GRADUATE CURRICULUM AUTHORIZATION FORM

Transcription

1 APPENDIX D GRADUATE CURRICULUM AUTHORIZATION FORM Check As Appropriate: X _Level I New Program or Program Revision Level II Degree Program Revision or New/Revised COR Level III Minor Program Revision Application for COR Renewal Deletion Course or Track or Minor or Program Variability in Program Delivery Program Reactivation New Course Enter CIP Code (Contact Registrar s Office): Major Course Revision Minor Course Revision Dual-Level or Cross Listing Distance Education Description of Proposal: Doctor of Philosophy in Safety Sciences Department: Safety Sciences Author or Contact Person: Dr. Lon Ferguson (ferguson@iup.edu) Dr. Christopher Janicak (cjanicak@iup.edu) (name and address) SIGNATURES OF APPROVAL Academic Integrity Resource Implications Address Date Department Curriculum Committee Department TECC Chair: College Curriculum Committee Chair: College Graduate Provost: Graduate Com. Chair: COMMENTS: Chair: Chair: Dean: Dean: To sign off on resource implications, confirm that detailed justification of resource sufficiency has been made and approved

2 Doctor of Philosophy in Safety Sciences Indiana University of Pennsylvania College of Health and Human Services Department of Safety Sciences Dr. Lon Ferguson, Department Chairperson Dr. Christopher Janicak, Graduate Program Coordinator Submitted February 20, 2008 Last Revised: November 14, 2008 Proposed Implementation Date June Page 2 of 145 -

3 Table of Contents 1. Introduction a. Description, Scope and Purpose of the Program b. Alignment with PASSHE Mission c. Appropriateness to IUP Mission and Strategic Plan Need and Impact a. Student Demand and Career Enhancement b. Intellectual Impact Academic Integrity a. Program Structure and Administration b. Program Pedagogical Goals c. Curriculum Overview d. Course Offerings e. Learning Experiences f. Leadership and Faculty Qualifications g. Student Qualifications, Support and Advisement Program Assessment a. Collecting and Evaluating Student Learning Outcomes Data b. Use of Student-Learning Outcomes Data to Improve the Program Coordination/Cooperation/ Partnerships a. Coordination with Related Programs at Other Institutions b. Coordination with Other Departments on Campus c. Coordination with Outside Agencies, Corporations Resource Sufficiency a. Faculty Workload b. Detail the Need for and Availability of Necessary Resources c. Five-Year Budget Projection Impact on Educational Opportunity a. Effect on Diverse Group of Students b. Effect on Faculty, Advisors, etc c. Effect on Employers Bibliography Executive Summary Catalog Description of Program Appendix A: Permission to Plan a PhD in Safety Sciences Appendix B: Department meeting minutes showing faculty approval of the proposed degree Appendix C: Letters of Support from ASSE and NIOSH Appendix D: Student Voice Survey Results Appendix E: Advisory Group Meeting Minutes Appendix F: Faculty Summary Sheets and Curriculum Vitae Appendix G: Letters of Notification Appendix H: University Doctoral Degree Program in Occupational Safety and Health Appendix I: Library Letter of Support and IDC Letter of Support Page 3 of 145 -

4 Appendix J: Industrial Hygiene and Ergonomics Lab Equipment Appendix K: Interactive Safety Management Lab Holdings Page 4 of145 -

5 1. Introduction 1.a. Description, Scope and Purpose of the Program The faculty of the Department of Safety Sciences is seeking approval of a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in safety sciences. In the Safety Sciences profession, there is an urgent need for safety professionals holding doctoral degrees to teach at the university level and conduct the research necessary to keep the profession moving forward. This proposed Doctor of Philosophy degree in Safety Sciences would be the only one of its kind in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and the state of Pennsylvania. While there are a handful of doctoral degrees in the United States that have some safety science coursework included, most of these programs are industrial engineering degree programs with an emphasis of providing engineers with some background in safety. This proposed doctoral degree would be unique in that it focuses primarily on safety sciences coursework. An abstract from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education demonstrating the permission to plan this degree is attached (See Appendix A). This degree is fully supported by the faculty of the safety sciences department (See Appendix B). Today, the IUP Safety Sciences Department offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Safety Sciences and a Master of Science degree in Safety Sciences. The Safety Sciences Department was formed in 1969 in the School of Health Services to administer a threeyear grant issued by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The purpose of the grant was to establish a baccalaureate program in Safety Management for academic preparation of students to be safety professionals in industry, government and institutional settings. The first faculty member was hired in 1971 as the NIOSH grant administrator and department chairperson. The first course was offered in the fall, In the spring, 1972, additional courses were offered and one additional faculty member was retained on a temporary, part-time basis. The program was originally accredited by the American Society of Safety Engineers. In 1993, ASSE no longer accredited safety degree programs and accreditation of safety and safety-related degree programs was performed through the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The IUP Safety Sciences undergraduate degree program has since then pursued and obtained accreditation through ABET, (the preeminent accrediting body for the safety and engineering fields). Safety sciences (or more broadly known and regarded as safety, health and environmental sciences, SH&E) is by its very nature an interdisciplinary field. Students and practitioners of safety need competence in a wide variety of academic disciplines including: business and management skills, the physical sciences, math, technical skills in areas such as industrial hygiene and ergonomics, adult learning methodology and social psychology and ethics. While both undergraduate and graduate degrees in safety have - Page 5 of 145 -

