Occupational safety and health is a professional field. Most employers will require a four year degree with applicable experience, an associate's degree in safety and health, or a safety certification. Safety certifications require a minimum of an AS in safety and health.
Consider combining efforts by earning your Certified Safety & Health Official Certificate (CSHO) through the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). The CSHO qualifies for 18 hours of credit at San Juan College towards the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Occupational Safety.
The outlook for employment of occupational safety and health professionals is good from 2006 to 2016. Growth in the industry is expected to be nine percent, which is average for all occupations. Most will be hired to the private sector with about one third going to government agencies.
There are several colleges and universities that offer online courses leading to an associate's degree in health and safety including Columbia Southern University, San Juan College, Colorado Community College Online, Montana Tech, and Eastern Iowa Community College. Each offer different degree programs and focus on different industries. For instance Montana Tech is part of Montana State University and their occupational safety and health (OSH) program is interdisciplinary and provides the student with a science and engineering background. San Juan College has collaborated with TEEX to allow credits for safety certificates earned.
The Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) certifies safety professionals with Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP) and other certifications in the safety industry. BCSP requires a four year degree (in any field) or a safety related associate's degree for consideration for the CSP.
The Council on Certification of Health, Environmental, and Safety Technologies (CCHEST) certifies safety professionals as Occupational Health and Safety Technologists (OHST) and Construction Health and Safety Technicians (CHST) among other certifications and credentials.
Many of the colleges and universities that offer online associate's degrees also offer job placement and career exploration services including job search assistance, job opening announcements, career planning tools, and other career planning services. Explore and consider these services before you decide which school to attend.