rockville, MD., is the team manager of the RIT Electric Vehicle Team, a collegiate electric motorcycle...
Read More about ESHS Student finds surprising fit with Electric Vehicle Team -
First-Gen to Fortune 100: Alum's Journey to Tesla and New Balance
Discover how first-gen student Leah's journey from a dairy farm to roles as Regional Safety Manager for Tesla’s Energy division and EHS Engineer for New Balance was made possible by her passion, RIT's...
Read More about First-Gen to Fortune 100: Alum's Journey to Tesla and New Balance -
Research team awarded grant from NIST to develop new standards-based educational modules
Lisa Greenwood, Jennifer Schneider New work includes topics in smart energy grid security, sustainability and infrastructure resiliency to climate change.
Read More about Research team awarded grant from NIST to develop new standards-based educational modules -
From Engineering to EHS: One Alumna's Journey and Key Career Tips
Discover how an RIT alumna’s unexpected shift from engineering to Environmental Sustainability, Health, and Safety (EHS) led her to a fulfilling career, and learn her advice for high school students...
Read More about From Engineering to EHS: One Alumna's Journey and Key Career Tips -
ESHS Program Transforms Student’s Sustainability Journey Through Unique Co-ops
RIT’s ESHS program captivated a Wisconsin student by merging her interests in sustainability and safety, offering three transformative co-op experiences and a supportive network.
Read More about ESHS Program Transforms Student’s Sustainability Journey Through Unique Co-ops
Related News
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February 17, 2025
Engineering technology faculty addressing green skills shortage in engineering education through new grant
Integrating the development of eco-friendly practices with social and economic facets of sustainability, could further transform engineering education by equipping future engineers with the skill set required for the profession today.
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December 2, 2024
RIT student finds surprising fit with Electric Vehicle Team
Janet Hackman, a third-year economics and environmental sustainability, health and safety major from Rockville, Md., is the team manager of the RIT Electric Vehicle Team, a collegiate electric motorcycle racing team founded in 2012.
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February 13, 2024
RIT eco-friendly initiative reimplements packaged water policy starting April 1
RIT is reimplementing its policy against the use of packaged water, beginning April 1, when university funds may no longer be used to purchase still, unflavored, or packaged water. The policy applies to all single-serve water regardless of container material, size, event type, and method of purchase.