A two-year program designed to prepare entry level specialists. Building on the one-year certificate program, the associate degree provides a professional background for students interested in pursuing a career in safety. It may serve as a foundation for students seeking a bachelor’s degree in safety.

Required are 64 credit hours, 39 of which must be in safety and health courses, and 25 of which must be in general education. See an advisor for specifics. No Pass/Fail allowed. A minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) is required in all courses applying toward the AHS degree.

Major Courses Required

Professional Health and Safety Courses (39 credits)

Required Safety Courses (24 credits)

• HPER-S 101 Introduction to Safety Science
• HPER-S 151 Legal Aspects of Safety
• HPER-S 201 Introduction to Industrial Hygiene
• HPER-S 202 Fundamentals of Fire Protection
• HPER-S 251 Incident Investigation and Analysis
• HPER-S 345 Safety Program Management
• HPER-S 352 Safety System Analysis
• HPER-S 370 Principles and Strategies of Behavioral Safety

Elective Safety Courses (select 15 credits)

• HPER-H 160 First Aid and Emergency Care
• HPER-H 263 Personal Health
• HPER-S 231 Safety Engineering and Technology
• HPER-S 317 Seminar in Safety
• HPER-S 415 Safety Education and Training
• HPER-S 425 Safety Process Admin and Leadership
• HPER-S 430 Exploring Safety Culture
• HPER-C 403 Public Health Program Planning

General Education

Humanities (9 credits)

• ENG-W 131 Elementary Composition I (C- min)
• ENG-W 231 Professional Writing Skills
• MCL-C 121 Public Speaking (C122 may not substitute)

Life and Physical Sciences (select 10 credits from the following)

• ANAT-A 215 Basic Human Anatomy
• Any Chemistry course
• Any Physics course
• Any Math course (100 level or above)

Social Sciences (6 credits)

• PSY-P 101 Introduction to Psychology I
• Any Social and Behavioral Science elective