Workplace Health and Safety Certificate Program

Certificate code CTWHSU

College of Health Sciences and Professions 
Social and Public Health, Department of 
Grover Center W324
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: 740.593.4675
Fax: 740.593.0555
www.ohio.edu/chsp/sph/

Tim Ryan, contact person
ryant@ohio.edu

Program Overview

The Workplace Health and Safety Certificate (WHSC) is a 15-credit hour academic certificate intended to provide an additional job skillset to students with complementary majors such as business, human resources, engineering, chemistry, and healthcare (to name a few).  This certificate is intended to provide students in majors other than occupational hygiene and safety with a marketable academic sub-specialty in their elected primary area of academic study.  (The certificate is not open to students majoring in occupational hygiene and safety.)  Certificate holders will be more attractive to prospective employers, giving such persons broader career possibilities.

Recent U.S. Department of Labor statistics indicate health and safety job demand to be among the top 20 occupations in the U.S.A. until at least 2020.  All Fortune 1000 companies have a professional safety function with their organizations and smaller companies–typically those with fewer than 250 employees–often require some expertise from the safety profession.  Accordingly, the need for WHSC holders is expected to rise and remain steady in the near-to-mid-term. 

The WHSC is earned with six credit hours from two essential courses in workplace safety:  Essentials of Occupational Hygiene and Safety Professions, OHS 2000, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration, EH 4400.  In addition, the certificate requires nine elective credit hours to be selected from different disciplines within Ohio University.

Admissions Information

Freshman/First-Year Admission

No requirements beyond University admission requirements.

Change of Program Policy

Students in any program of study, with a minimum GPA of 2.0 and currently enrolled at Ohio University, qualify for admission. Note: This certificate is not open to students majoring in Occupational Hygiene and Safety, or Environmental Health Science.

External Transfer Admission

No requirements beyond University admission requirements.

Opportunities Upon Graduation

Students attaining this certificate are likely to be more attractive to prospective employers, giving the student broader career possibilities. For example, a student majoring in Management or Business Administration might find the certificate attractive if he or she is likely to be employed in a smaller company in need of safety expertise but lacking the resources to employ a full-time health and safety professional. Another example might include a basic sciences major (e.g., Chemistry, Physics, Biology) anticipating laboratory employment could find this certificate attractive to their credentials upon initial employment, since the certificate would provide skills often needed in such environments yet seldom provided unless part of a safety degree. A Health Services Administration major might wish to obtain this certificate should they anticipate employment in a rural setting where occupational safety and health laws still apply but expertise from governmental agencies is difficult to obtain in a timely manner.

Requirements