Master of Occupational Health and Safety
Quick facts
Student type:
Quick facts
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Entry score
Not applicable
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Duration
Part-time 3 years -
Location
Melbourne City -
Fees
AU$15,360 (2019 annual)
Next intake
July, February Entry score
Not applicable
Duration
Not applicable Location
Not applicable Fees
Not applicable
Next intake
Not applicable
Overview
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) concerns the application of scientific principles to understand risks to the safety of people in workplaces and to take action to control these. It is a multidisciplinary profession with applications in all industries and commerce.
Both community expectation and government legislation demand an increasingly higher level of protection for employees and the community from risks that threaten their safety and health. As such, there is also an increasing demand in society for professionals with experience and qualifications in OHS.
The Master of Occupational Health and Safety incorporates your learning from the Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety and provides you with the opportunity to undertake:
- a substantial research activity, allowing you to reflect on OHS theory and practice
- specialist occupational hygiene courses in addition to an occupational hygiene research project - this specialisation is suitable for students wanting to become occupational hygiene specialists
- courses from the RMIT MBA program in addition to an OHS management implementation project - this option is suitable for students looking to move into OHS management roles.
Details
The program is taught in block mode one week before the start of each semester at the RMIT City campus, with weekly real time evening or online tutorials. All lectures and materials are provided online.
In some courses there is a need for practical use of instrumentation to measure workplace hazards, and this is incorporated into the teaching week. RMIT has a purpose-built OHS laboratory containing the latest measurement equipment.
Many of the assignments used for assessment purposes are based in a your work organisation to ensure that theory is directly related to practical applications.
Generally, courses are held over one week (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm), before the beginning of the traditional academic semester, e.g. during mid-Feb, and mid-July. Management courses may have different timings. Tutorials are usually held one evening per fortnight per course and can be attended face-to-face or on line.
The Master degree includes an individual research project in the final semester to ensure that you can reflect critically on the OHS theory and practice.
RMIT is committed to providing you with an education that strongly links formal learning with professional or vocational practice.
Many assignments are designed to put theory into workplace practice providing an education that is directly applicable to your role as an OHS professional.
Courses are delivered in intensive mode (full days) at the beginning of each semester to accommodate students working full-time. The normal load is two courses per semester, meaning that the graduate diploma takes two years (4 semesters) to complete and the master degree is completed in three years (6 semesters).
In 2019 the teaching weeks are in mid Feb and early July. There is an option to start mid year (in July).
The Master of Occupational Health and Safety incorporates the content from the Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety, so you may choose to complete the graduate diploma first, or apply directly into the master degree. To be admitted to the Occupational Hygiene specialisation, you must have a bachelor’s degree in a science, health or engineering field. As with the Graduate Diploma, the Masters program content is based on the core body of knowledge of OHS professionals, plus additional material for the occupational hygiene specialisation.
There is a common first year covering critical thinking, risk management, ergonomics and OHS law.
In second year, you cover psychosocial hazards, chemical and physical hazards and the role of OHS in organisations, with heavy emphasis on influencing organisational practice. In addition, you will complete research methods or an OHS intervention project.
For the Master’s year, you have a choice of incorporating further course work in occupational hygiene, or business management, or pursuing a large work oriented research project.
Choose a program structure
| Title | Location | Duration | Plan code | CRICOS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master of Occupational Health and Safety | City Campus |
3 years part time
6 semesters part time
|
MC135P13 |
Choose a program structure
Program code: MC135
Career
Graduates find work within industry, government, the service sector, consulting or in workers' compensation insurance companies.
Generalist practitioners are called health and safety executives (HSE), OHS managers, risk managers, OHS coordinators or safety officers.
Graduates with the Occupational Hygiene specialisation are would be called occupational or industrial hygienists or occupational hygiene managers.
Positions with additional environmental responsibilities are known as EHS or SHE (safety, health and environment) managers.
The Master and Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety are accredited by the Australian OHS Education Accreditation Board while the Masters of Occupational Health and Safety (Occupational Hygiene specialisation) is accredited by the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists (AIOH).
An accredited qualification in the minimum education requirement for professional certification as an OHS professional and/or Occupational Hygienist.
Graduates are eligible for professional membership with the Safety Institute of Australia, the body representing OHS professionals and practitioners, and the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists.
With appropriate experience graduates can become a Chartered Professional Member (CPMSIA) or Certified Occupational Hygienists.
Admissions
You must have:
- successfully completed an Australian Bachelor degree (or equivalent overseas qualification);
Note: Applicants wishing to study the Occupational Hygiene stream and become certified must have a Bachelor degree or post graduate qualification in a relevant area such as chemistry, engineering, health and safety management, human biology or physics. Other degrees that contain a minimum of one year of science based subjects will be considered on a case by case basis.
OR
- significant work experience or professional practice.
As a guide, significant experience would generally be a minimum of five years of experience in occupational health and safety based roles.
Entry requirements
To have your professional experience considered you must include in your application:
- a CV
- a personal statement that demonstrates your academic foundation for masters study. This may include:
- details on how your professional experiences relates to the program
- demonstration of critical thinking in personal and/or professional practice
- communication and problem solving skills
Pathways
Fees
2019 indicative fees
Full-fee places: AU$15,360*
* This program is usually run on a part-time basis. The 2019 tuition fee quoted is based on a total annual load of 48 credit points.
Additional expenses
Student services and amenities fee (SSAF): AU$303 maximum fee for 2019.
Other items related to your program, including field trips, textbooks and equipment.
This program is offered on a full-fee paying basis only. If you are offered a place, you will need to pay the full tuition costs of your program. However, eligible students (such as Australian citizens or holders of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa) may apply to defer payment of some or all of their tuition fees via the Commonwealth Government’s FEE-HELP loan scheme.
Fees shown above apply to 2019 only and are based on an annual full-time study load of 96 credit points unless otherwise noted. A proportionate fee applies for more or less than the full-time study load. Tuition fees are adjusted on an annual basis and these fees should only be used as a guide.
For more information and to learn how to calculate your exact tuition fees see postgraduate study fees.
How does a HELP loan work?
If your FEE-HELP and/or SA-HELP loan application is successful, the Australian Government will pay RMIT, on your behalf, up to 100% of your fees. This amount will become part of your accumulated HELP debt.
You only start repaying your accumulated HELP debt to the Australian Government once you earn above the minimum income threshold for repayment, which is set each year by the Australian Government (this also applies if you are still studying). The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will calculate your compulsory repayment for the year and include this on your income tax notice.
For more information about loan repayment options see Commonwealth assistance (HELP loans) or Study Assist.
In addition to tuition fees, you will be charged an annual student services and amenities fee (SSAF), which is used to maintain and enhance services and amenities that improve your experience as an RMIT student. The SSAF is calculated based on your enrolment load and the maximum fee for 2019 is $303.
You may be eligible to apply to defer payment of the SSAF through the SA-HELP loan scheme. If you use SA-HELP, the amount will be added to your accumulated HELP debt.
For more information about calculating your actual SSAF see Paying SSAF.
You may also be required to purchase other items related to your program, including field trips, textbooks and equipment. These additional fees and expenses vary from program to program.