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Industrial Hygiene

HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES ACADEMIC TRAINING

Pete Raynor, PhD, Program Director

The University of Minnesota Hazardous Substances Academic Training (HSAT) Program is a specialty program within the Industrial Hygiene (IH) Program of the Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety. Most existing industries use or produce hazardous materials and generate some level of hazardous waste. Growing industries in the Upper Midwest – especially biosciences, healthcare, and food production – are likely to produce even more hazardous materials and waste as they expand. Because industrial hygienists often hold multiple roles in their organizations, including responsibility for managing hazardous materials and waste, they and their organizations benefit if they have specific, focused training about hazardous substances. Therefore, the objective of the University of Minnesota HSAT Program is to provide industrial hygiene students with the ability to develop and manage hazardous materials and waste programs when they graduate.

Designed to be completed in two years by full-time students, the HSAT Program educates Masters-level students who complete courses in public health, environmental health, and occupational health and safety in addition to IH and HSAT classes. Because the HSAT Program is a specialty within the IH Program, HSAT students must also fulfill all of the requirements of the IH Program, with the required courses of the HSAT Program fulfilling elective requirements for the IH Program. Students must also complete a field experience and a Masters project related in some way to hazardous substances. They also must complete a 40-hour continuing education course in Hazardous Waste Management or Emergency Response; this requirement is usually completed by attending a course offered by the University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Education and Outreach. Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents may be eligible for traineeships that help to pay for tuition and fees and a stipend.