(Major Code #3309)
About the profession
Industrial hygienists function as applied scientists, who preserve and improve the quality of our environment and the safety of our workplaces. Industrial hygienists evaluate how emissions, noise, dust, vapors and other toxic hazards common to the workplace affect employees' health and the community's environment. They are problem solvers seeking ways to protect workers and the community from potential health threats while working within fiscal realities. In addition to a strong background in the physical and biological sciences, industrial hygiene professionals bring an interest in legal, administrative and policy issues to their work.
If you are interested in administering and enforcing environmental and public health laws; if you want to protect the quality of our air, water, shelter, and food; if you are concerned with making workers' jobs as free from hazards as possible; if you want to work with public agencies, private corporations, environmental laboratories and public utilities to ensure a high quality of life for future generations, then a major in industrial hygiene may be right for you.
About the program
As an industrial hygiene major, you are given a broad background to evaluate environmental and workplace hazards. You will learn to anticipate, recognize, evaluate and control workplace environmental factors that may affect the health, comfort and productivity of the worker. You will learn the tools to evaluate and control air and water emissions that may affect the health and well being of the surrounding community and region. The program also introduces you to policy issues critical to worker health and safety. With new technologies emerging every day, the industrial hygienist'srole grows increasingly valuable to the health and well being of workers, the community and the environment.
In this program, you'll learn about the following topics:
Evaluation of chemical, biological, and physical hazards Ergonomics: the science of adapting working conditions to suit the worker Air quality: the evaluation and control of air pollutants Water quality: the evaluation and control of hazardous pollutants Indoor environmental air quality EPA and OSHA rules and regulations Nuclear and electromagnetic radiation Safe hazardous materials use and disposal Workplace environmental exposure levels Upon completion of the Industrial Hygiene program, you will be awarded a bachelor of science in industrial hygiene (BSIH), the only four-year program of its kind approved by the Ohio Board of Regents. The Ohio University BSIH is one of very few American Board of Engineering and Technology-accredited undergraduate IH programs in the world. Utilizing strong links to Ohio's manufacturing and industrial base, the OU program is often fortunate to have an excess of paid internship opportunities for its students. While strongly recommended, IH internships are not presently a program requirement. However, OU graduates with internship experience typically do exceedingly well in the job market.The BSIH also prepares you for graduate study in industrial hygiene, public health or other environmental science-related disciplines.
Admission
To gain entrance to the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS), a student must have at least a 2.0 grade point average and make formal application to the College on an official form. To complete an industrial hygienedegree, it is necessary to both apply for admission to CHHS, and to meet the College's admission requirements. Applications for the degree program can be obtained from CHHS Student Services.
Financial aid
In addition to limited and competitive scholarships awarded by the School of Public Health Sciences and Professions, Ohio University offers scholarships, grants, loans and part-time employment from a variety of sources to qualified students. Students may also be able to earn support working with faculty on funded (grant) projects. Visit the OU Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarshipsfor more information.
Program contact
Dr.Helmut Paschold
740.593-4680
paschold@ohio.edu
Curriculum
University General Education Requirements
Both the IH and EH programs require that Ohio University General Education requirements be met. An educated person needs certain intellectual skills in order to participate effectively in society. These include: (1) the ability to communicate through the written word and the ability to use quantitative or symbolic reasoning; (2) broad knowledge of the major fields of learning; and (3) a capacity for evaluation and synthesis. To meet these objectives, Ohio University has instituted a three-tier General Education Requirement to be met prior to graduation by all students according to the following schedule.
TIER I: Quantitative Skills and English Composition
TIER II: Breadth of Knowledge
TIER III: Synthesis
Students should consult the Ohio University Undergraduate Catalog for specific requirements about most current tier course requirements.To graduate with a degree in industrial hygiene, students must complete all courses stipulated on their year of entry requirements. These requirements are listed below.
