Master of Science Degree

Master of Science Degree with a major in Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences and specialization in either Industrial Hygieneor Industrial Toxicology

Admission Requirements:

In addition to the previously stated general requirements, the following represent the prerequisites required for admission into the MS degree program and are considered essential for successful participation in the coursework for this degree program.

Undergraduate: A minimum grade of 'C' is required in each of the following:

1. One term of mathematics at the level of pre-calculus as minimum.
2. One year (two terms) of physics or equivalent.
3. One year (two terms) of biological science or equivalent.
4. One year (two terms) of general chemistry.
5. One term of organic chemistry.
6. One term of quantitative chemical analysis.

Grade Point Average: An undergraduate honor point average (HPA) equal to or greater than 2.6 is required for regular admission to the MS Degree Program. Admission on a probationary or conditional basis with stipulations (qualified admission) may be granted to those with an upper division HPA between 2.25-2.6, if there is evidence of strong performance in prerequisite courses. "Qualified" status permits students to register for up to nine credit hours of coursework. If the student following detailed review of their academic performance is in good standing at this point, admission status is changed to "Regular".

Any applicant lacking two or more prerequisites is not eligible for admission. Prerequisites may be completed at other institutions, including community colleges, or at Wayne State University as a post-bachelor student (see Appendix for WSU under-graduate course listings).

Graduate Record Examination (GRE): is required of all applicants to the MS degree program except in unusual cases where an applicant has substantial prior experience in medicine, occupational and environmental health sciences, or industrial hygiene at a senior level of responsibility. Applicants who complete the GRE will be expected to achieve a combined score of at least 1,000 on the verbal and quantitative and 4.0 on the analytical portions of the GRE (see Appendix).

Applicants to the industrial hygiene program must also meet the undergraduate requirements of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology Applied Sciences Accreditation Commission (ABET-ASAC) (http://www.abet.org). - 111 Market Place Suite 1050, Baltimore MD 21202-4012; tel: 410-347-7700. Contact the OEHS office for further information. For those applicants with advanced degrees, a M.S., M.P.H., M.D., M.B., D.D.S., D.V.M. or D.O. degree will be acceptable in lieu of the above undergraduate course and GRE requirements.

Advanced Standing: Students registered in other WSU graduate programs need to apply for a "Change of Status" and will be reviewed as a new admission. Some elective coursework might be eligible for transfer. Applicants from other graduate programs will be evaluated for credit up to 12 hours on a case-by-case basis to ensure course compatibility.

Conditions for Admission: Applicants meeting all the necessary prerequisites are admitted into the program with "Regular" status. However, in the case of the MS degree program an applicant may be admitted under the conditional, "Pre-Master's or Non-Degree" status that allows for the registration for coursework if the candidate is lacking one of the prerequisites. This prerequisite deficiency is expected to have been completed with a grade of ‘C' or better during the first pre-master's year. The status of the student is then changed to "Regular" upon completing this prerequisite deficiency.

Timetable: Applications should be received at the Graduate School no later than June 1st to ensure processing before the start of the Fall Semester. Since many of the courses require the fall semester "Introduction to Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology" (OEH 7010) or "Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences" (OEH 7060) courses as a prerequisite, entry to all M.S. degree specializations offered by the department is in the fall semester. However, depending on previous academic background and work experience, applicants may apply to take certain elective courses in the preceding winter and spring/summer semesters.

Degree Requirements:

The M.S. degree typically requires a minimum of 32 credit hours for industrial hygiene (IH) and industrial toxicology (IT), and 36 credit hours for occupational and environmental health (OEH). Three plans are offered.

Plan A - requires a minimum of 24 credit hours for IH and IT (28 for OEH) in coursework plus a thesis (8 credit hours) and is available to those specializing in either of the three available MS degree subspecialties.

Plan B - requires a minimum of 28-30 credit hours for IH and IT (32-34 for OEH) in coursework plus an essay (2-4 credit hours) and is available to those specializing in either of the three available MS degree subspecialties.

Plan C - requires a minimum of 32 credit hours for IH and 36 credit hours for OEH in coursework and directed studies (Plan C is not available to those specializing in industrial toxicology).

In order to graduate from OEHS programs, students are required:

1. To complete all required courses with a greater than 3.0 GPA;
2. To demonstrate successfully oral communication skills by satisfactory performance at an oral examination, required by both the program and the University; and
3. To successfully pass a written comprehensive examination prior to being eligible to take the oral examination.

Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Students are expected to earn no more than one course with a B minus or C grade. If the grade is in a core or required course, the student will be encouraged to repeat the course. The acquisition of a second B minus or less in any course can lead to dismissal from the program.