6 been widely available for over 30 years, there have been relatively few attempts to build a formal doctorate program in safety. To date, there are merely a handful of programs nationwide that even obliquely address traditional safety pedagogy at the doctoral level. Perhaps the best known program is the doctoral program at the West Virginia University (WVU). The WVU program operates out of the WVU School of engineering, and as such, the curriculum is more closely related to engineering than to the traditional foci found in safety curricula. Another regional university program is the safety emphasis offered through the Penn State University doctoral degree in Petroleum and Mining Engineering. As indicated, the safety sciences area is available in this doctoral program as an emphasis area, but not as major. This has the effect of greatly diluting the core safety content and application within both the available coursework, and also the dissertations. While there are doctoral degree programs that include some coursework in safety sciences as part of the their overall degree requirements, the proposed program will be unique in that it will focus entirely on safety science coursework and research methods applied to the field. As structured, the IUP safety doctorate will emphasize all traditional safety pedagogies and will be able to facilitate dissertations that have safety and safetyrelated concerns as their major focus. As such, there are no other programs like it in Pennsylvania or the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Therefore, as a response to the lack of doctoral programs specifically focused on SH&E, the IUP Safety Sciences department proposes the development of the nation s first dedicated doctoral degree (PhD) in safety sciences. As structured, the IUP safety doctorate will emphasize all traditional safety pedagogies and will be able to facilitate dissertations that have safety and safety-related concerns as their major focus. As such, there are no other programs like it in either the Pennsylvania State System or beyond. The program would be expected to begin in the summer term, 2009 with a cohort of 18 students. The program is designed for a cohort cycle of 11 semesters with the first seven semesters devoted to coursework and the last four semesters devoted to dissertation, see Table 10 Expected Progression through the Degree. The doctorate in safety sciences includes a 54-credit curriculum, a comprehensive exam following completion of all required coursework, development of a dissertation proposal and subsequent defense and a completed dissertation and defense. With the exception of appropriate and qualified elective courses, the Safety Sciences department will teach all required courses and perform all advising and dissertation consultation. However, it is foreseeable that on occasion, safety, health or environmental experts outside of IUP may be asked to serve on dissertation committees. There are significant and influential professional associations and government agencies interested in having specifically IUP develop and implement a doctorate in safety. Namely, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and the National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have each indicated their support of such a program and their letters can be viewed in Appendix C. - Page 6 of 145 -

7 1.b. Alignment with PASSHE Mission The Ph.D. Program advances the missions of both IUP and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The fifth objective within the Mission of the State System of Higher Education states the following: To provide continuing education and community and public service in accord with the needs and aspirations of citizens and the social, cultural, economic, and technical needs of the commonwealth. The Ph.D. Program is also consistent with the IUP mission statement which states An institution of higher and continuing learning committed to the teacher-scholar model and the learning-centered environment, and a university where masters and doctoral education is targeted to the education of competent practitioners. The primary area of knowledge in which the department assists the university is the preservation of life, property and the environment, i.e., the safety sciences. There remains a need both in the nation as well as the world for trained occupational safety and health professionals. Over the past thirty years, the IUP Safety Sciences Department has been meeting this demand for professionals in safety. To date, the department has graduated 2,000 students of which 350 are graduate students. Data from IUP Alumni surveys indicate that over 90% of these students have been placed in safety and healthrelated positions. 1.c. Appropriateness to IUP Mission and Strategic Plan The mission of the IUP Safety Sciences Department is to prepare individuals for careers in the safety sciences, which encompass occupational safety, occupational health, environmental safety, fire protection, ergonomics, disaster response, systems safety, and safety management. The department currently has three programs to support this mission, a certificate of recognition program, a baccalaureate degree program, and a Master of Science degree program. The doctoral degree program will enhance the undergraduate and master s degree programs by exposing both faculty and students to the safety research conducted by the students and most advanced safety techniques in the field. The department also expects a number of students currently pursuing a master s in safety sciences degree and alumni from the program to continue their education and pursue the doctorate. The goal of the Doctor of Philosophy degree program in Safety Sciences is to prepare graduates for their role as teachers in higher education, researchers, and top-level professionals in the field of Safety Sciences. Building upon the national reputation that the Bachelor s and Master s degrees already have, the doctoral program would be the only one in the United States of its kind. While there are doctoral degree programs with a component that includes industrial safety, these degree programs are typically engineering based with primary emphases on engineering design. There are still other doctoral degree programs that focus on a specific sub-specialty area of safety sciences such as ergonomics, industrial hygiene, and occupational health. While these specialized degrees meet needs in the practicing profession, the emphasis of the proposed Ph.D. in Safety Sciences is intended to meet the demands of safety professionals with extensive knowledge of the various methods and techniques used in the profession who also - Page 7 of 145 -

