| Industrial hygienists are environmental specialists concerned with evaluation and control of exposure to potentially dangerous chemical agents, physical stresses, biological agents and ergonomic effects in the workplace environment. They provide insight into these problems based on their knowledge of the adverse health effects of exposure to these substances and physical agents involved and the physics and chemistry of the environment. These specialists work as part of interdisciplinary teams with epidemiologist, physicians, nurses and toxicologists.
The primary academic objective of the UCLA Industrial Hygiene Program (IHP) is the training of professional and research industrial hygienists at the Masters and Doctoral levels. The MS and MPH programs are two-year programs with a total of 79 and 85 units, respectively. They are specialization tracks within the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. The program is geared to produce scientifically sophisticated graduates capable of performing at an advanced professional level and moving into leadership positions. The Ph.D. program provides advanced training in a research area of industrial hygiene. Training includes classroom instruction, laboratory exercises, field trips, internships, and thesis research.
The curriculum includes courses covering the properties, measurement, health effects, exposure prevention, and control technology for all types of harmful chemical, physical, and biological agents, and ergonomic factors. Also included are courses on toxicology, biostatistics, epidemiology, industrial hygiene chemistry, occupational safety, hazardous waste, industrial hygiene standards and regulations, environmental management, and risk assessment. The MS program includes a research based thesis or report and the Ph.D. program includes a research thesis. The MPH program includes a summer internship in industry or related area. The internship is optional for MS candidates.
The M.S. and M.P.H. programs in Industrial Hygiene are fully accredited by the Applied Science Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET/ASAC).
List of Program Educational Objectives:
The educational objectives of the UCLA Industrial Hygiene Program are:
1. To equip program graduates with the underlying technical and scientific knowledge required for the professional practice of industrial hygiene.
2. To equip program graduates with specialized, practical, and experiential knowledge and skills necessary for the professional practice of industrial hygiene.
3. To equip program graduates with the communication skills necessary for the professional practice of industrial hygiene.
4. To impart to program graduates an appreciation of the need to work as part of an interdisciplinary team addressing occupational health problems.
5. To instill in program graduates the understanding that the practice of industrial hygiene involves ongoing learning and self-criticism.
Sample Curriculum for MS Program
(required courses)
FIRST YEAR
BIO 100A Introduction to Biostatistics
EHS 200A Foundations of Environmental Health Sciences I
EHS 256 Bio. & Hlth. Surveil. Monitoring in Occ./Env. Health
EHS M411 Environmental Health Sciences Seminar
BIO 100B Introduction to Biostatistics
EHS 200B Foundations of Environmental Health Sciences II
EHS 251A Occupational Diseases: Recognition and Prevention I
EPI 100 Principles of Epidemiology
EHS 252D Properties & Measurement of Airborne Particles
EHS 252E Identification & Measurement of Gases & Vapors
EHS 252F Industrial Hygiene Measurements Laboratory
EHS 251B Occupational Diseases: Recognition and Prevention II
SECOND YEAR
EHS 201 Seminar: Health Effects of Environmental Contaminants
EHS 255 Control of Airborne Contaminants in Industry
EHS 257 Risk Assessment and Standard Setting
EHS 598 Master's Thesis Research
EHS 254 Health Hazards Industrial Processes
EHS 410A Instrumental Methods in Environmental Sciences
EHS 253A Physical Agents
EHS 253B Physical Agents Laboratory
EHS 240 Fundamentals of Toxicology
EHS M411 Environmental Health Sciences Seminar
EHS 250D Industrial Hygiene Practice
EHS 259A Occupational Safety and Ergonomics
Plus one elective from a list of five
MPH Program
The MPH Program is the same as that given for the MS Program except that
EHS 598 is not required and the following are required.
EHS 400 Field Studies in Env. Health Sciences
CHS 100 Behavioral Science and Health Education
HS 100 Health Services Organization
More information about individual courses can be found at the EHS Department web site, see "links page."
NIOSH Traineeships
The UCLA Industrial Hygiene Program provides NIOSH traineeships for students intending to pursue careers in industrial hygiene. Support may be in the form of tuition, fees, and/or stipend. Eligibility for an Industrial Hygiene traineeship is determined primarily by the student's career objectives.
To be eligible you must:
1) be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien (green card holder);
2) have as a career objective the field of industrial hygiene, broadly defined;
3) take (or waive out of) all the courses given in the industrial hygiene model curriculum;
4) keep the program director informed as to your type of employment for five years after graduation.
Note:
1) Stipends are limited to eligible students working less than 50% time in off-campus professional positions.
2) Tuition and fees are limited to eligible students working less than full time in off-campus professional positions.
3) Support for masters students is normally limited to a maximum of 6 quarters.
4) A first year GPA of 3.0 or better is required for second year support.
HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES MINOR
Industrial hygiene students may take a minor in hazardous substances. The minor serves to expand and formalize training in the area of hazardous substances for industrial hygiene students. Curriculum development and student support are provided through our Hazardous Substance Academic Training Grant. Funding for this program comes from NIEHS through NIOSH and the Southern California Educational and Research Center. This minor is open to all IH students in good standing with a GPA of 3.0 or better. NIOSH eligible students pursuing this minor receive additional financial support.
1. Students must complete the following two courses, in addition to the required courses of the IH curriculum:
EHS 252G Industrial and Environmental Hygiene Assessment
EHS 258 Identification and Analysis of Hazardous Wastes
2. Students are required to take the 40-hour Hazardous Worker Training Program (HAZWOPER) usually given by UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program (LOSH) or ERC Continuing Education Program during Spring break. Course fee is paid by the training grant. Thesis or masters report for MS students must be related to hazardous substances. MPH Internships (EHS 400) must be related to hazardous substances.
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT
William C. Hinds
Program Director
UCLA Center for Occupational and Environmental Health
650 Young Dr.,South
56-071 CHS
P.O.Box 951772
Los Angeles CA 90095-1772
Telephone: 310-825-7104
E-mail: whinds@ucla.edu
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