Great Plains Training for Industrial Hygiene Practice and Research

The Department of Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH) at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) Hudson College of Public Health provides graduate education leading to the Master of Science (MS) degree in Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Health Sciences (IH/EHS) and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Occupational and Environmental Health. The MS in IH/EHS at OUHSC is one of only four ABET-accredited masters level industrial hygiene programs in the south central United States. The goal of the MS in IH/EHS is to prepare professional practitioners to apply scientific knowledge to anticipate, recognize, evaluate, and control environmental hazards and stresses affecting human health. The MS curriculum consists of 49 semester hours that can be completed in 24 months of full-time study. The MS emphasizes quantitative skills and effective communication through coursework, thesis research, and field practice experience. The goal of the PhD degree in OEH is to prepare graduates to impart and create occupational health knowledge through careers in academia and research. The PhD curriculum includes advanced coursework in environmental sciences, epidemiology, biostatistics, research methods, and a doctoral dissertation within the broad field of occupational and environmental health. The specific aims of the proposed renewal of the NIOSH training project grant (TPG) are: (1) to attract highly qualified and motivated students, including individuals with cultural or linguistic fluency related to underserved populations, into the industrial hygiene profession; (2) to recruit students with diverse technical backgrounds who are interested in entering the industrial hygiene field; and (3) to recruit and train very promising research-oriented students in industrial hygiene research. TPG funds will be used to support 4 traineeship slots per year, to be filled by full-time masters-level and doctoral-level trainees or distributed to multiple part-time trainees. Full-time trainees in the MS program may be supported on the TPG for up to 24 months. Full-time trainees in the PhD program may be supported for up to 5 years. Part-time trainees may be supported up to 6 years. Oklahoma colleges have relatively high American Indian enrollments reflecting the state’s unique ethnic mix, presenting an excellent pool of well qualified prospective trainees from under-represented minorities. Recruitment for the MS program will also target individuals with work experience in the health professions, engineering, chemistry, and environmental science who wish to make the transition into industrial hygiene practice. Recruitment for the PhD will target highly qualified individuals with BS or MS degrees in science or engineering that provide a solid foundation for industrial hygiene research.