r/industrialhygiene • u/StayFreshByBeinSilly • Sep 08 '19

How to choose IH Master's programs?

I've decided to apply for Master's in Industrial Hygiene programs.

How should I choose one?

I started with a list of all the ABET-accredited IH programs and all the NIOSH ERCs. Should one be prioritized over the other? Ideally, the school would be both, but I'm leaning toward ABET programs so I can take the CIH sooner.

Also, should I do an MS or MPH? Research is currently not an interest for me. I've been comparing the coursework if the school has both programs, and they seem pretty similar.

Finally, what do you think of accredited online programs compared to in-person programs (Johns Hopkins, Tulane, Montana Tech)?

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u/travelnman85 CIH, CSP Sep 09 '19

The MS or MPH does not really matter. There are MS degrees that don't require research and some MPH that do, so just pay attention to the requirements of the degree and not the letters.

The ERCs are good because they offer some funding to some students. How they divide it up varies greatly by school. With some taking fewer students so they can be more generous. The best thing to do is find the graduate program coordinators for each school and email them asking what the funding is like.

I did my degree 10 years ago but picked Iowa because they offered me full scholarship and stipend and let me start in January. Other things to consider are what is the experience of the faculty do they have the CIH and do they have experience outside of academia.

Online programs can be good if you have experience or moving isn't an option. What you will miss out on is some hands on training /labs and building a network with both current students and alumni.

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u/StayFreshByBeinSilly Sep 12 '19

Thanks for clarifying!

I plan to contact program coordinators and will be sure to ask about funding too.

Would you recommend your experience at Iowa? What other schools did you consider?

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u/travelnman85 CIH, CSP Sep 12 '19

Keep in mind my experience was 10 years ago and I don't know how things have changed elsewhere. I enjoyed my time at Iowa and learned a lot. I am now back working for the university in another capacity now so have frequent contact with the program. They do a good job of striking a good balance between IH research and IH practice more so than many other places.

I looked at a lot of schools and ruled them out because of the following reasons Utah, Cincinnati, and Washington would not give me January admittance, Johns Hopkins and UNC wouldn't have funding for me, and UT Houston was going make me take a physics class because I didn't take one in undergrad. I stopped contacting places after this as Iowa let me start in January with tuition paid and a $20,000 stipend.

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u/StayFreshByBeinSilly Sep 21 '19

Thank you for sharing!