Environmental Health and Safety, B.S.

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The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) degree within the Department of Public and Environmental Wellness provides a course-based and experiential education in environmental health, occupational safety and industrial hygiene concepts. This specialized discipline focuses on protecting people, property and the environment.

Students will develop expertise in identifying risks, evaluating and mitigating hazards before they cause damage or harm. Graduates of the program are prepared to become effective safety and health professionals.

The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health and Safety is accredited by the American Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Requirements for the B.S. degree with a major in Environmental Health and Safety

Students seeking the Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Environmental Health and Safety must complete a minimum of 120 credits, including the following requirements:

1. Meet the university general education requirements

In order to graduate on-schedule without taking additional courses, it is highly recommended that students meet with an Undergraduate Academic Adviser concerning the selection of all of their general education courses.

Each candidate for an Oakland University baccalaureate will need to satisfactorily complete approved courses in each of the following areas: Foundation, Exploration, Integration, Writing, U.S. Diversity and Capstone. For details, refer to the General Education Requirements section of the catalog.

2. Complete the Environmental Health and Safety required courses

3. Elective credits

Minimum 14 credits

AHS 3310 - Health Care Safety (4)
AHS 3340 - Hospital Safety and Health (4)
EHS 3250 - Quantitative Methods for Environmental Health and Safety (4)
EHS 3510 - Noise Control and Measurement (2)
EHS 4230 - Radiation Safety (3)
EHS 4340 - Ventilation and Emerging Technologies (4)
EHS 4350 - Radiation Exposure Control (2)
EHS 4998 - Environmental Health and Safety Research (3)
ENV 3540 - Global Environmental Governance (4) or PS 3730 - Global Environmental Governance (4)
HRD 3100 - Introduction to Human Resource Development (4)
HRD 3210 - Group/Team Development and Leadership (4)
HRD 3300 - Instructional Design (4)
HRD 3440 - Introduction to Labor and Employment Relations (4)
HRD 3445 - Introduction to Public Sector Labor and Employment Relations (4)
HRD 4410 - The Study of Labor and Work Organizations (4)
HRD 4440 - Civil Rights and Regulations in Employment (4)
HRD 3530 - Cultural Diversity in the Workplace (4)
HRD 4300 - Instructional Methods (4)
MGT 3000 - Survey of Management (3)
PH 3000 - Introduction to Public Health (3) *
PHL 1300 - Introduction to Ethics (4)
POM 3000 - Survey of Operations Management (3)
WRT 1050 - Composition I (4)
or any other course approved by the program director in writing through the approved petition of exception form

Grade Point Policy

Environmental Health and Safety majors must achieve minimum course grades of C in all math and science courses. Environmental Health and Safety majors and minors must achieve minimum course grades of C+ in all required EHS courses. If a student earns a final course grade below the minimum, they should meet with their academic adviser and must repeat the course in which the unsatisfactory grade was earned.

Internship

EHS students must register for EHS 4950 - Environmental Health and Safety Capstone Course Internship (4). It is highly encouraged that students complete additional internships and they are not required to register for these as long as they have registered for EHS 4950 and completed at least one.

Environmental Health and Safety, B.S. completion sequence for Certified Safety Professionals

The School of Health Sciences offers the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) an opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) through a CSP to BS EHS completion program. The student outcomes and educational objectives established for the BS EHS program are the same for traditional and CSP students, including course objectives and teaching methodologies . Students who have satisfactorily completed a regionally accredited associate or baccalaureate degree and who possess a valid, current CSP certification may apply for admission to the CSP to BS EHS degree completion program. A cumulative GPA of C+ or better is required for admission to the CSP to BS EHS degree completion sequence. Certified safety professionals with a grade below C+ may be admitted to the University under pre-CSP EHS status and change to CSP BS EHS status upon completion of a minimum of 12 credits (applicable to the EHS program) at Oakland University with a minimum grade of C+. Certified safety professionals must complete all credits and/or courses required in the BS EHS degree program. Completion may be achieved in the following manner:

1. Graduates from a regionally accredited associate or bachelor degree program

Twenty-two (22) Environmental Health and Safety credits will be granted through a course competency process. This process includes:

Successful completion of the CSP examination
Evidence of a valid, current CSP certification
Registration for competency credits as per the OU Undergraduate Catalog
Registration for approved competency credit courses to include EHS 1100, EHS 2250, EHS 2350, EHS 3300, EHS 3380, EHS 4410, and EHS 4420

2. Students seeking a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Environmental Health and Safety

Must complete a minimum of 120 credits as outlined in the official Oakland University catalog. The minimum required courses may be satisfied through a combination of credits delivered by Oakland University, transfer credits from regionally accredited institutions of higher education, and CSP competency credits. A minimum of 32 credits must be upper division credits from Oakland University.

Environmental Health and Safety, B.S. completion sequence for MIOSHA Training Institute Certificate holders

The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) and Oakland University formed a new alliance establishing the MIOSHA Training Institute (MTI) to Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health and Safety Degree Program. This new program is available to those students who have a valid MTI Level 2 Safety and Health Management Systems (SHMS) certificate. Students who have the aforementioned certificate from MTI are eligible to receive up to 12 credits toward the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health and Safety at Oakland University.

Students seeking a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) must complete a minimum of 120 credits as outlined above. The minimum required courses may be satisfied through a combination of credits delivered by Oakland University, transfer credits from regionally accredited institutions of higher education, and MTI competency credits. A minimum of 32 credits must be upper division credits from Oakland University.

In order to receive a B.S. in EHS degree, each student must meet all the requirements of the program published in this catalog.

Courses for which are eligible for competency credit through the MTI-OU program are:

EHS 1100 - Healthy Workplace: Protecting People and the Environment (3)
EHS 2350 - Occupational Safety and Health Standards (3)
EHS 3300 - Safety and Health Administration and Programs (3)
EHS 4410 - Accident/Incident Investigation and Analysis (3) *In lieu of EHS 1100 (3), students may substitute EHS 1000 (1) and EHS 1150 (2)

Environmental Health and Safety, B.S. completion agreement for Trinidad State Junior College Associate Degree holders

The School of Health Sciences offers holders of an associate degree in Occupational Safety and Health from Trinidad State Junior College (TSJC) an opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) through an articulation agreement. The student outcomes and educational objectives established for the BS EHS program are the same for traditional and TSJC students, including course objectives and teaching methodologies.

Students seeking a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) must complete a minimum of 120 credits as outlined above. The minimum required courses may be satisfied through a combination of credits delivered by Oakland University and up to 70 transfer credits fromTrinidad State Junior College. A minimum of 32 credits must be upper division credits from Oakland University.

Students who have satisfactorily completed an Associate Degree in Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) at TSJC may apply for admission to the BS EHS degree completion program at Oakland University. These students will have the following benefits:

PSY 1000 - Introduction to Psychology will count in Oakland University’s Social Science General Education category
EHS 1100 - Healthy Workplaces: Protecting People and the Environment requirement will be satisfied
HS 2000 - Introduction to Health and Health Behaviors will be satisfied

EHS elective credits requirement will be satisfied.