Curriculum

Industrial Hygiene Required Courses:

Industrial Hygiene students are required to take the following required courses and some elective courses for a total minimum of 32 credit hours:

 

• OEH 7010 - Principles of Industrial Hygiene & Toxicology (3 Credits) OR
• OEH 7060 - Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences (4 Credits)
• OEH 7090 - Seminar - Frontiers in Industrial Hygiene (1 Credit)
• OEH 7300 - Industrial Toxicology (3 Credits)
• OEH 7390 - Introduction to the Epidemiology of Occupational and Environmental Disease(2 Credits)
• OEH 7120 - Principles of Industrial Noise Control (3 Credits)
• OEH 7510 - Air Sampling and Analysis (3 Credits)
• OEH 7600 - Principles of Industrial Ventilation (3 Credits)
• OEH 7610 - Statistics and Risk Management in OEHS (3 Credits)
• OEH 7720 - Industrial Hygiene Control Methods (2 Credits)
• OEH 7840 -Occupational Health Management (2 Credits)
• OEH 7990 -Directed Study (For Plan C Students)(2-4 Credits) OR
• OEH 7999 -Master's Essay (For Plan B Students) (2-4 Credits) OR
• OEH 8999 -Master's Thesis (For Plan A Students) (2-8 Credits)

Industrial Hygiene (IH) graduate students can choose between three degree plans: Plan A (Thesis), Plan B (Essay), or Plan C (all credits acquired in class-work and directed studies. IH students usually choose Plan C.

Note: Course work follows the requirements of the Accreditation Board of Engineering Technology (ABET) Applied Sciences Accreditation Commission (ASAC), and the areas covered by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH), which govern certification of practitioners.

Industrial Toxicology Required Courses:

Students electing the curriculum option in Industrial Toxicology are required to take the following required courses and some elective courses for a minimum of 32 credit hours:

• OEH 7010 - Principles of Industrial Hygiene & Toxicology (3 Credits) OR
• OEH 7060 -Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences (4 Credits)
• OEH 7090 - Seminar - Frontiers in Industrial Hygiene (1 Credit)
• OEH 7300 -Industrial Toxicology (3 Credits)
• OEH 7390 -Introduction to the Epidemiology of Occupational and Environmental Disease (2 Credits)
• OEH 7310 -Critical Issues in Toxicology (2 Credits)
• OEH 7330 -Selected Topics in Toxicology - (2 Credits)
• OEH 7420 -Principles of Environmental Health (3 Credits)
• OEH 7510 -Air Sampling and Analysis (3 credits)
• OEH 7610 -Statistics and Risk Management in OEHS (3 Credits)(for IH and IT students only)
• OEH 7870 -Periodical Literature in Occupational Health (1 Credit)
• OEH 7999 -Master's Essay (For Plan B Students) (2-4 Credits) OR
• OEH 8999 -Master's Thesis (For Plan A Students) (2-8 Credits)

Plan A (Thesis) or Plan B (Essay) is available for students in Industrial Toxicology (IT). Hitherto, IT students have chosen Plan B.

Elective Courses:

All classes offered by Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences are eligible for inclusion as electives to make up the total credit requirement for the M.S degree in Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences. Other graduate-level electives offered by other Departments may be selected with the approval of the advisor and the College Graduate Officer. These offerings may vary from time to time (see course schedule).

Recommended elective courses for Industrial Hygiene and for Industrial Toxicology.

• OEH 6250 -Introduction to Occupational Health & Safety Training (2 Credits)
• OEH 6335-Laboratory Approaches to Analytical and Forensic Toxicology (3 Credits)
• OEH 7080 -Industrial Hygiene Practice (2 Credits)
• OEH 7110 -Occupational Ergonomics (2 Credits)
• OEH 7160 -Current Topics in Occupational and Environmental Health (1 Credit)
• OEH 7175 -Interdisciplinary Approaches to Analytical Evaluation of Exposures (1 Credit)
• OEH 7270 -Radiation Safety: Principles and Practice (2 Credits)
• OEH 7280 -Occupational Safety (2 Credits)
• OEH 7290 -Principles of System & Process Safety Management (3 Credits)
• OEH 7520 -Optical Microscopy for Industrial Hygienists (2 Credits)
• OEH 7630 -Research Techniques in Toxicology (2 Credits)
• OEH 7820 -Regulatory Affairs in OEH (2 Credits)
• CM 7240 -Epidemiology (3 Credits)
• OEH 7990 -Directed Study (1-4 Credits)

Advising:

The admissions committee appoints an initial adviser to all new students during the first semester. During this semester, applicants are encouraged to meet with all graduate faculty and choose an academic adviser in their area of interest. An academic adviser has to be chosen following completion of no more than 9-12 credit hours of coursework, when a Plan of Work has to be submitted for approval by adviser and graduate officer. Filing the Plan of Work establishes M.S. degree candidacy. Graduate student advising is conducted by the full-time and fractional-time faculty of the department, who are responsible for discussing any changes in the Plan of Work prior to their approval. Advisers direct the research activities of students following Plan A or Plan B. They facilitate interactions of students with other faculty and experts in the local community, arrange instructional and investigative activities as necessary, and provide career advice.

Candidacy:

Applicants apply to the College Graduate Officer to become degree candidates by filing a Plan of Work, approved by their adviser, prior to the completion of 12 graduate credits in the program. To qualify, applicants must: 1) exhibit satisfactory scholarship (GPA average of 3.0 or above & no more than 1 grade of less than or equal to B minus; 2) have completed any prerequisite and/or co-requisite courses specified at the time of admission; and 3) have regular admission status. Applicants who have not completed 12 credit hours and have not advanced to candidacy may be denied further registration.

Academic Progress:

Continuance in the master’s program depends upon satisfactory progress as determined by the adviser, the Department Chair and the College Graduate Officer. Students who have not registered for two or more consecutive semesters will be placed on inactive status and must obtain the permission of the adviser, the Department chairperson and the College Graduate Officer before registering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grade Point Average: