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Occupational Safety Technology

Types of Degrees Occupational Safety Technology Majors Are Earning

Those studying Occupational Safety Technology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	19
Associate’s Degree	667
Bachelor’s Degree	1,444
Master’s Degree	938
Doctor’s Degree	6

What Occupational Safety Technology Majors Need to Know

Programs in Occupational Safety Technology build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Occupational Safety Technology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Occupational Safety Technology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Occupational Safety Technology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Systems Analysis — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Occupational Safety Technology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Occupational Safety Technology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Occupational Safety Technology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Mannus Compliance: EHS	Compliance software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Safety Software OSHALOG 300	Data base user interface and query software	—
Primatech AUDITWorks	Compliance software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Occupational Safety Technology graduates include:

• Site Safety and Health Officer
• Safety and Occupational Health Specialist
• Cause Analyst
• Safety Project Manager (Safety PM)
• Sanitation Inspector
• Rabies Inspector
• Industrial Hygienist Consultant
• Health and Safety Analyst
• Environmental Health Technologist
• Safety Instructor
• Safety Consultant
• Radiation Protection Specialist
• Environmental Protection Inspector
• Sanitation Specialist
• Safety Administrator

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Occupational Safety Technology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	73.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	8.7%
Master’s degree	8.7%
Postsecondary certificate	4.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Occupational Safety Technology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 73.7% of Occupational Safety Technology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	828	26.3%
Men	2,319	73.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Occupational Safety Technology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,988	63.2%
Asian	55	1.7%
Hispanic or Latino	208	6.6%
Black or African American	362	11.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	49	1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	12	0.4%
Two or More Races	99	3.1%
Race Unknown	336	10.7%
International Students	38	1.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Occupational Safety Technology Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Occupational Safety Technology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$67,389
4 years	$70,808
5 years	$79,621

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $79,621 — roughly 18% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Occupational Safety Technology Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Occupational Safety Technology. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	4	4
Bachelor’s	5	3
Master’s	6	4

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Occupational Safety Technology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Occupational Safety Technology graduates earn a median of $70,808 four years after completion — roughly 86% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians	3,938
Quality Control Technology/Technician	422
Industrial Safety Technology/Technician	258
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians, Other	111
Hazardous Materials Information Systems Technology/Technician	—
Process Safety Technology/Technician	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.