The role of OSH professionals is critical in more ways than one. Increasingly considered strategic partners of their organizations, OSH professionals protect the safety of employees, property, the environment—and even the general public. In choosing this profession, you can have a tremendous impact on the lives of people you work with. Just imagine ferreting out workplace hazards that could have otherwise resulted in coworkers being injured or becoming ill. You'll also help your employer reduce—potentially even eliminate—the expenses and negative impact that even just one serious injury or illness, and associated worker's compensation claim, can have.

The rewards of a career as an OSH professional are great—but the job demands are rigorous. So be prepared for all kinds of challenges, from dealing with an aging workforce to learning new management system standards as the OSH profession transitions from mere regulatory compliance to a focus on risk assessment and mitigation. Earning the Occupational Safety and Health Online Post-Baccalaureate Certificate from UConn is the best place to get grounded and get yourself prepared to tackle whatever responsibility you're handed.

Here's how the Occupational Safety and Health Online Post-Baccalaureate Certificate from UConn will help advance your OSH expertise:

Courses designed and taught by expert OSH professionals: Each course has been thoughtfully developed by OSH practitioners with decades of experience in the field. In addition, many of our courses are taught by seasoned professionals who have been practicing occupational safety and health in a wide range of workplace settings. So you can expect to be continually exposed to real-world scenarios that transform the theories we introduce in class into relevant knowledge and skills you can use immediately. For example, AH 3574 – Ergonomics is based on the theory of achieving optimal relationships between humans and their work environment. To put that theory into action, we might assign students to review their current or past work duties and identify ergonomic risk factors in their workplace. As a class, we then review and discuss each other’s work activities to better understand specific risk factors present, and the likelihood that one or more of them may cause or contribute to a musculoskeletal disorder.

The convenience of the online platform: You can take all five courses—which include three required core courses and two electives—online. While there are weekly deadlines, coursework is available 24/7, giving you the flexibility to fit assignments around your full-time job and personal life. And with access to coursework from any location, you don't need to worry about falling behind or missing classes due to business trips, vacations, or other commitments. Plus you can complete assignments in the manner that works best with your learning style. The result? You'll acquire high quality skills to support your day-to-day responsibilities with little disruption to your day-to-day life.

Customize the program to your requirements: The three required core courses provide the foundation you need to develop a sustainable occupational health and safety management program. You can then choose from a variety of electives to tailor the program to your area of specialty or to your needs. For example, AH 3173 – Psychology of Workplace Safety, discusses human factors and behaviors that have an impact upon the safety performance of employees in the workplace, and intervention strategies to improve individual and organizational safety performance.

Robust discussions with your "classmates": Posting and commenting on other students' submitted work is an important aspect of the courses. Because so much of the coursework takes place on these discussion boards, students typically tend to be very thoughtful, taking the time to sit back, think, and edit before they hit send. In addition, our online courses often have students from many different disciplines and geographic locations, which brings diverse perspectives and experiences to "class." These factors combine to create a dynamic learning community.

Responsive, helpful staff: Program Coodinator Paul Bureau subscribes to numerous job listing sites and is always on the lookout for job opportunities he can share with students. In addition, Paul is willing to work with you to put together a plan of study, helping you choose the most applicable courses. And should you have any questions or concerns throughout the program, he is always just a phone call or email away.