Risk, Insurance, and Safety Management, BS

The Bachelor of Science in Risk, Insurance, and Safety Management (BS-RISM) degree program has been designed to prepare students for a rewarding career as a risk, insurance, and safety management professional.

Risk, insurance, and safety professionals are essential members of any organization in industries such as retail, agriculture, petrochemical, government, construction, insurance, manufacturing, mining, services, and transportation. This degree program is delivered 100 percent online. The BS-RISM degree equips students with professional skills and knowledge to develop, implement, and administer risk and safety management programs in a variety of industries. Graduates will use a variety of concepts and principles from diverse areas such as occupational safety management, business administration, risk management, insurance, and statistics to assess and respond to the numerous hazard (insurable) risks faced by incredibly diverse organizations. The degree will equip students with competencies to fill entry-level positions in both the private and public sectors.

The SHM 490 course (along with SHM 482) will serve as the capstone experience for the BS-RISM program. The capstone experience allows students an opportunity to apply the cumulative knowledge and skills acquired in earlier coursework in a real-world setting. A student will receive credit for meeting the specific risk, insurance, and safety management related outcomes prepared in consultation with their employer and faculty advisor through a learning agreement. Students are required to complete six credit hours of SHM 490 (400 hours of supervised work) and SHM 482 to complete the RISM capstone requirement.

Admission Requirements
Applications are accepted throughout the academic year. Students are required to consult with an advisor before submitting their application. During the application process, the submission of a resume and personal statement (goals and career plan) is required for professional admission to the program. The following requirements should be met for admission into the degree:

• Minimum grade of C in ENG 101 and ENG 102
• Good Academic standing the quarter prior to admission
• CWU/Transfer Combined cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.25 or above at the time of application

For details about the application procedures, contact the SHM Program Director Dr. Sathy Rajendran at rajendrans@cwu.edu.

Graduation Requirements
Students must earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.25 in the major coursework to be eligible for the degree.

Program Requirements
A minimum grade of “C” (2.0) is required in each of the courses used to satisfy the BS-RISM degree program. 

This program requires the student to complete the Business minor as part of this degree.

Program Learner Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

General Skill Areas

• Understand professional and ethical responsibilities.
• Function effectively on multidisciplinary teams.
• Communicate effectively in both oral and written forms.
• Recognize the need to engage in life-long learning in a chosen professional career.

Technical Skill Areas

• Describe the fundamental aspects of risk, insurance, and safety management.
• Identify and apply standards, regulations, codes, and guidelines associated with the risk, insurance, and safety management disciplines.
• Explain the purpose and operation of insurance.
• Identify and describe key commercial and property liability risk exposures and control, and name the type of insurance policies and their limitations that address each of these loss exposures.
• Examine, interpret, and apply data to manage hazards and risks.
• Identify and describe various hazard and risk management techniques.
• Define, describe, and apply broad business administration concepts associated with accounting, marketing, organizational management, and human resource management.
• Use the techniques, skills, and modern scientific and technical tools necessary for professional practice as it pertains to risk, insurance, and safety management.
• Design and evaluate an organization’s risk and safety management system using ISO 45001.
• Complete risk or safety management training by applying adult learning theories.
• Conduct an incident investigation and analysis.
• Use applied science knowledge and solve problems as it pertains to the practice of risk, insurance, and safety management disciplines.
• Identify contemporary risk, insurance, and safety issues and the impacts of their solutions within a global and societal context.
• Apply the principles of risk and safety management in a non-academic setting through an internship, cooperative, or supervised experience.