8 possess applied research skills. In this way, the PhD in safety is expected to materially meet the burgeoning need for new safety faculty in the U.S. It is anticipated that the majority of the students seeking this degree will move into teaching positions at the university level of which there is a significant and increasing shortage of degreed candidates to fill these positions. In addition, we expect people possessing a doctoral degree in safety sciences will also be highly sought by private industry and government agencies that have research and data analysis applications in the areas of industrial safety. 2. Need and Impact 2.a. Student Demand and Career Enhancement Research demonstrates the need for safety and health professionals holding doctoral degrees on a national level. Without formalized succession planning and without a cadre of doctoral programs in safety nationwide, replacement of professors of safety is problematic. In this sense, the safety profession is in need of more doctoral degree programs in the field and more people willing to enter higher education to teach in the programs. The safety profession has three major concerns related to the academic preparation of future safety professionals. They are a major loss of current postsecondary educators to retirements over the next decade, the increased competition for safety professionals available to teach in higher education, and a lack of doctoral degree programs in safety available to develop the future safety educators. There is expected to be a large number of educators moving out of higher education over the next decade due to retirements. The aging of college and university faculties mirrors general demographic trends in the United States (Dorfman, 2005). Many of today s university and college professors hired during the great expansion of academe in the 1960s and 70s are now reaching retirement (Fogg, 2005). The proportion of professors age 50 or over has significantly increased over the decade. At some institutions almost 40 percent of the faculty members are 55 or older (Fogg, 2005). The safety profession should be even more concerned about the need for more faculty with doctorates in the field because employment demands outside of academia are further reducing the number of candidates available to teach in higher education. The employment prospects for safety professionals outside of academia are also expected to extremely bright. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has identified an employment demand for safety engineers and safety technicians to increase by as much as percent between 2002 and 2012 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2005). This demand for personnel further adds to the demand placed upon the pool of available candidates in safety for faculty positions in higher education. In 2000, Safe Work in the 21 st Century was published by the Institute of Medicine which was the results of a study conducted by the Institute of Medicine at the request of - Page 8 of 145 -

9 the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. The purpose of the study was to assess the supply of, demand for, and knowledge, skills, and abilities of occupational safety and health professionals. Additionally, the study was to identify the personnel needs, skills and curricula needed for the coming decades (Institute of Medicine, 2000). One key finding of the committee charged with conducting this study is that Doctorallevel safety educators are needed to teach and train injury prevention and safety professionals or their numbers will decrease (Institute of Medicine, 2000). While we can interpolate the need for doctoral degree safety professionals in higher education from retirement trends, employment demands, and previous studies, one of the best ways to gain insight as to the need for doctoral level safety professionals and doctoral degree programs is to survey post secondary institutions. To answer these questions a study was conducted in 2005 by Dr. Christopher Janicak to identify the current minimum requirements for employment as a faculty member in a safety or safetyrelated degree programs in post-secondary institutions in the United States with regards to terminal degrees, professional practice, research and certifications. This study has identified the need for properly qualified individuals in higher education. A survey of 51 safety and safety-related degree programs offered at institutions throughout the United States was conducted in the Janicak study. The institutions included public two-year institutions, public four-year institutions, and private four-year institutions with enrollments at the institutions ranging from 4,200 students to 45,000. The degrees offered at these institutions ranged from an emphases in safety to doctorates in safety or safety-related fields with the majority of the degrees offered being Bachelor of Science degrees. There was one Ph.D. degree identified with the title Ph.D. in Occupational Safety and Health which is in West Virginia University s College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. To gain admission to this doctoral degree, applicants are expected to have an undergraduate and graduate degree in engineering. Three doctorates with safety coursework were found in other engineering schools. As would be expected, the majority of the degrees awarded over the previous five years were bachelor degrees followed by master degrees in safety. Of the doctorates awarded, 22 were in a safety-related field. However, none were specifically awarded in Occupational or Industrial Safety. The majority of the doctoral degrees awarded were in industrial engineering with limited coursework in safety. The respondents were asked if they were currently conducting a search or intended to conduct one within the next five years. Approximately 21 percent of the schools surveyed stated they are currently conducting a search for faculty positions in a safety or safety-related program while approximately 77 percent of the programs indicated they saw a need to conduct a faculty search in the next five years. Results indicate a projected need for approximately 71 positions to be filled over the next five years. The number of positions that will need to be filled ranges from one position to as many as seven positions in a program. - Page 9 of 145 -

