Bachelor’s in Occupational Health & Safety Management
ExxonMobil Bachelor’s – Leadership & Management Concentration
The Bachelor of Applied Arts & Sciences in Occupational Health & Safety Management at Odessa College prepares students to protect workers, reduce risk, and lead safety programs across industrial, energy, construction, and manufacturing environments.
Designed for students who already hold a technical associate degree, this program builds advanced leadership and safety management skills needed for supervisory and compliance roles.
Students learn how to identify hazards, prevent incidents, and implement workplace safety systems that meet industry and regulatory standards.
Who This Program Is For
This program is ideal for:
- Occupational Safety & Environmental Technology (OSET) graduates
- Technical AAS graduates seeking advancement
- Industry workers moving into leadership roles
- Safety technicians wanting management positions
- Working adults needing a flexible bachelor’s pathway
What You’ll Learn
In this occupational safety degree, you gain practical and leadership safety competencies, including real-world applications that improve workplace safety and organizational culture, such as:
- Job hazard analysis and risk assessment
- Industrial safety standards and compliance
- Safety training and workforce education
- Incident investigation and prevention
- Environmental and occupational health protection
- Safety audits and management systems
- Emergency preparedness and response planning
- Leadership communication and decision-making
Graduates are prepared to advance into leadership roles in their field. The program is also approved by the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management and taught by faculty certified in industrial hygiene and safety.
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| BCSP - GSP Qualified Academic Programs |
Professional Recognition & Certification Pathways
This program is recognized as a Qualified Academic Program (QAP) by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP).
Graduates qualify for the Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP) designation — allowing direct eligibility toward the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) credential after experience requirements are met.
This pathway helps students move faster into high-level safety careers without repeating certification coursework.
Career Opportunities
Graduates of this bachelor’s degree in occupational health and safety may pursue roles such as:
- Safety coordinator or safety specialist
- Health and safety technician
- Environmental health & safety (EHS) supervisor
- Industrial safety consultant
- Compliance officer
- Risk management specialist
- Safety trainer
- Operations safety manager
These careers exist across oil & gas, manufacturing, construction, utilities, transportation, and public sector agencies.
Why Choose Odessa College
- Built for working professionals with technical backgrounds
- Direct pathway to GSP → CSP certification
- Industry-aligned safety curriculum
- Leadership + technical skill combination
- Affordable bachelor’s completion program
To enroll in the Occupational Health & Safety Management bachelor’s program, students must:
- Be admitted to Odessa College
- Meet Texas Success Initiative (TSI) requirements
- Hold an approved AAS degree or be within 15 credit hours of completion
- Have a minimum 2.0 GPA
Students completing a related field may be approved by the department chair.
Admission is capacity-based and accepted in order of application and registration.
Students interested in completing the ExxonMobil Bachelor's in Leadership and Management must meet the general admission criteria above for admission to the program. Students who have been admitted to the program and are within 15 credit hours of completing their AAS degree, and currently enrolled in those courses may, with the approval of the Dean and Department Chair, enroll in no more than two (2) upper-division courses. Students are expected to maintain Odessa College Academic Progress requirements as outlined in the EGA (Local), Student Handbook, and available online. The college seeks to preserve the spirit of the community college Open Door policy for new ExxonMobil Bachelor's in Leadership and Management students while ensuring they have the prerequisite skills for success. Admission to the program will be capped by capacity and therefore students will be accepted in order of application and registration.
In addition to the above requirements, students interested in completing the ExxonMobil Bachelor's in Leadership and Management with a concentration in Occupational Health and Safety Management will be required to have completed their AAS in Occupational Safety and Environmental Technology or related field. Approval of "related field" degrees will be the responsibility of the Department Chair for the program. This review and approval process mirrors multiple collaborative review processes at the institution, including review of transfer credits, between Student Services and Instruction and does not require new documentation.