The Ph.D. in Environmental Health, Occupational Ergonomics and Safety Specialization is based on a multidisciplinary group of faculty and courses aimed at enhancing the workplace in terms of safety, process and product quality, and the quality of work life. The foundation of the program is driven by the utilization of a systems approach in human-centered design and in the most current safety theories and practice. The program integrates a multidisciplinary approach from psychology, engineering, the health sciences and safety to better understand and optimize human well-being and overall system performance in the workplace.
The Ph.D. program has the flexibility for students to pursue research related to ergonomics and safety from approaches in psychology, engineering, the health sciences, and occupational epidemiology. Graduates from the Ph.D. program are typically employed in leadership positions in the field of occupational safety and health. Many of our doctoral level graduates are professors at universities, program managers and directors at multinational companies, researchers at private and public organizations, as well as managing consultants in industry.
Students interested in graduate work should refer to the Graduate and Professional Bulletin.
Learning Objectives
Students successfully completing this degree will be able to:
- Discuss the historical contributions related to modern work processes.
- Utilize a systems approach to conduct work-site ergonomic and safety risk assessments of specific job tasks.
- Discuss how workstation organization and layout, equipment, and work processes influence the risk of illnesses and injuries and how to prevent them through human-centered design.
- Analyze workplace design using the principles of anthropometry, occupational biomechanics, work physiology, occupational psychology, and epidemiology.
- Interpret and apply anthropometry tables for evaluation and design criteria.
- Identify and design solutions to improve production efficiency and reduce the risk of work-related injuries and illnesses injuries.
- Determine the association or causation between occupational and non-occupational risk factors and occupational injuries and illnesses.
- Apply ergonomic and safety principles to office workstations and design the office layout to reduce the negative health effects of prolonged sitting.
- Discuss how occupational health psychology issues such as work stress, social support, telepressure, shift work influence job performance and personal health.
- Implement an ergonomics and safety problem-solving process to develop successful solutions specific to the needs of the workplace environment.
- Conduct cost-benefit analyses and return on investment (ROI) calculations to justify proposed ergonomic and safety solutions.
- Formulate hypotheses related to the association and causation of work-related injury, death and illness.
- Design and implement experimental approaches to testing research hypotheses related to occupational ergonomics and safety issues.
- Successfully conduct occupational ergonomics and safety research.
- Describe, analyze and interpret the results of occupational ergonomics and safety research in written form conforming to accepted standards of scientific communication and peer-reviewed publication.
- Competently present occupational ergonomics and safety research results orally at local, regional, national and international professional meetings.
Effective Fall 2021
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| DM 575 | Human Factors in Design | 3 |
| ERHS 520 | Environmental and Occupational Health Issues | 3 |
| ERHS 526 | Industrial Hygiene | 3 |
| ERHS 527 | Industrial Hygiene Laboratory | 1 |
| ERHS 528 | Occupational Safety | 3 |
| ERHS 532 | Epidemiologic Methods | 3 |
| ERHS 540 | Principles of Ergonomics | 3 |
| ERHS 541 | Ergonomics in Product and Process Design | 3 |
| ERHS 637 | Environment, Safety, and Health Management | 3 |
| ERHS 679 | Occ Env Health Interdisciplinary Symposium | 2 |
| PSY 792D | Advanced Seminar: Industrial/Organizational Psychology | 3 |
| Additional and Supporting Coursework | ||
| ERHS 535 | R Programming for Research | 3 |
| ERHS 536 | Advanced Occupational Health | 3 |
| ERHS 642 | Applied Logistic Regression | 3 |
| ERHS 784 | Supervised College Teaching | 2 |
| ERHS 787 | Internship | 3 |
| ERHS 795B | Independent Study: Occupational and Environmental Health | 1 |
| ERHS 799 | Dissertation | 12 |
| PSY 692D | Seminar: Industrial/Organizational Psychology | 1 |
| STAR 511 | Design and Data Analysis for Researchers I | 4 |
| STAR 512 | Design and Data Analysis for Researchers II | 4 |
| Select a minimum of 6 credits from the following electives: | 6 | |
| Industrial Hygiene Control Methods | ||
| Advanced Epidemiology Methods I | ||
| Occupational Noise Control | ||
| Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology | ||
| Clinical Biomechanics | ||
| Muscle and Joint Mechanics | ||
| Perspectives in Global Health | ||
| Advanced Psychology: Health Psychology | ||
| Advanced Psychology: Human Performance, Motor and Intellectual Capacities | ||
| Program Total Credits: | 72 | |
A minimum of 72 credits are required to complete this program.
For more information, please visit Requirements for All Graduate Degrees in the Graduate and Professional Bulletin.
Summary of Procedures for the Master's and Doctoral Degrees
NOTE: Each semester the Graduate School publishes a schedule of deadlines. Deadlines are available on the Graduate School website. Students should consult this schedule whenever they approach important steps in their careers.
Forms are available online.
| Step | Due Date |
|---|---|
| 1. Application for admission (online) | Six months before first registration |
| 2. Diagnostic examination when required | Before first registration |
| 3. Appointment of advisor | Before first registration |
| 4. Selection of graduate committee | Before the time of fourth regular semester registration |
| 5. Filing of program of study (GS Form 6) | Before the time of fourth regular semester registration |
| 6. Preliminary examination (Ph.D. and PD) | Two terms prior to final examination |
| 7. Report of preliminary examination (GS Form 16) - (Ph.D. and PD) | Within two working days after results are known |
| 8. Changes in committee (GS Form 9A) | When change is made |
| 9. Application for Graduation (GS Form 25) | Refer to published deadlines from the Graduate School Website |
| 9a. Reapplication for Graduation (online) | Failure to graduate requires Reapplication for Graduation (online) for the next time term for which you are applying |
| 10. Submit thesis or dissertation to committee | At least two weeks prior to the examination or at the discretion of the graduate committee |
| 11. Final examination | Refer to published deadlines from the Graduate School Website |
| 12. Report of final examination (GS Form 24) | Within two working days after results are known; refer to published deadlines from the Graduate School website |
| 13. Submit a signed Thesis/Dissertation Submission Form (GS Form 30) to the Graduate School and Submit the Survey of Earned Doctorates (Ph.D. only) prior to submitting the electronic thesis/dissertation | Refer to published deadlines from the Graduate School website. |
| 14. Submit the thesis/dissertation electronically | Refer to published deadlines from the Graduate School website |
| 15. Graduation | Ceremony information is available from the Graduate School website |