Program delivery
The Master of Science in Safety Management degree program is delivered fully online at in-state rates for both residents of Michigan and non-resident students.
Program description
The Master of Science in Safety Management degree was developed through a cooperative effort between the School of Health Sciences and the School of Business Administration at Oakland University. This master’s degree program focuses on the business aspects of safety management in the workplace and combines an effective balance of core MBA coursework with application of these business skills to safety-related case studies in risk assessment, loss control, risk management, and safety program planning, administration and management.
This master’s degree is intended to benefit college graduates and in-service safety professionals with a safety-related bachelor’s degree or other bachelor’s degree coupled with safety-related work experience or required prerequisite safety courses. The goal of the MSSM degree program is to provide the business analytical tools and skills necessary for making sound management decisions in business and industry as they relate to occupational safety, health, and environmental issues in the workplace. Upon completion of this program of study, the graduate should be able to:
- Communicate effectively with top management and cost justify interventions necessary to protect employees, property, and the environment.
- Enhance management commitment to workplace improvements through development of better management understanding of the safety and health.
- Develop increased employee involvement and interventions through better understanding of the business ramifications and needs for safety and health.
- Implement safety and health programs/interventions that optimize business and safety performance in unison.
- Develop return of investment evaluations that demonstrate understanding for the financial and operational impacts of safety.
- Effectively integrate occupational safety and health programs that play a significant role in business total quality management efforts and that enhance operational efficiency and productivity.
- Translate ethical, legal, and operational needs for safety and health program/interventions into terms that enable corporate manager to recognize a valid business need.
- Identify strategies that align safety and health improvements with organizational priorities.
- Demonstrate that safety in the workplace makes good business sense.
- Contribute as a key member of an organizational management team.
- Apply strategies and tools to integrate Safety & Health into business management to drive an organization towards sustainability.
Admission terms and application deadlines
Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning by the semester deadlines listed below. Incomplete applications will not be sent to departments for admission review.
- February 15 (early) April 15 (regular) and July 15 (late) for fall semester
- October 1 (early) and November 15 (regular) for winter semester
- March 1 (regular) for summer semester
- International applicants
Application requirements
To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and additional department requirements by the published application deadlines:
-
- Additional department application requirements
- Applicants must have earned a bachelor’s degree in occupational safety and health or earned a bachelor’s degree and have four years of safety-related work experience or earned a bachelor’s degree and completed 22 credit hours of undergraduate prerequisite Oakland University OSH course work.
- Earned bachelor’s degrees considered for admission must be from regionally-accredited institutions of higher education.
- Additional Recommendation for Graduate Admission form
In addition to the two recommendations listed above, a third recommendation is required by the program.
Requirements for recommendations
The third recommendation must be from an academic instructor.
- Applicants should have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0.
- Curriculum vitae or resume
- Personal statement describing career experiences and professional goals
- Applicants may be required to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and arrange for their official GRE scores to be submitted to Oakland University. The institution code for Oakland University is 1497.
- Applicants with an undergraduate GPA less than 3.0 with the appropriate academic background and strong letters of recommendation may be considered for admission with limited standing. Applicants who qualify for this admission status must complete a minimum of 16 credits of graduate-level work, with a GPA of 3.0 or above within the first year of their program, to be advanced to full admission.
Admission review and assessment
Admission to graduate study at Oakland University is selective. In making admission recommendations to Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning, each department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their undergraduate records, goal statement, letters of recommendation, prerequisite courses and any other admission requirements established by the academic department.
Related links
Return to: