MASTER OF SCIENCE IN OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH (MS)

The Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH) M.S. degree program is devoted to the recognition, evaluation, and control of workplace or environmental hazards which may cause impaired health or well-being or significant discomfort and inefficiency among workers or the general public. The program emphasizes the study of chemical exposure, noise and vibration, air pollution, biological agents, ergonomic stressors, injury risk factors and other hazards likely to be encountered in work or community environments.

The OEH program is administered through the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health. The program is described in additional detail in the COPH Catalog, as well as outlined in the UAMS Graduate School Catalog. For more information about the program, or to receive application materials, contact the EOH Department Chair at 501-526-6663.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MS MASTER OF SCIENCE IN OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Applicants for the MS degree in Occupational and Environmental Health must obtain admissions information from, and follow admissions procedures established by, the UAMS Graduate School. The UAMS Graduate School Catalog describes all admissions requirements and procedures in detail.  Visit their website at http://www.uams.edu/gradschool/.

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DEGREE PROGRAM

The Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH) M.S. degree program is devoted to the recognition, evaluation, and control of workplace or environmental hazards which may cause impaired health or well-being or significant discomfort and inefficiency among workers or the general public. The program emphasizes the study of chemical exposure, noise and vibration, air pollution, biological agents, ergonomic stressors, injury risk factors and other hazards likely to be encountered in work or community environments.

The OEH program is administered through the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, with additional participation by faculty from other colleges at UAMS, UALR, NCTR, the Department of Occupational Health and Safety at UAMS, and occupational and environmental health practitioners from the community.

The first graduates of the program completed the program in 1993. Virtually, all graduates are employed in their area of training or have gone on for additional graduate work in related fields. Graduates are employed in all sectors of the field of occupational and environmental health and worker safety, including federal and state regulatory agencies, manufacturing industries, consulting companies, and worker's compensation insurance companies. The OEH graduate program is thus meeting a vital need by training professionals with expertise in occupational and environmental health.

·    Prerequisites to Degree Program. Applicants must have an undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 or higher and above average scores on the Graduate Record Examinations. Prerequisite course work must include satisfactory completion of undergraduate courses in mathematics, chemistry (general and organic), physics and biology. On occasion, certain of these requirements can be completed after admission to the program for an otherwise outstanding student.

·    Requirements for the Master of Science Degree. In order to fulfill the requirements for Master of Science Degree in Occupational and Environmental Health, a student must satisfactorily complete the required course work, complete a written thesis based on either field experience or research, and pass the Final Comprehensive Examination.

·    Required courses include Environmental and Occupational Health, Biostatistics I, Principles of Toxicology in Public Health, Environmental Exposure Assessment, Quantitative Epidemiology I, Government Regulation of Environmental Health, Occupational and Environmental Hazard Control, and Professional Communications and Ethics Seminar.

Additional related courses in public health, toxicology, pharmacology, or other basic sciences may be taken as electives to complete the general requirements of the Graduate School.

In addition, an acceptable thesis based on relevant field experience or independent investigative research is required. The master thesis project may be based on a field experience in which the student will have the opportunity to work with actual occupational or environmental health problems, or it may be a laboratory research project conducted under the direction of a UAMS or NCTR faculty member.