Graduate Program
The Department is in the unique position of having two complimentary graduate programs in occupational health and safety accredited by the ABET, Inc./ASAC. The combined resources and faculty talents of these two programs create synergies that provide our students with outstanding academic and research experiences in the field of occupational safety and health. Excellent academic and research opportunities are also available for students in the areas of operations research, decision sciences, and manufacturing.
The Department has quality research laboratories in manufacturing, robotics and vision systems, CAD/CAM, operations research, production planning and control, decision sciences, ergonomics, industrial hygiene, and safety. Graduate students are encouraged to utilize these resources to explore and develop their capabilities.
Programs Offered
Master of Science in Engineering
The M.S. Engineering program is designed for students having a baccalaureate degree in a technical field other than industrial engineering who wish to pursue a broader, more interdisciplinary program of graduate studies.
Master of Science in Industrial Engineering
Students in the M.S. Industrial Engineering program will learn to master modern and classical methodologies in their area of concentration, oral and written communication skills to bridge the gap between society and businesses, and professional ethics as applied to their field. In this program, students will conduct research in their field of choice, work on projects in teams and individually, and design and implement new integrated systems.
Master of Science in Industrial Hygiene
The Industrial Hygiene program is designed for students with undergraduate training in the areas of engineering, chemistry, biology, medical sciences, animal sciences, or the physical sciences who have an interest in occupational and environmental health and safety.
The Masters of Science degree in Industrial Hygiene is accredited by the Applied Sciences Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org .
Master of Science in Safety Management
The safety management degree program is designed for students trained in the areas of business and economic sciences, animal sciences, chemical and biological sciences, engineering and technology sciences, medical sciences, and the physical sciences.
The Masters of Science degree in Safety Management is accredited by the Applied Sciences Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org .
Safety Management Exam Information
Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering
Each Ph.D. student will develop a program with a major in industrial engineering, or occupational safety and health designed to meet his/her needs and objectives in consultation with an advisor and the advisory and examining committee.
Doctor of Philosophy in Occupational Safety and Health
The Occupational Safety and Health Ph.D. degree is to educate and train, to the highest level of competency in teaching and research, men and women as occupational safety and health professionals for industry, government and academia. The program helps students develop competencies to perform independent research in the application of scientific principles to anticipate, recognize, evaluate, control and manage occupational and environmental hazards to working populations of men and women.
Occupational Safety and Health Engineering (OSHE)
The Occupational Safety and Health Engineering (OSHE) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) training program is designed to educate engineering graduate students in the areas of occupational safety and ergonomics. Trainees learn essential knowledge and skills across a broad range of occupational safety topics by taking courses from industrial engineering, industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, and safety management programs. Trainees are also encouraged to further support their individual academic pursuits by taking elective courses offered in other engineering disciplines as well as other colleges within the university. Additionally, trainees complete a research project (MS thesis/PhD dissertation) in the areas of occupational safety and ergonomics to gain hand-on experience and further extend their theoretical knowledge to solve real world practical problems.
The OSHE program is a NIOSH-supported training program, so funding is for US citizens only. Please contact Dr. Ashish D. Nimbarte for more details about the training program and funding opportunities.
Admission Requirements
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Click Here to View Graduation Requirements
Financial Support
The department seeks to provide support to all deserving graduate students. Several types of support are available and include: research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and instructorships. All supported students are provided a tuition waiver. Stipends for both Master's and Ph.D. students are competitive with other graduate institutions.
Additional Financial Support for MSIH Students
The Industrial Hygiene Program has funding from a NIOSH Training Grant, which provides a number of training grants to support students in the program. Several graduate research and teaching assistantships are also available. The availability of graduate assistantships depends on the level of research funding, which varies from year to year. In addition, NIOSH usually provides at least two part-time, paid positions for students.
Additional Financial Support for Safety Management Students
The Safety Management program offers students several possibilities for financial assistance. Safety Management students have been able to obtain funding through:
- Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA). Faculty members are awarded grants or contracts to do research which includes money for a GRA to assist in the research. GRA availability varies with the award of a grant or contract and GRAs are selected by faculty members who receive grant awards.
- Graduate Assistantships in other WVU units. Safety Management students often obtain assistantships with Environmental Health and Safety [WVU's safety department], Radiation Safety [Medical center], the Job Accommodation Network [a national center helping employers meet ADA requirements] and WVU's undergraduate student advising. These assistantships are awarded through the specific units and depend on availability.
- Quota Hours. In the fall and spring semesters, the program is given a number of hours to waive student fees. These hours depend on the number of students taking graduate work the preceding year, and are awarded in blocks of three. Thus a full time student who receives three quota hours will pay for six semester hours instead of nine semester hours.
- Scholarships. The admissions committee may award incoming students modest scholarships of up to $1,000 [$500 per semester for two semesters]. These scholarships are based on undergraduate academic performance and departmental funds. Scholarships have been offered to part-time students.
Additional money saving or monetary possibilities:
- WVU financial aid
- Internships: Working for various companies and agencies.
- Academic Common Market - Maryland and Virginia Residents - Applies to on- and off-campus [full and part-time] students.
- Regional Incentive Fees - Off-campus students only - students from designated counties near the regional off-campus centers pay a reduced out-of state fee if they attend classes at that center.
Research, Electronic Theses + Dissertations
Research initiatives and on-going funding opportunities are available to students in the areas of:
- Ergonomics;
- Operations research;
- Manufacturing;
- Occupational safety and health;
- Artificial intelligence; and
- Respirator research.
A thesis or problem is normally required of all candidates. While required credit in research (CE 497) is devoted to the thesis or report preparation, the thesis or problem report is not automatically approved after the required number of semester hours of research work have been completed. The thesis or problem report must conform with the general WVU requirements for graduate study and with any additional requirements established by the department.
West Virginia University (WVU) requires all theses and dissertations to be submitted to WVU Libraries in electronic (.pdf) format. Information about WVU's Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Program is available at https://etd.lib.wvu.edu/. WVU Libraries also has a site consisting of information about the required formatting of theses and dissertations at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/.
