Occupational Hygiene

Entry requirements

Applicants should have: A good honours degree in a science or engineering subject AND be currently working in the general field of occupational health and safety OR have appropriate professional qualifications with relevant experience OR other qualifications considered equivalent to the above.

Months of entry

January, September

Course content

Occupational hygiene is concerned with the identification, evaluation and management of chemical, physical and biological agents arising from work. Occupational hygienists are employed in a wide range of industries, including the petrochemical industry, manufacturing, mining, aero-industry, service sectors and the health sector. Many hygienists are also actively involved in research in a range of related fields. Currently, there is significant demand from large multinational companies, and there is a worldwide shortage of trained occupational hygienists.

This programme covers all aspects of occupational hygiene, and any student registered on it will be expected to complete a dissertation based on an occupational hygiene topic. A student on this programme may apply for research funding from the British Occupational Hygiene Society to cover costs associated with his or her research project.

Significant emphasis is placed on learning and research. One of the first courses students take is Critical Thinking, which provides them with all the skills necessary to take full advantage of their studies.

As this is a distance learning programme, students are provided with study guides and supporting texts. Increasing use is being made of electronic information sources, and an online community is being developed for students. Students are invited to their learning centres at the start of the autumn and spring terms, giving them an opportunity to speak to tutors and other students.

The aims of the programme are:

• To allow the busy safety, health or hygiene professional to study for a Master's degree that is accredited by the British Occupational Hygiene Society
• To develop the critical thinking skills which are essential in today's occupational hygiene professional.

Content

• Chemical Agents (20 credits)
• Management of Physical Agents (20 credits)
• Environmental Impact and Management (20 credits)
• Ergonomics and Workplace Psychology (20 credits)
• Safety and Risk Management (20 credits)
• The Reflective Practitioner (20 credits)
• Critical Thinking (10 credits)
• Research Methods (10 credits)
• Dissertation (MSc only) (40 credits)

Fees and funding

Find out more about our fees and the support available to you at our:

• Postgraduate finance pages
• International students' finance pages.

Qualification and course duration

PGDip

MSc

Further details of qualification

Avery Hill Campus Intake January or September. Durations listed are typical, but there are no fixed number of courses to be completed in any one year. Students complete six 1 week courses, followed by a research project and dissertation for the MSc degree.