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Yes, occupational health and safety degrees are available entirely online through learning management systems. Online programs are respected because they use qualified, accredited faculty to deliver coursework. One of the biggest benefits of online degrees is that they allow students to study from home while working part time to gain on-the-job experience. 

An online occupational safety degree provides in-depth training in safety protocols and health regulations, equipping students to create safer workplaces across various industries. Through flexible online learning, you can acquire skills in preventing workplace injuries and ensuring regulatory adherence.

Students may determine the best degree based on various factors, from tuition costs and concentration options to graduate salaries. Students who wish to earn the highest compensation possible may want to focus on programs with logistics, risk, or safety management specializations. 

The best option for budget-minded students may be to pursue affordable degrees that provide a solid foundation in safety studies.

Many occupational health and safety jobs, such as compliance managers and safety specialists, require bachelor's degrees and at least a few years of experience in entry-level roles. Environmental science technicians generally require at least an associate degree, while construction inspectors only need a high school diploma. Keep in mind that some require state licenses or certifications, depending on the role's requirements. 

Occupational health and safety degrees provide a fundamental understanding of workplace hazards and how to prevent them from affecting employee health. Students learn about potentially dangerous exposures in various industries, including industrial, agriculture, construction, and healthcare, and how to control these threats by developing workplace policies and procedures.

An OSH professional must ensure workplace safety according to federal standards. To prepare students for this critical work, occupational safety degrees include coursework in environmental issues, construction safety, ergonomics, accident investigation, and hazardous materials management. Students also learn about the laws, regulations, and history surrounding workplace safety.

Students should choose colleges with occupational health and safety degrees that are accredited so they know they're getting a quality degree that's been evaluated by a third-party agency. Every program featured on OnlineU is accredited.

Occupational health and safety degrees typically take four years to complete for full-time students. The credits vary from program to program, but most require around 120 hours. Part-time students may take up to seven or eight years to graduate as they continue working or managing home life while they study.

Core coursework in occupational health degrees examines different industries and their most common workplace safety issues. For this reason, most trainees pursue concentrations that prepare them for work in a specific sector. This allows them to gain a better understanding of the distinct hazards that apply to their future careers. 

For generalized OSH degrees, students can narrow the focus of their studies through elective courses in areas such as emergency management, environmental health, fire science, industrial hygiene, or public health. In other cases, colleges with occupational health and safety degrees online offer entire degrees geared towards a specific industry. There are healthcare OSH degrees, aviation and aeronautical OSH degrees, and risk and insurance OSH degrees, to name a few more options.

Still undecided on your major? Explore similar online degrees to occupational safety: emergency management degrees, fire science programs, and bachelor's degrees in public health.

Occupational safety degrees offer a broad range of courses that deal with identifying and handling hazardous materials and preventing dangerous incidents. Students look at these issues from legal, ethical, and managerial perspectives. They learn to develop policies, monitor workplace safety, and communicate procedures to employees. 

Here are a few courses commonly found in occupational health and safety degrees:

• Toxicology: This course examines the safety evaluation practices and foundational principles of toxicology in the workplace. Students learn about the chemical and biological hazards of metals, solvents, food additives, dust, and gasses before looking at the protective measures and policies to prevent dangerous exposures for employees. 
• Legal Aspects of Safety: Government agencies, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), set the rules organizations must follow to protect their employees. Therefore, it's essential for students to understand the legality of workplace protection laws, workers' compensation, and liability issues. This course also explores ethics in occupational safety and the most common problems that arise in professional settings. 
• Environmental Issues in Occupational Safety: This course focuses on industrial operations and the various soil, air, and water contamination incidents that may occur. Students learn about the environmental effects of these hazards, particularly as they relate to climate change and nearby communities. Governmental regulations are also explored, allowing students to understand environmental safety laws.
• Occupational Biomechanics and Ergonomics: Not all occupational safety issues arise from hazardous materials, which is why a biomechanics and ergonomics course is a typical part of a core curriculum. Students learn the principles of ergonomics, including physiological risks for workers. Students aim to learn how they can create better physical environments for workers through improved safety standards, more comfortable workstations, and more ergonomic tools.

Once students graduate with a bachelor's degree, they may want to pursue a master's degree in occupational safety from one of the many . However, since most professions don't require advanced training beyond the undergraduate level, most students choose to enter the workforce. 

Every industry requires knowledgeable safety managers to ensure that companies follow regulations and keep employees safe on the job. 

Graduates may work for construction companies, federal environmental agencies, industrial manufacturers, or healthcare organizations, depending on where they concentrate their coursework. Here are some possible job outcomes for occupational health and safety graduates:

• are responsible for making sure their organization adheres to safety regulations set by government agencies and policies set by the company themselves. They record emerging issues, conduct investigations, update documentation, and inform upper management of ongoing safety issues. Their work requires extensive organization and communication skills. 
• can work in a variety of industries, from construction sites to industrial warehouses, where they catalog safety issues and design new procedures to protect employee health. They evaluate workplace operations looking for potential hazards, note policy violations, and report their findings to management. Once solutions are established, they implement new procedures and demonstrate them to employees.
• The role of is to investigate hazards affecting soil, air, water, and food. They act as scientists, collecting and analyzing samples, conducting tests, and transferring their findings into visual data. They often work for government agencies to ensure public facilities and local businesses adhere to environmental safety standards. 
• work on-site to monitor building projects for safety and compliance violations. This could be for new highways, building renovations, private home construction, or public works projects. They test equipment, such as plumbing and electrical devices, and ensure each step of construction is up to code. When they discover violations, they issue citations to halt construction so issues can be addressed. 

The highest paying safety jobs are at the director level, requiring extensive work experience and a bachelor's degree. Managerial roles can also earn high salaries with the right amount of experience. Compliance managers, for example, earn around $65.65 hourly and annually. 

The next highest-earning jobs are specialists with an in-depth understanding of occupational safety hazards gained through a bachelor's degree and a few years of on-the-job training. These roles have median annual salaries of around $83,910 per year, as we discuss in the article above. But when you throw specialists and technicians into the same group, the median pay is closer to .

Check out some of the pros and cons of studying occupational safety:

Benefits

• Educated professionals are in demand. Environmental protection, occupational health, and compliance jobs are expected to have tens of thousands of openings throughout the next decade based on federal data from the BLS.
• Students earn invaluable skills for nearly any industry. Because workplace safety is federally mandated, graduates can work in a virtually unlimited range of industries.
• Curricula offer a good mix of practical and scientific training. Students learn skills in communication and management while gaining an understanding of physiology, chemistry, and ergonomics. 

Drawbacks

• Occupational safety professionals may expose themselves to unfavorable environments. A 2022 report from showed that public health professionals experienced harassment, burnout, and low job satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Workplace incidents are on the rise. Occupational safety professionals may have their work cut out for them, as the reports workplace injuries and illnesses were up 7.5% from 2021 to 2022.
• Some jobs require additional training. Bachelor's degrees are great at providing a base knowledge of occupational safety, but some employers require graduates to earn additional training through professional certifications.

Occupational safety degrees offer students the chance to protect people and the planet by learning about hazardous materials, workplace protections, and legal compliance issues. Students learn to tackle complex safety problems and offer solutions that help employees maintain a positive, healthy work environment.