Program Information
Occupational safety and 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:
- identify, formulate, and solve broadly defined technical or scientific problems by applying knowledge of mathematics and science and/or technical topics to areas relevant to the discipline;
- formulate or design a system, process, procedure or program to meet desired needs;
- develop and conduct experiments or test hypotheses, analyze and interpret data and use scientific judgment to draw conclusions;
- communicate effectively with a range of audiences;
- understand ethical and professional responsibilities and the impact of technical and/or scientific solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts;
- function effectively on teams that establish goals, plan tasks, meet deadlines, and analyze risk and uncertainty; and
- recognize the need to engage in life-long learning in a chosen professional career.