degree plan help

[Dr John]

Hey all,

I have a friend I work with, he wants to earn a bachelors degree. He does not have any college credit, he is 36 years old and has a GED. He works as a police officer, and has about 11 years experience. He has worked Criminal Investigations and was a patrol sergeant for a while as well.

He is getting out of law enforcement since he is burned out and wants to pursue other career paths. He wants to study Occupational Health and Safety, but I can not find anything along those lines. He is a pretty smart guy with tons of common sense and smarts.

Can anyone offer any advise and a good school, I have recommended COSC and TESC but I am not sure if either could work with what he wants to do. I have also recommended that he perhaps look more at the Organizational Leadership major and maybe add courses in Occupational Health and Safety if possible. He wants to do this as quickly and as easily as he can, he has an interest in using credit by exam for as much as he can, but feels more comfortable taking some courses in a class (online or brick and mortar)

[sanantone]

I suggest that he look at the most common requirements for occupational health and safety positions in his area. When I searched for those jobs, most of them wanted a bachelors in occupational health and safety, engineering, or a natural science.

Occupational health and safety specialists typically need a bachelor’s degree in occupational health, safety, or a related scientific or technical field, such as engineering, biology, or chemistry. For some positions, a master’s degree is required in industrial hygiene, health physics, or a related subject.

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The most test friendly option would be for him to complete the natural science and mathematics degree at TESC. While COSC does give a lot of credits for the GRE subject tests, they only cover the concentration electives. The rest of the concentration requirements aren't all that test friendly, and some of them require UL labs.
Sanantone's BA in Natural Sciences and Mathematics - Degree Forum Wiki
Sanantone's General Education Options - Degree Forum Wiki
Thomas Edison State College: Natural Sciences/Mathematics

[Dr John]

He may need to rethink his plans. He just told me that he is math challenged....just like me! COSC required 3 hrs of math, so I took Intro to Logic. I am not sure a math heavy degree is going to work for him. He is interested in more of an occupational safety job after school. He wants to be a companies safety person. Sanatone, thanks for your excellent response, I shared it with him and he says that position you posted the info on is far above what he wants to actually do. Thanks for the assist!

[sanantone]

He may need to rethink his plans. He just told me that he is math challenged....just like me! COSC required 3 hrs of math, so I took Intro to Logic. I am not sure a math heavy degree is going to work for him. He is interested in more of an occupational safety job after school. He wants to be a companies safety person. Sanatone, thanks for your excellent response, I shared it with him and he says that position you posted the info on is far above what he wants to actually do. Thanks for the assist!

The natural science and mathematics degree at TESC does not have to be math heavy. The only math requirement would be intermediate algebra or some kind of math course for liberal arts majors. The major can pretty much be what you want as long as you cover 3 different subjects. Biology at the undergraduate level doesn't require much math. Also, tests like Management Information Systems and Networking Technology don't require any math. These would count as natural sciences.

Anyway, BLS has a description for a lower level of occupational health and safety jobs. According to them, these jobs only require a few college credits or an associates degree. If he goes this route, then TESC does offer the AAS in Environmental, Safety, and Security Technology. This can be filled with environmental science, emergency management, fire science, IT, and some criminal justice courses.

Employers typically require technicians to have at least a high school diploma. High school students interested in this occupation should complete courses in English, mathematics, chemistry, biology, and physics.

Some employers may prefer to hire technicians who have earned an associate’s degree or certificate from a community college or vocational school. These programs typically take 2 years or less. They include courses in respiratory protection, hazard communication, and material handling and storage procedures.

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

If he wants the type of safety job that requires a bachelors degree, then he is going to have to get one of the degrees I listed in the previous post to be competitive unless he already has a lot of safety experience.