| Goals and Objectives
The goal of the Industrial Hygiene Program is to improve the quality of the
occupational environment by:
- training professionals in industrial hygiene;
- conducting relevant research on the causes and prevention of diseases and
injuries related to occupation, and on the evaluation of the work environment;
- by direct service to workers, employeers, occupational health professionals,
and the community.
Our principal educational objective is to provide our students with a solid
foundation in the fundamentals of industrial hygiene —anticipation, recognition,
evaluation and control of hazards in the occupational environment. We achieve
this objective using a multidisciplinary faculty and a wide range of training
methods.
Student Research and Field Projects
Thesis research projects for the MSPH degree are usually experimental and
involve novel application of scientific principles to practical problems in industrial
hygiene. As over 80% of these thesis projects have resulted in journal articles
and/or presentations at technical meetings, their quality has been quite high.
Student research has covered a very broad range of subjects, for example:
development of methods for measuring volatile compound emissions to work room
air; validation of air monitoring methods for aldehydes; a survey of the variability
human rhodanese (the enzyme responsible for cyanide detoxification), and carbon
adsorption of radioactive noble gases from humid air.
Field practice projects for the MPH degree are supervised by practicing industrial
hygienists in government or industry. Details of the student’s accomplishments
and experiences are presented orally and in writing. Some MSPH students elect
to do both a thesis research project and a field practice project.
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Board Certification (CIH/IHIT)
The success of this curriculum in preparing students for certification by
the American Board of Industrial Hygiene is shown by the large portion of graduates
who are now Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH) or have passed the core examination
to obtain the Industrial Hygienist In Training designation (IHIT).
Training Grants and Fellowships
This Department has competed successfully on a nation-wide basis for NIOSH
training grants and for American Industrial Hygiene Foundation fellowships. Also,
the USC program was one of fourteen programs in the United States approved for
the education of Department of Energy Fellows in Industrial Hygiene. Such funds
make continued program development possible as well as enabling the Department
to offer tuition remission and stipends for most students.
USC Student Section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association
The Student Section of the Carolinas Chapter of the AIHA organized by IH students
in the Department is involved in academic, professional, and social activities.
Curriculum
The basic curriculum provides a thorough background in the scientific, technical,
and managerial aspects of the field. Elective courses cover specialized subject
areas, such as health physics, toxicology, aerosol science, air pollution, hazardous
waste, and ergonomics. Oral and written communication skills receive heavy emphasis
in this curriculum.
Industrial hygiene students may select advanced courses and research in health
physics. Health physics provides the professional health expertise for protection
of humans in the workplace and in the general environment and for minimizing
the effects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. |