10 Programs were asked to project the number of faculty expected to retire over the next ten years to Approximately 85 percent of the programs surveyed expected to have one or more faculty members retire. Approximately 62 positions would become available over the next 10 years due to these retirements. The number of faculty retiring in a program ranged from one faculty member to as many as six faculty members. Of the programs surveyed, approximately 63 percent see a need for doctoral degree programs in safety and safety-related fields. This need would help in alleviating one of the biggest hurdles in hiring qualified individuals to teach in safety and safety-related degree programs. With regards to hiring criteria, approximately 17 percent of the programs surveyed required a master's degree in safety or a safety-related field as their terminal degree. Approximately 83 percent required a doctorate in safety or a safetyrelated field. Depending upon the institution, many allowed a bachelor's degree or a master's degree to teach at the instructor level or adjunct level while almost every institution required a doctorate to reach the rank of full professor. The most frequently identified difficulty for institutions in finding qualified candidates for faculty positions, is the lack of a doctorate in safety or a safety-related field (60.7%) followed by having to compete with salaries in industry (53.6%). A survey was conducted by the Department of Safety Sciences to ascertain the need for a Ph.D. degree program in Safety Sciences. Alumni and current students from Master of Science degree programs at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Murray State University, Oakland University, and East Carolina University as well as internship site supervisors and employers participated in the survey. A summary of the survey results can be found in Appendix D. One hundred five respondents participated in the survey out of approximately 424 possible respondents. Approximately 93 percent of the respondents have master s degrees in the safety sciences field. Interest in pursuing a doctorate in safety sciences was extremely high with approximately 61 percent of the respondents indicating they were either interested or very interested in pursuing a doctoral degree in safety sciences within the next five years. The perceived need for people with a doctoral degree in safety sciences ranged from approximately 54 percent of the respondents indicating a need for someone with a doctorate in safety sciences as important or very important over the next 2 years to approximately 70 percent indicating a need for someone with a doctorate in safety sciences in organizations as important or very important beyond 5 years. - Page 10 of 145 -

11 Respondents were also asked about the delivery methods for the degree program. Approximately 86 percent of the respondents indicated they approved or strongly approved of online delivery for some of the degree program courses. Approximately 78 percent indicated they approved or strongly approved of one week summer courses. On April 14, 2006, the Advisory Group to the IUP Department of Safety Sciences met and discussed the proposed Ph.D. in Safety Sciences. Input was solicited from the Advisory Group members as to the demand for the degree in industry and government, the best format to deliver the degree. Advisory group members indicated a Ph.D. in Safety Sciences would be helpful for someone in research areas, policy development positions, government agencies and for ES&H professionals called upon to give expert testimony. A copy of the advisory group meeting minutes appears in Appendix E. 2.b. Intellectual Impact Persons possessing a doctoral degree in safety are also needed in industry and government. As was indicated in the survey of universities and colleges, many of their potential employment candidates possessing doctoral degrees, opted for employment in industry and government. The proposed Doctoral Degree in Safety Sciences would also prepare researchers and safety professionals for employment in these areas. In conclusion, the safety profession needs to take action now to ensure the future demands of the profession are met. A loss of faculty available to teach in safety degree programs, added to a shortage of doctoral level safety professionals available to teach at the college level, added to a large demand for safety professionals in industries across the board could result in problems for the profession in years to come. 3. Academic Integrity 3.a. Program Structure and Administration IUP s undergraduate degree program in safety sciences is the nation s oldest accredited safety program. As such, it understands the concepts of degree and content integrity quite well. Since there is only one doctoral program in safety, ABET does not have accreditation criteria designed for the Safety Sciences faculty to respond to, or upon which to pattern the PhD program. However, the Safety Sciences faculty are willing and able to bring their considerable experience from their accredited undergraduate and masters degree, as well as their collective expertise (many are safety program evaluators for ABET) to bear on the structure, flow and content of the proposed doctorate. The proposed Doctor of Philosophy in Safety Sciences will prepare safety professionals with advanced skills in the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, control, and prevention of safety, health, and environmental hazards in the work environment. Graduates of this degree program will be able to conduct independent research, understand state and - Page 11 of 145 -

