Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene
Types of Degrees Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many occupational health and industrial hygiene graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Master’s Degree | 117 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 106 |
Graduate Certificate | 24 |
Basic Certificate | 10 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 2 |
Doctor’s Degree | 2 |
What Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Majors Need to Know
O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to occupational health and industrial hygiene and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.
Knowledge Areas for Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Majors
According to O*NET survey takers, a major in occupational health and industrial hygiene should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:
- Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Skills for Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Majors
A major in occupational health and industrial hygiene prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Abilities for Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Majors
Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a occupational health and industrial hygiene student include the following:
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
What Can You Do With a Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Major?
People with a occupational health and industrial hygiene degree often go into the following careers:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Health Specialties Professors | 25.9% | $97,370 |
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists | 8.1% | $73,020 |
Occupational Health and Safety Technicians | 9.9% | $50,780 |
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of occupational health and industrial hygiene majors is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 3 |
Black or African American | 15 |
Hispanic or Latino | 12 |
White | 62 |
International Students | 0 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 14 |
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene
Some degrees associated with occupational health and industrial hygiene may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.
Find out what the typical degree level is for occupational health and industrial hygiene careers below.
Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) | 2.6% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 6.4% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 49.8% |
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. | 4.9% |
Master’s Degree | 23.1% |
Doctoral Degree | 8.1% |
Post-Doctoral Training | 6.2% |
Online Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Programs
The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.
Degree Level | Colleges Offering Programs | Colleges Offering Online Classes |
---|---|---|
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) | 0 | 0 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 1 | 0 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 0 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 9 | 2 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
Master’s Degree | 14 | 2 |
Post-Master’s | 2 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 4 | 1 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
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Majors Related to Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to occupational health and industrial hygiene.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
General Public Health | 25,558 |
Public Health Education and Promotion | 4,112 |
Other Public Health | 3,157 |
Health Services Administration | 3,047 |
Community Health and Preventive Medicine | 2,042 |
International Public Health/International Health | 1,696 |
Environmental Health | 1,439 |
Behavioral Aspects of Health | 633 |
Maternal and Child Health | 275 |
Health/Medical Physics | 244 |
Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality | 87 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
- Image Credit: By Article 25 Flickr under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.