Program Objectives
The aim of this interdisciplinary program is to provide students with the technical and managerial skills to address the occupational health and safety issues of modern society arising from the ever-changing nature of industry.
As a result, the four main objectives of Penn State's Industrial Health and Safety Program are:
- To provide a unique curriculum that is distinguished by technical rigor and sufficient depth in management principles to ensure that students can assume safety and health leadership roles in business and government.
- To further the understanding and appreciation of the interrelationships among the engineering, psychological, economic, environmental, and regulatory aspects of health and safety from the basic principles of the discipline, to group projects and practicums.
- To encourage the use of computer information technology as it relates to health and safety hazard identification/analysis, hazard elimination and mitigation, and the solution of complex health and safety problems.
- To promote the concepts of teamwork, lifelong professional development, and professional ethics.
The program is designed to develop a future health and safety professional who is knowledgeable in current and emerging health and safety issues through specialized courses in:
- the investigation and analysis of industrial health and safety statistics
- hazard identification and analysis
- the technical control systems relating to industrial health and safety
- workplace environment issues
- the economic, regulatory, and management aspects of industrial health and safety
In recognition of the breadth of the problems arising from occupational health and safety, provision is made for some specialization in the unique problem areas of various industries. This is accomplished through appropriate selection of electives in consultation with the advisor. It is clear that there is a need for specialists with this kind of training for various industries and in the corresponding government agencies. The program significantly enhances the University's broad suite of offerings in the occupational health and safety areas by providing a degree which benefits from such efforts. It is directly complementary with existing programs in various colleges and departments, such as Mining Engineering, Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Civil Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Workforce Education and Development.
ABET Accreditation
The B.S. program in Industrial Health and Safety is accredited by the Applied Science Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012; telephone: 410-347-7700.