12 federal policy that involves SH&E issues, be knowledgeable of and involved in appropriate professional associations and graduates will be able to teach SH&E content to adult audiences (industry or collegiate). With regards to accreditation, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology s (ABET) Applied Science Accreditation Council (ASAC) accredits safety science degree programs. However, they do not accredit programs at the doctoral level. Typically with engineering and engineering related programs under ABET, it is the undergraduate program which is most often the accredited program. 3.b. Program Pedagogical Goals We expect our doctoral graduates to be national leaders in safety sciences. To meet the above goal, objectives have been developed for the Ph.D. Program in Safety Sciences. After completing the Ph.D. Program in Safety Sciences the student will be able to: 1. Identify, recognize, evaluate and control complex safety, health and environmental hazards in the workplace. 2. Conduct and publish independent research in the safety, health and environmental field. 3. Apply appropriate quantitative and qualitative research methods to safety, health and environmental problems, management systems, policy and law. 4. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge level of safety, health, and environmental management techniques. 5. Effectively develop, implement, and evaluate a safety education curriculum. The proposed Ph.D. in Safety Sciences is substantially different from any other degree program offered at IUP. There are no other doctoral level degree programs at the University that prepares students in the field at the doctoral level. This Doctoral Degree program will consist of both distance education courses and classroom based courses. Over the past six years, the Department of Safety Sciences has been heavily involved in distance education and one of the leading departments at the University in this area. The Department currently offers 12 distance education courses and received approval to provide over 50% of its Master of Science degree via distance education in Six of the seven total faculty members in the Department of Safety Sciences have taught at least one distance education course with some teaching as many as four different online courses in the Department. Approximately three distance education courses are offered each semester by the Department. It is the intent of the Department of Safety Sciences to meet a growing demand of the profession while maintaining a quality degree program. - Page 12 of 145 -

13 Through their experience teaching distance education courses and formal education (three Department faculty members have Doctorates in Education and one member has a Ph.D. with a minor area in adult education) the Safety Sciences faculty members are aware of the limitations of distance education as well as the benefits and understand that distance education is not the same as classroom instruction. It is not the intent of the Department to offer courses as distance education courses if it does not believe the same level of quality met in the classroom can be met in a distance education course. The faculty in the Department determine, as a group, which courses are appropriate for distance education and which are not; which is one of the reasons three of the courses will be taught as lecture based one week workshops. The Department relies upon the integrity of its faculty members and input from existing IUP expertise in distance education to ensure a quality distance education course is offered much the same way it does when the course is being offered in the classroom. Specifically, our first four distance education courses were developed by Dr. Kay Wijekumer who at the time was the Director of Distance Education at IUP. More recently, faculty have relied on the expertise provided by Dr. Glen Himes and the IDC staff as well as Dr. Mike Powers with the IUP Intelligence E- learning Project. We are sure anyone of these faculty can attest to the quality of our distance education courses. To further ensure the integrity of this cohort, the Department will implement evaluation measures it uses on existing courses and program to ensure a quality program is maintained. These evaluation measures are discussed in the Outcomes Assessment section of this report. The Department of Safety Sciences faculty members are abreast of numerous guidelines and best practices for the development and delivery of distance learning programs. Examples of resources the Department has consulted when developing this program include Middle States Commission o n Higher Edu cati on s Dist ance Lea rning P ro gr ams Interregional Guidelines for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs and the Best Practices for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs. A reference list for distance education course and program development and delivery is attached to this document. It is because faculty members are aware of the limitations of distance education that the Department is not requesting the entire degree program be offered online. Of the 14 courses required to complete the doctoral degree, eight courses were identified as not lending themselves well to distance education. The rationale for requiring these courses as classroom based courses is that the objectives of the courses can not be met through distance education. Offering a portion of the doctoral degree in this proposed format will not diminish the quality of degree. Some controls the Department already has in place involves a rigorous acceptance policy in which the students will be required to have a strong background in the safety profession with the appropriate undergraduate degree preparation in the field. All students entering the program must meet minimum competencies in occupational safety and health. The minimum competencies can be met through undergraduate education and demonstrated professional experience and certifications. Students in the cohort who can not demonstrate they meet minimum competencies will be required to - Page 13 of 145 -

14 complete deficiency coursework as is the case with any other student entering the program. Students with deficiencies would have to complete their deficiency coursework outside of the cohort model. It is anticipated that the majority of the students admitted to this cohort will be safety professionals that are working in the field. These non-traditional students will benefit most from a cohort model as proposed due to the fact that they will be adult students. Adult learners are better at self directed learning, they are self-motivated, and they want to learn so they can apply it to their everyday lives. A distance education component to the Doctoral Degree will take advantage of these characteristics. Therefore, the Department believes an academic rationale for this cohort model is that the model best fits the learning strategies of adult learners they intend to attract to the Doctor of Philosophy degree program. 3.c. Curriculum Overview The proposed admission criteria and plan of study follow. Admission Criteria It is expected that students entering the Ph.D. program in safety sciences will already have completed a master's degree in safety sciences, occupational safety, industrial hygiene or other closely related discipline. A highly qualified applicant may enter the doctoral track with a baccalaureate degree. These students must meet the Master of Science in Safety Sciences degree program admission requirements and complete the Master of Science in Safety Sciences degree requirements en route to the Ph.D. Students with a master s degree in safety or a closely related field seeking admission to the Doctor of Philosophy in Safety Sciences degree program must meet the following criteria: Have earned a master s degree from a regionally accredited college or university Have a minimum graduate grade-point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) Additionally, the doctoral coordinator, after consulting with the department screening committee, will submit a recommendation regarding applicants to the Graduate School and Research. The following criteria are reviewed: 1. All official college transcripts. 2. Three letters of recommendation. 3. Statement of goals. 4. Resume. 5. Official GRE scores (general test). 6. Example of written work, e.g., thesis, articles, reports, etc. - Page 14 of 145 -

