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Course description
"Manchester has a good reputation for this MSc and many of my peers have attended the course. It has a good structure and staff have been very supportive throughout.
"It is a great course for those who haven't done occupational hygiene before, as it starts with the basics. It is also great for those who have some experience, as it builds on the skills and knowledge you already have and covers new topics."
Helen Pearson / Consultant Occupational Hygienist
Our part-time blended learning Occupational Hygiene course will equip you with a wide range of interdisciplinary knowledge and skills to work in areas related to occupational hygiene, culminating in an academic qualification accredited by the Faculty of Occupational Hygiene (FOH) within the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS).
In the taught component of the course, the emphasis is on acquiring a thorough understanding of the theoretical principles and research methodologies underpinning the topic covered by each unit.
Every student is allocated an experienced dissertation supervisor.
Completing the MSc dissertation is an opportunity to apply your knowledge and develop experience in research methods applied to a problem of particular interest to you. In this component the emphasis is on developing your critical appraisal skills and your capacity to demonstrate leadership and management of occupational health issues.
As a graduate of this course, you will have knowledge necessary to recognise, evaluate and control hazards in the workplace, including chemical, physical and biological agents.
Aims
The postgraduate course in Occupational Hygiene delivers academic and practical training in occupational hygiene and health, aiming to develop a practitioner with:
- an appreciation of the skills necessary to recognise, evaluate and control hazardous substances in the workplace, encompassing hazards such as chemical, physical (e.g. noise, radiation), biological and ergonomic agents;
- knowledge of to the wide variety of aspects covered within the occupational hygiene discipline such as legislation, toxicological basis for standard setting, methods commonly used to evaluate hazardous agents, and related and overlapping health profession roles in worker health protection;
- an academic qualification that is accredited by the Faculty of Occupational Hygiene (FOH) within the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS);
- a level 7 academic and practical experience on which to build and extend your knowledge of occupational hygiene and health throughout your career.
The Master of Science course aims to:
- encourage critical evaluation of occupational hygiene and exploration of other philosophical and practical approaches to minimising ill health in the workplace;
- develop powers of critical appraisal, analytical thinking and logical argument.
Teaching and learning
The part-time course comprises a blend of specially commissioned written materials, together with interactive teaching and learning methods, delivered on the University's virtual learning environment, Blackboard.
Some of the course unit includes online tutorial time, providing an opportunity to re-address concepts and approaches to problem solving in discussion with both the tutor and your peers. All units are assessed through assignment/examination.
Various seminar days are provided during the course. During your first year, Unit 1 and Unit 2 require attendance in Manchester for a practical seminar day and unit assessment. Unit 3 and Unit 4 are delivered with additional online tutorials supported by field specialists in occupational hygiene.
Units 5-8 are completed in Year 2 with attendance for assessment and practical field work.
Progression to MSc requires the completion of a 15000 word dissertation and attendance at a 3 day Dissertation Workshop.
Once you are enrolled with us we will provide you with a full calendar of seminar days, workshop and examination dates for the duration of your course. These will be easily accessible to you via the My Manchester.
You will require regular access to a modern personal computer (Windows or Mac) with a stable internet connection. You should be confident in using the internet for web browsing and sending emails and also using word processing software, such as Microsoft Word.
Discover more about University of Manchester online and blended learning .
Coursework and assessment
All Postgraduate Certificate (Year 1) and Postgraduate Diploma (Year 2) taught course units have examinations held in Manchester or one of its Global Assessment Centres at intervals throughout the course.
The MSc (Year 3) commences with a three day residential course in September and culminates with the electronic submission of your completed Dissertation.
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control Of Workplace Hazards | POPH60160 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Hazardous Substances | POPH63180 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Occupational Ill Health | POPH68850 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Introduction to Hazards, Risks and the Working Environment | POPH68870 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Research Methods and Data Analysis (Occupational Hygiene) | POPH68900 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Understanding Physical Agents (Occupational Hygiene) | POPH68920 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Health and Workability (Occupational Hygiene) | POPH68940 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Management of Workplace Hazards (Occupational Hygiene) | POPH68990 | 15 | Mandatory |
Facilities
Disability support
Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service .