News and Press Releases

Partnership with UOnline enhances Master of Occupational Health degree offerings

A top-flight education from RMCOEH will soon be more accessible than ever. 

The center and the U. School of Medicine’s Division of Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH) have partnered with UOnline, which oversees the University of Utah’s online degrees, to improve and expand the online Master of Occupational Health (MOH) degree. The partnership will provide an opportunity for students from across the country to pursue the degree, which has two emphases available online: occupational safety and occupational medicine. Courses will begin this fall, with RMCOEH accepting applications through mid-August. 

“This is a big step forward for the center and something we’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” said Joseph Allen, PhD, the director of graduate studies for RMCOEH.

The online MOH degree is particularly targeted toward people who are already working in occupational and environmental health and safety-related positions and are seeking additional education to further their careers. That distinguishes the MOH from the other master’s degree RMCOEH students can pursue through the Division of OEH — the master of science in occupational health (MSOH) — which is the more popular path for traditional students. 

RMCOEH has offered the MOH degree in an online format for a handful of years, but without the involvement of UOnline. The partnership with UOnline, which offers more than 40 online degrees across campus, provides an elevated experience for students, blending a polished technological format with expertise and instruction from the same faculty who teach RMCOEH’s in-person courses. UOnline is also devoting resources to marketing the degree nationally.

Kat McColl, RMCOEH’s graduate academic advisor, who played an integral role in establishing the partnership with UOnline, said she frequently hears from would-be students interested in this kind of program. She anticipates demand will be significant. 

“There are only a few other universities that have similar online degrees in occupational health and safety,” she said. “What sets ours apart is that online students will have direct access to our faculty, which includes several faculty members who are nationally recognized in their disciplines. That’s a distinction from some of the other universities.”

As the occupational safety and occupational medicine MOH emphases get off the ground this fall, the center has an eye toward the eventual addition of other emphases to meet employer and student needs. The center offers the following MOH emphases in person: ergonomics, general occupational health, industrial hygiene, occupational health psychology, and occupational injury prevention, in addition to occupational medicine and occupational safety. 

“We will see where this leads,” Dr. Allen said. “But we are excited about launching these two emphases this fall and the possibility of this becoming a way for us to train students who otherwise wouldn’t have access to our programs.”