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Occupational Health Major

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Occupational Health

103 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
90 Master's Degrees Annually
#72 in Popularity
$74,940 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Occupational Health Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many occupational health and industrial hygiene graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 103
Master’s Degree 90
Graduate Certificate 9
Basic Certificate 5
Undergraduate Certificate 2
Doctor’s Degree 2

What Occupational Health Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to occupational health and industrial hygiene and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

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  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  • Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Skills for Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Majors

occupational health and industrial hygiene majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

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  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Majors

As you progress with your occupational health and industrial hygiene degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

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  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Occupational Health Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with occupational health and industrial hygiene:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Health Specialties Professors 25.9% $97,370
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists 8.1% $73,020
Occupational Health and Safety Technicians 9.9% $50,780

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Health?

103 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
22% Percent Women
37% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This major attracts more men than women. About 78% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of occupational health and industrial hygiene majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 0
Black or African American 13
Hispanic or Latino 13
White 55
International Students 6
Other Races/Ethnicities 16

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene, too. About 5.8% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Occupational Health Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $55,270 to $122,320 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to occupational health and industrial hygiene. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for an Occupational Health Major  ( 55270 to 122320 )
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
0K
250K

Some careers associated with occupational health and industrial hygiene require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to occupational health and industrial hygiene have obtained the following education levels.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 2.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 6.4%
Bachelor’s Degree 49.8%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 4.9%
Master’s Degree 23.1%
Doctoral Degree 8.1%
Post-Doctoral Training 6.2%

Online Occupational Health Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 33 schools offered some type of occupational health and industrial hygiene program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 1 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 0 0
Bachelor’s Degree 8 2
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 13 1
Post-Master’s 3 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 4 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Occupational Health Worth It?

The median salary for a occupational health and industrial hygiene grad is $74,940 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 88% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $700,800 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to occupational health and industrial hygiene.

Major Number of Grads
General Public Health 22,778
Public Health Education and Promotion 4,563
Other Public Health 3,432
Health Services Administration 3,119
Community Health and Preventive Medicine 2,272
International Public Health/International Health 1,599
Environmental Health 1,344
Behavioral Aspects of Health 814
Health/Medical Physics 258
Maternal and Child Health 163
Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality 43

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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