15 International students must also meet Graduate Admissions requirements for international students. These requirements include: Submission of Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores for applicants from countries people whose native language is not English. The minimum TOEFL score for admission to the program is 530. Submit a Foreign Student Financial Statement. International students must document their ability to assume full responsibility for the cost of graduate education per Graduate School requirements. Plan of Study The Ph.D. program in safety sciences is designed to be completed in approximately three calendar years of study beyond the master's degree. The curriculum requires a minimum of 54-semester hours of acceptable graduate credit beyond the Master s degree (24 credits will be distance education DE - courses). As described below, each student must complete the following 1) all required and elective course work, 2) comprehensive examinations, 3) dissertation proposal and defense, 4) and the dissertation and its defense. I. Required Course Work (Italics indicate a DE course). 1. Core Courses (33 semester hours): SAFE 800 Pedagogical Practices in Safety Education 3 cr SAFE 801 Current Legislation and Consensus Standards 3 cr in Safety Sciences SAFE 802 Advanced Qualitative Methods 3 cr SAFE 803 Quantitative Strategies for Analysis in Safety Sciences 3 cr SAFE 804 Legal Aspects of Safety Sciences 3 cr SAFE 805 Strategies in Risk Control 3 cr SAFE 806 Current Issues in Safety Sciences 3 cr SAFE 807 Doctoral Colloquium in Safety Sciences 3 cr SAFE 808 Curriculum Evaluation in Safety Education 3 cr SAFE 813 Practicum in Safety Education 3 cr SAFE 874 Fire Safety in Building Design 3 cr 2. Advanced Applied Research (9 semester hours): SAFE 810 Applied Research I: Experimental Design 3 cr SAFE 811 Applied Research II: Correlation and Regression 3 cr SAFE 812 Applied Research III: Tests and Measurements 3 cr 3. Dissertation (12 semester hours): SAFE 995 Dissertation 1-12 cr (Students will complete the dissertation in four, three hour segments). - Page 15 of 145 -

16 II. Comprehensive Examination Upon completion of their coursework, doctoral students will be required to arrange a written comprehensive exam with their major advisor. This pass/fail examination will encompass all coursework completed to tha t point in the degree and focus on subject areas expected to be explored by the student during his/her dissertation research. Upon successful passing of the comprehensive examination, a student may proceed toward fulfillment of remaining degree requirements, beginning with the completion and defense of the dissertation proposal (typically the introduction and proposed methodology of the dissertation). If a student does not pass their comprehensive examination, they are allowed to retake the examination on ce. III. Proposal Development and Defense Students will be required to successfully complete an oral defense of their dissertation proposal before their dissertation committee. Although some aspects of format and the main content of the dissertation proposal will be specific to each student, it is expected that each dissertation proposal will consist of at least of the following sections: an introduction, literature review, purpose and rationale, hypotheses and proposed methodology/ analysis plan (see next section). The completed dissertation will likely add results, discussion and conclusion sections. Upon successful completion of the proposal defense, a student may proceed toward fulfillment of the dissertation requirements. IV. Dissertation Process and Defense SAFE 995 will be the dissertation course. SAFE 995 can be taken in 3 credit increments and all students will need to have taken at least 12 credits of SAFE 995 prior to graduation. Students will be allowed to progress to the next level only upon successful completion of the previous segment. The intention of each 3 credit segment is to make consistent and incremental progress on one s dissertation in order to enhance and facilitate the timely completion of one s dissertation. For example, for the first 3 credits of SAFE 995, students would be expected to complete an introduction and problem statement for their dissertation. For the second 3 credits of SAFE 995 the student would be expected to complete the review of literature for their dissertation. Although one semester may not appear to be enough time it is important to keep in mind that student will already have started their review of literature as part of the core course SAFE 807. For the third 3 credits of SAFE 995 the students will be expected to complete the research design. It is during these three credits the students will complete their proposal defense. For the last 3 credits of SAFE 995 the students will be expected to collect the data, analyze the data and develop conclusions and recommendations for their study. The dissertation defense. Upon the completion of the written dissertation, students must successfully complete an oral defense of their dissertation. The defense shall be completed before the student s dissertation committee comprised of the Committee - Page 16 of 145 -

