Occupational Health
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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:
- 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:
- 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:
- 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?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of occupational health and industrial hygiene majors is as follows:
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.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Occupational Health
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.
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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Majors Related to Occupational Health
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.
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
- Image Credit: By Article 25 Flickr under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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