Program Information
Occupational Safety & Health (OS&H) professionals are essential members of every organization. Through hazard analysis and risk reduction, they create safe and healthy work settings in industries such as agriculture, petrochemical, government, construction, insurance, and many more. OS&H professionals use a variety of concepts and principles from diverse areas such as business administration, enforcement, engineering, health, risk management, and statistics to prevent harm to people, property, and the environment.
The Safety and Health Management (SHM) program mission is to prepare students to be excellent, industry-ready OS&H professionals who have the confidence and leadership capabilities to navigate the complex organizational and knowledge networks necessary to succeed in contemporary safety and health management.
The SHM program at Central will prepare you for a rewarding career as a high demand OS&H professional. Our students have a near 100 percent job placement, with high entry-level salaries. The safety and health field includes many industries, functions, and occupations. Most of our students are employed in Washington, Oregon, and California, with the majority working in construction, manufacturing, and insurance.
The BS degree program in Safety and Health Management is accredited by the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org. ABET is the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology.
The BS degree also meets the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) Qualified Academic Program (QAP) requirements. Our graduates are eligible to apply and secure the nationally recognized Graduate Safety Practitioner® (GSP®) designation upon graduation.
Admission Requirements
Admission to CWU does not ensure admission to the SHM program. Admission to the SHM Program is governed by both the program, through a major application process, and by the university requirements as stated in the catalog. SHM pre-major and major applications are accepted throughout the academic year, and students officially start in the fall quarter. Admission to the program is based upon a review of completed prerequisite courses, and application materials. Please see the program application at www.cwu.edu/engineering.
Graduation Requirements
A student is expected to complete each course used to fulfill the degree program requirement with a grade of C or higher. Students are encouraged to complete all CWU general education requirements prior to beginning 400-level SHM coursework.
Program Requirements
Admission to any SHM course (with prefix SHM) requires a grade of C or higher in each prerequisite listed. Students who do not meet the prerequisite grade requirement may be dropped from the course.
Program Learner Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Understanding of professional and ethical responsibilities as safety and health professionals.
- Apply their applied science knowledge and solve problems using algebra, statistics, human physiology and anatomy, physics, chemistry, as it pertains to the practice of safety and health discipline.
- Design and conduct experiments, and to analyze and interpret data pertinent to the safety and health discipline.
- Identify and describe the fundamental aspects of safety and health management.
- Identify and describe the fundamental aspects of industrial hygiene.
- Identify and describe the fundamental aspects of environmental management.
- Identify and describe the fundamental aspects of fire safety.
- Identify and describe the fundamental aspects of ergonomics.
- Identify and describe the fundamental aspects of hazardous materials.
- Identify and describe the fundamental aspects of emergency management.
- Identify and describe the fundamental aspects of systems safety.
- Identify and describe the fundamental aspects of fleet safety.
- Identify and describe the fundamental aspects of construction (or) manufacturing safety.
- Anticipate, recognize, evaluate, and develop control strategies for hazardous conditions and work practices.
- Apply business and risk management concepts as part of a comprehensive safety and health management program.
- Identify and apply applicable standards, regulations, and codes in the safety and health discipline.
- Design and evaluate a comprehensive safety and health program.
- Complete worker safety and health training by applying adult learning theories.
- Conduct an incident investigation and analysis.
- Apply the principles of safety and health in a non-academic setting through an internship, cooperative, or supervised experience.
- Use the techniques, skills, and modern scientific and technical tools necessary for professional practice in the safety and health discipline.
- Function effectively on multidisciplinary teams.
- Communicate effectively, both oral and written.
- Engage in life-long learning in chosen professional career.
- Identify the contemporary safety and health issues, their impacts and solutions within a global and societal context, through a broad education.