Required core courses:
Industrial Hygiene
(Course, quarters offered, credits)
IH 200 Intro. to IH and Occup. Hlth. & Safety (F) 4
IH 400 IH Sampling & Analysis (W) 5
IH 401 Toxicological Effects of Hazardous Materials (F) 4
IH 405 Ventilation for Contaminant Control (S) 4
IH 406 Ventilation Laboratory (S) 2
IH 410 Physical Hazards: Evaluation & Control (W) 4
IH 415 Intro. to Radiological Health (W) 5
IH 420 Hazardous Material: Management & Control (SP) 4
Environmental Health Sciences Qtr. Offered Credits
EH 260 Intro. to Environmental Health & Safety (F,W,SP) 4
EH 275 Env & Occ Health & Safety Regs (W) 4
EH 310 Water Supply & Waste Water Treatment (W) 4
EH 425 EHS Risk Communication (SP) 4
EH 440 Air Quality and Pollution Control (F) 4
EH 457 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (F) 4
EH 491 Professional Topics Seminar (W) 1+
Chemistry
(Course, quarters offered, credits)
CHEM 151-153 Fundamentals of Chemistry (F,W,SS), (W,SP,SS), (F,SP) 15
Or CHEM 121-123 Principles of Chemistry (non-MS, professional school candidates) (F,W,SS),(W,SP,SS),(F,SP) 15
CHEM 301, 302 Organic Chemistry (W,SP) 6
Biological Sciences
(Course, quarters offered, credits)
BIOS 103, Human Biology or BIOS 170 Intro to Zoology (F,W,SP) 5
BIOS 221, 222 Environmental Microbiology & Lab (F,SP);(SP) 6
Other courses:
(Course, quarters offered, credits)
ECON 103 Principles of Microeconomics (F,W,SP) 4
ECON 104 Principles of Macroeconomics (F,W,SP) 4
HLTH 330 Community Health Epidemiology (F,W,SP) 4
MATH 163 A & B Intro. to Calculus F,W,SP) 8
Or Math 263 A & B Calculus (F,W,SP) 8
MGT 202 Management (F,W,SP) 4
PHIL 130 Intro. to Ethics (F,W, SP) 4
PHYS 201 Intro. to Physics (F,W) 5
PHYS 202 Intro. to Physics (F,W,SP) 5
PSY 101 General Psychology (F,W,SP) 5
PSY 120 Elementary Statistical Reasoning (F,W,SP)4
Or PSY 221 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (F,W,SP) 5
SOC 101 Sociology (F,W,SP) 5
Elective courses
Majors must complete any three of the following:
(Course, quarters offered, credits)
EH 312 Solid & Hazardous Waste Management (SP) 4
EH 320 Shelter Environments (F) 4
EH 330 Food Quantity Sanitation (F,W) 4
EH 430 Vector Control (SP) 4
EH 450 Institutional Environmental Health Practice (W) 4
HLTH 230 Medical Terminology (F,SP) 2
Other Electives
Majors must complete anythree of the following courses. Prerequisite courses do not count toward three-course minimum. Courses with laboratories are considered as one elective only.
Arts & Sciences
BIOS 300 Anatomy and Histology
BIOS 301 or 302 Human Anatomy
BIOS 352 Biomechanics (BIOS 301/2 is pre-req)
BIOS 342 & 354 Principles of Physiology I and Lab
BIOS 343 & 355 Principles of Physiology II and Lab
BIOS 421 A & B Immunology and Lab (BIOS 321 is pre-req)
BIOS 422 Microbiological Techniques (BIOS 321 is pre-req)
BIOS 423 A & B Pathogenic Bacteria and Laboratory (BIOS 321 is pre-req)
BIOS 441 A & B Parasitology and Laboratory (BIOS 172, 173 is pre-req)
GEOG 268 Computer Applications in Geography
GEOG 370 Geographic Information Systems Applications (GEOG 268, other GEOG is pre-req)
PHIL 235 Business Ethics
Business
BMT 285 Government and Business
BMT 288 Computer Applications for Management
FIN 331 Risk and Insurance
HRM 320 Human Resource Management (pre-req is MGT 200 or 202)
HRM 425 Labor Relations (pre-req is perm or 320)
MGT 340 Organization Behavior
Total quarter hours required for BSIH: 160+ credits