Management of environmental, health and safety issues has changed significantly in recent years. The emergence of voluntary standards and codes of conduct, including international standards, coupled with the need to manage costs and limited resources, has resulted in a trend to move beyond regulatory compliance. Now, companies work toward sustainability through the use of integrated environmental and management systems, which are woven into key business processes. As a result, there is growing demand for professionals who can manage an organization's environmental, health, and safety performance successfully. Employment in this field is expected to grow at a faster rate than overall employment growth through 2030.
Although they are distinct disciplines, environmental management, occupational health, and workplace safety share many technical, regulatory, and organizational characteristics. Today's professionals need to be educated in all three areas. Graduates of the program are employed by Fortune 100 companies, environmental health and safety consultancies, universities, and government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
RIT's Environmental Health and Safety Degree: On-Campus or Online
The MS degree in environmental, health and safety management provides you with a solid foundation in the managerial aspects of developing and implementing environmental, health and safety management systems that can move organizations toward a more sustainable and socially responsible future. In addition, you'll gain a solid technical foundation in air emissions, wastewater, solid and hazardous waste, occupational safety, and occupational health (industrial hygiene). Elements of sustainability are integrated into most core courses and some electives. Within this course work you will learn:
- How to create effective integrated environmental, health and safety management systems that conform to national and international consensus standards
- Strategies and tools for integrating environmental, health and safety into business management that can drive the organization towards sustainability
- Quality continuous improvement processes to identify and manage environmental, health and safety risk and opportunities
- How to design and implement an effective environmental, health and safety audit program
The program may be completed entirely entirely online, or via a combination of online and traditional on-campus courses. The curriculum includes core courses, professional electives, and a choice of a thesis, capstone project, or comprehensive exam.
Professional electives can include courses in topics as diverse as fire protection, occupational health, solid and hazardous waste management, industrial wastewater management, air emissions management, occupational safety, mechanical and electrical controls and standards, environmental health and safety law, accounting and finance, project management, and organizational behavior and leadership. Additional professional electives are available in topics such as business management, quality, sustainability, and other areas.
Students are also interested in: Environmental Science MS, Sustainable Systems MS