17 Chairperson and committee members. The membership and procedures of the dissertation committee shall follow the requirements of the School of Graduate Studies and Research. In accordance with university guidelines, in order to confer the doctoral degree, successful completion of a doctoral dissertation (12 semester hours of SAFE 995 in three credit segments) and dissertation defense is required. All other IUP School of Graduate Studies and Research procedures apply. 3.d. Course Offerings The proposed Ph.D. in Safety Sciences requires 14 new graduate level courses plus the dissertation (SAFE 995) course. The new courses are: SAFE 800 Pedagogical Practices in Safety Education 3 cr SAFE 801 Current Legislation and Consensus Standards 3 cr in Safety Sciences SAFE 802 Advanced Qualitative Methods 3 cr SAFE 803 Quantitative Strategies for Analysis in Safety Sciences 3 cr SAFE 804 Legal Aspects of Safety Sciences 3 cr SAFE 805 Strategies in Risk Control 3 cr SAFE 806 Current Issues in Safety Sciences 3 cr SAFE 807 Doctoral Colloquium in Safety Sciences 3 cr SAFE 808 Curriculum Evaluation in Safety Education 3 cr SAFE 810 Applied Research I: Experimental Design 3 cr SAFE 811 Applied Research II: Correlation and Regression 3 cr SAFE 812 Applied Research III: Tests and Measurements 3 cr SAFE 813 Practicum in Safety Education 3 cr SAFE 995 Dissertation 1-12 cr - Page 17 of 145 -

18 The following course will require renumbering to 800 level numbers. There will be no change in course content. SAFE 674 to SAFE 774/874 Fire Safety in Building Design 3 cr Students who have completed SAFE 774/874 as part of their Master s degree may transfer in the 3 hours toward their Ph.D. program of study. 3.e. Learning Experiences Distance Education It is anticipated that most students seeking a doctoral degree in this program will be working, full-time, safety professionals from around the United States. To make the program available to a larger number of students and to facilitate optimal allocation of faculty resources, 24 hours of the 54 hours in the degree program will be offered through distance education. Two courses will be offered as one week courses during the summers on the IUP campus. 3.f. Leadership and Faculty Qualifications Once current and new faculty members are granted graduate faculty status at the doctoral level, the Department will have seven professors capable of teaching at the doctoral level. The following Safety Sciences faculty members currently are Graduate Faculty with Doctoral level status and will be involved in the delivery of courses: Dr. Tracey Cekada Dr. John Engler Dr. Lon Ferguson Dr. Christopher Janicak The following Safety Sciences faculty members have Graduate Faculty status at the Master s level and will be requesting Doctoral level status: Dr. Jan Wachter Dr. Laura Rhodes The following new Safety Sciences faculty member will be requesting Graduate Faculty status at the Master s and Doctoral level: Dr. Bachel Han Dr. Christopher Janicak will serve as the Doctoral Degree Coordinator. He has over 16 years of experience teaching safety sciences at the university level and over 22 years of experience overall in the safety profession. His research and publication record is extensive with four books, two book chapters, over 20 peer reviewed research journal articles, and numerous professional presentations. He currently serves as the Master of Science degree program coordinator for the department. - Page 18 of 145 -

19 Two additional faculty members have been requested for the delivery of the Ph.D. program. All faculty members will be involved in teaching courses, advising students, and serving on dissertation committees. Copies of the Faculty Summary Sheets appear in Appendix F. Two teaching associates and two graduate assistants will be requested as part of the Ph.D. in Safety Sciences program. The teaching associates will be used to teach undergraduate courses and the graduate assistants will assist faculty with research. To the best of our knowledge, the Ph.D. in Safety Sciences degree program is in compliance with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). 3.g. Student Qualifications, Support and Advisement Requirements for Admission, Degree Candidacy, and Graduation It is expected that students entering the Ph.D. program in safety sciences will already have completed a master's degree in safety sciences, occupational safety, industrial hygiene or other closely related discipline. A highly qualified applicant may enter the doctoral degree with a baccalaureate degree. These students must complete the Master of Science in Safety Sciences degree requirements en route to the Ph.D. Applicants must meet all Graduate School and Research admission requirements. Additionally, the doctoral coordinator, after consulting with the department screening committee, will submit a recommendation regarding applicants to the Graduate School and Research. The following criteria are reviewed: 1. all official college transcripts 2. three letters of recommendation 3. statement of goals 4. example of written work, ex., thesis, articles, reports, etc. 5. personal interview, if requested by department screening committee or by the applicant Upon completion of their coursework, doctoral students will be required to arrange a written comprehensive exam with their major advisor. This pass/fail examination will encompass all coursework completed to that point in the degree and focus on subject areas expected to be explored by the student during his/her dissertation research. Successfu l completion of the comprehensive written examination will result in d egree candidacy. To graduate from the degree program, students must successfully complete all - Page 19 of 145 -

20 coursework in the program of study, pass the written comprehensive examination and achieve candidacy, write a dissertation, and successfully defend the dissertation. -Page 20 of145 -

