Congruence with System Goals and University Mission
The University of Houston-Clear Lake currently offers a graduate degree with a Major in Occupational Safety and health, with specializations in Industrial Hygiene (IH), Safety, and Online Occupational Safety & Health subplans. To keep up with market demands, the OSHE program faculty are proposing to add a Graduate Certificate in Ergonomics & Human Factors.
This Graduate Certificate program is designed to measure potential risk that humans are exposed to in occupational settings and make recommendations to eliminate potential hazards.
Because of the geographic location of UHCL close to the Houston ship channel, the chemical facilities, oil refineries, and gas fields, and the risks associated with these industries, the interest in such a Graduate Certificate is significant. Therefore, enrollment is expected to be enhanced in the OSHE major, and potential employers will be able to seek our graduates for employment. This will allow us to serve our stakeholders and constituents better. In addition, it would also help recruit these new certificate-seekers to our MS program in OSHE.
Student and Job Market Demand
Based on current local demand, it is expected that this program would attract students with other majors with technical backgrounds such as engineering, pre-engineering, chemistry, physics, etc. Further future growth is expected as the graduate certificate becomes better known and builds a reputation in the area.
The job market demand is high, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Texas Workforce Commission reports indicate exceptional growth (over 20%) in the Gulf Coast region. Nationally, the Gulf Coast is a leading employer of health and safety professionals. Our graduate students mostly already work in the field or get internships during their studies. About 90% of our graduates are getting jobs in the industry (or seeking higher degrees) soon after graduation, some before graduation. We are fulfilling a need in the region. In fact, there are currently more employers seeking our OSHE students than we have students in the program.
Program Description
The Ergonomics & Human Factors Graduate Certificate will build on the knowledge in existing areas in Industrial Hygiene, and Safety fields, as well as other disciplines such as Psychology, physics, biology, to measure potential risk due to these processes and make recommendations to eliminate potential hazards.
Program Duplication
No other University of Houston campus offers an equivalent program in Ergonomics & Human Factors. University of Texas School of Public Health offers a Master of Public Health (MPH) and doctorate degrees in Industrial Hygiene. In contrast, the focus is on public health and epidemiology, which is different from the applied sciences approach at University of Houston-Clear Lake. Other institutions in other states offer a Graduate Certificate in this area such as Georgia Tech, but there are no recognized degrees in this field.
Faculty Resources
The OSHE program already has faculty with extensive knowledge, education, and experience in the area of Ergonomics & Human Factors. One (Dr. Magdy Akladios) is a professionally certified Ergonomist (CPE), and holds a PhD in the field. He is more than qualified to cover the needs of this new Graduate Certificate. In addition, we currently have another faculty member (Dr. Bob Phalen) who is a Fellow IH, Certified Industrial Hygienist, and would potentially cover parts of this Graduate Certificate.
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