Careers in Occupational Health and Safety - Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety Education and Research Center

Careers in Occupational Health and Safety


Opportunities exist nationwide for individuals completing degrees (MPH, MS, PhD) in the MCOHS program. Students completing a master’s degree often pursue careers in local and state health departments; other state agencies (including the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency); poison control centers; environmental and occupational health and safety consulting firms; or in corporations. Students graduating from doctoral programs are prepared for research and leadership careers in academia, government, or industry.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY CAREER POSSIBILITIES

Air Quality Specialist
Chemical Information Specialist
Director of Environmental Services
Environmental Consultant
Ergonomics Specialist
Hazardous Materials Specialist
Health Policy Analyst
Health and Safety Consultant

Industrial Hygienist
Occupational Health Compliance Officer
Occupational Health Nurse
Occupational Injury Epidemiologist
Occupational Medicine Physician
Professor
Scientist
Toxicologist

TYPES OF EMPLOYERS

Local Health Departments
State Health Departments
Other State Agencies
Poison Control Centers
Environmental Consulting Firms

Corporations
Research Centers
Colleges and Universities
Government Agencies

Occupational health and safety one of the hottest career options for recent and mid-career college graduates!

A University of California San Diego report states that Occupational Health and Safety careers are/will be in increasing demand, based on career trends for college graduates.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of occupational health and safety specialists and technicians is expected to increase at least 4% during the 2014-2024 decade.

Emergency preparedness will continue to increase in importance, creating demand for these workers. More specialists will be needed to cope with technological advances in safety equipment and threats, changing regulations, and increasing public expectations.

In private industry, employment growth will reflect overall business growth and continuing self-enforcement of government and company regulations and policies.

View Alumni Job Titles

Below you will find a sampling of job titles of students who have completed degrees (MPH, MS, PhD) in the MCOHS program.

Medical Director, Occupational Medicine Program – HealthPartners Occupational Medicine
Senior Manager, EHSIC – Sumitomo 3M Limited
Engineering/Safety Training Program – Astro Space Division – General Electric
Injury/Safety Hazard Assessment – MacNeil Environmental
Director, Workwell Health Services – Stillwater Medical Group
Occupational Health Nurse – Allina/Mercy Health Care Center
Industrial Hygienist – Cargill
Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health – Medical College, National Cheng – Kung University
Research/Safety Eng Manager – Technology Lab, Nike
Director of Safety and Wellness – Doherty Employment Group
Nurse Practitioner – United Health Care
Loss Control Consultant – Chubb Group Insurance
Safety Inspections – Minnesota OSHA
Staff Physician, Occupational Medicine and Primary Care – Boston NeuroBehavioral Associate
Industrial Hygienist – Mayo Clinic
Assistant Professor – SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Research and Development Health, Safety, and Environmental Training Senior Supervisor – 3M
Industrial Hygiene Inspector – North Carolina Department of Labor
Professor – University of Wisconsin – Stout
Assistant Professor of Nursing – Bethel College
Occupational Health Nurse – John C. Lincoln Health Network
Safety Specialist – Spectrum Colors
Advanced Technical Service Representitive – 3M Occupational Health and Environmental Safety Division
Community Energy Program Manager – Green Institute
Industrial Hygienist – Pace Analytical Labs
Staff Physician – Allina Medical Clinic
Industrial Hygiene/Safety Engineer – Intel
CEO – Risk Solutions
Health and Safety Specialist – Allina Hospitals and Clinics
Research Director, Staff Physician – Health Practice Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Regions Hospital
Staff Physician – Regions Hospital
Health and Safety Officer – Public Health Labs, Minnesota Department of Health
Medical Director, Occupational Medicine Clinic – Duluth Clinic Health System
Senior Industrial Hygienist – NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Assistant Clinical Manager – United Hospital Intensive Care Unit
Epidemiologist – Dow Corning Company
School and Environmental Health Nurse – Minneapolis Public Schools
Vice President, Business Development – United Healthcare
Senior Product Responsibility Liaison – 3M Optical Systems Division
Manager, Occupational Health – Guidant Corporation
Loss Control Specialist – Palm Beach County Risk Management
Director, Allina Employee Occupational Health Service – Abbott Northwestern Hospital
Regional Safety Manager – Pillsbury Company
Senior Occupational Health Analyst – 3M
Industrial Hygienist – DuPont
Medical Director – National Farm Medicine Center and Occupational Medicine, Marshfield Clinic
Senior Environmental Health and Safety Stewardship Specialist – 3M
Occupational Health Nurse – Federal Occupational Health
Coordinator – Occupational Injury Prevention Research Training, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota
Infection Control Practitioner – Virginia Hospital
Medical Director, Occupational Medicine – Cambridge Medicine Center
Safety Coordinator – Mayo Clinic
Council of Labor Affairs – Taipei, Taiwan
Senior Product Development Engineer – 3M
Environmental Health and Safety Delivery Specialist – FilmTec Corporation
Industrial Hygienist – Government of Nova Scotia
Research Scientist – Wisconsin Division of Public Health
Senior Ergonomist – Minnesota OSHA
Corporate Industrial Hygienist – 3M
Medical Director, Employee Health Services – Fairview Health Systems
Research Fellow – National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Police Officer – University of Minnesota
Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Safety and Health – Chang – Jung University
Senior Safety Investigator – Minnesota Department of Health
Occupational Health Nursing Consultant – 3M Corporate Health Services
Environmental Health and Safety Manager – Glacial Lakes Energy
Industrial Hygienist – Valspar Corporation
Epidemiologist: Head, Epidemiology – Dow Corning Corporation, Public Affairs/Food and Drug Administration Liaison, Manager of Medical Device Operations
Associate Professor – College of Public Health, Occupational Safety and Health, Chang Jung University, Taiwan
Clinical Assistant Professor – School of Nursing, University of Minnesota
State Program Administrative Principal – Minnesota Department of Human Services
Research/Safety Engineering Manager – Technology Laboratory, Nike, Oregon
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine – University of Minnesota and Coordinator, Polytrauma and Blast-Related Injuries QUERI, Center for Chronic Disease Outcomes Research Veterans Administration Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Research Fellow – National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, West Virginia
Coordinator – Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota
Research Scientist – National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, West Virginia
Industrial Hygienist – 3M
Environmental Health and Safety Engineer – 3M, Cottage Grove, Incinerator and Site Service
Industrial Hygienist – Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Technical Service Specialist – 3M, Occupational Health and Environmental Safety
Assistant Professor, Kent State University – College of Public Health, Ohio
Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer – NIOSH, Alaska
Staff Physician -Occupational Health, Veterns Administration Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Assistant Professor – State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, New York
Research Project Director – University of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
Post-Doctoral Fellow – Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
Loss Control Representative – Builders Group
Post-Doctoral Fellow – University of Illinois – Chicago
Coordinator – University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
Technical Service Specialist – 3M Occupational Health and Environmental Safety