21 Progression through the Degree Most students entering this degree program can be expected to be full time working professionals seeking to advance their education and in many cas es, change their careers paths to higher education, thus the Department of Safety Sciences will admit a limited number of students in a cohort model. As mentioned earlier, the program is designed for a cohort cycle of 11 semesters with the first seven semesters devoted to coursework and the last four semesters devoted to dissertation, see Table 10 Expected Progression through the Degree. The twelve hours of dissertation credits will be offered in three hour segments for four semesters. - Page 21 of 145 -

22 Table 10: Expected Progression through the Degree Progression through the Degree The following table depicts the typical progression through the degree for a cohort model student. Summer 2009 Fall 2009 Spring 2010 Summer 2010 Fall 2010 Spring 2011 Summer 2011 Fall 2011 Spring 2012 Summer 2012 Fall 2012 SAFE 810 SAFE 803 SAFE 805 (DE) SAFE 804 (DE) SAFE 806 (DE) SAFE 802 (DE) SAFE 811 SAFE 812 Safety 800 (DE) SAFE 874 (DE) SAFE 801 (DE) SAFE 808 (DE) SAFE 807 SAFE 813 Dissertation Dissertation Dissertation Dissertation 6 hours 6 hours 6 hours 6 hours 6 hours 6 hours 6 hours 3 hours 3 hours 3 hours 3 hours - Page 22 of 145 -

23 4. Program Assessment 4.a. Collecting and Evaluating Student Learning Outcomes Data The Ph.D. in Safety Sciences degree program has the following student learning outcomes: Students will be able to: 1. Anticipate, recognize, evaluate, control, and prevent complex safety, health and environmental hazards in the workplace. 2. Conduct independent research in the safety, health and environmental field. 3. Apply appropriate quantitative and qualitative research methods to safety, health and environmental problems. 4. Demonstrate advanced knowledge level of safety, health, and environmental management techniques. 5. Effectively develop, implement, and evaluate a safety education curriculum. The Department of Safety Sciences utilizes a variety of methodologies to determine if student learning has been achieved. Courses have been carefully selected and developed for the Ph.D. program to ensure adequate coverage of material to meet the stated student outcomes. Each course has Course Specific Student Learning Outcomes that are written in terms of what the student will be able to do at the end of the course. These course outcomes reflect the knowledge and skills that the student will be held accountable for. A variety of outcome indicators will be used to determine if each student outcome has been met in a particular course. For each course, the instructor has identified a series of outcome indicators that are indicative of each student outcome covered by that particular course. Based upon how the students perform on the outcome indicators, the faculty member will be able to determine if the student learning outcomes have been met. Faculty teaching the course will determine if the student successfully met the anticipated student outcome while the Doctoral Program Coordinator will coordinate the assessment activities for the program. In addition to the course measures for student outcomes, global measures of student outcomes will be obtained through the use of portfolios, alumni surveys, employer surveys, certification examinations, Safety Sciences Advisory Board review of program and student outcomes materials, student exit interviews, and job placement data. As with the bachelor s and master s degree programs, the Advisory Committee will review the program requirements and course content areas. They suggest areas of improvement to the faculty on the program and individual courses. - Page 23 of 145 -

24 Summaries of the student outcomes and their respective outcome indicator by course are provided in Table 11. -Page 24 of145 -

25 Table 11: Summary of Student Outcomes and Outcome Indicator by Course Required Courses Student Outcome Outcome Indicators SAFE 800: Pedagogical Practices in Safety Education 1, 4, 5 Course projects, homework assignments SAFE 801: Current Legislation and Consensus Standards in 1, 4 Course project, examinations Safety Sciences SAFE 802: Advanced Qualitative Methods 3, 4 Research proposal, research project, class assignments SAFE 803: Quantitative Strategies 3, 4 Research project, examinations, case studies SAFE 804: Legal Aspects of Safety 1, 4 Trial review, research project, quizzes SAFE 805: Strategies in Risk Control 1, 4 Course projects, homework assignments SAFE 806: Current Issues in Safety Sciences 1, 4 Course projects, homework assignments SAFE 807: Doctoral Colloquium in Safety Sciences 2, 3 Research project, assignments, presentations SAFE 808: Curriculum Evaluation in Safety Education 1, 4, 5 Course projects, homework assignments SAFE 810: Applied Research I 3, 4 Research project, assignments SAFE 811: Applied Research II 3, 4 Research project, assignments SAFE 812: Applied Research III 3, 4 Research project, assignments SAFE 813: Practicum in Safety Education 1, 4, 5 Course projects, homework assignments, presentations SAFE 874: Fire Safety in Building Design 1, 4, 5 Course projects, homework assignments, case studies SAFE 995: Dissertation 1, 2, 3, 4 Successful defense of dissertation - Page 25 of 145 -