Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety Science (Honours)
Overview
Make a positive difference to the lives of countless people as a qualified occupational health and safety professional tasked with ensuring workers always have the safest possible work environment.
As the world's focus on workplace safety and regulations increases, demand for occupational health and safety (OHS) graduates has never been greater.
UQ's Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety Science (Honours) is a multidisciplinary program covering a broad spectrum of study. You’ll learn scientific approaches to identifying, assessing and controlling chemical, physical and biological hazards, and learn about psychosocial health factors like stress, bullying, harassment and fatigue. You'll also study occupational hygiene, ergonomics, occupational health, safety science and risk management law, ethics and aspects of the environment.
With these key skills, you'll be able to ensure safe work environments, deliver education programs and analyse workplace data. You'll also devise, evaluate and implement OHS management systems, undertake OHS auditing and inspections, complete accident investigations and ensure compliance with legislation.
Upon graduation, you can look forward to pursuing OHS roles in Australia, North America, Europe, Asia and South America, while enjoying high salaries in everything from mining sites to corporate offices.
Program highlights
- Engage in a unique program combining studies of health, psychology, law, ethics and management with practical skills gained through placements, worksite visits and industry opportunities.
- Develop the key skills necessary to monitor and modify work environments in the best interests of everyone's day-to-day safety and wellbeing, and become trained to act in emergency situations.
- Combine essential university studies with the invaluable hands-on experience of collaborating with industry partners to ensure you're qualified and prepared to enter the workforce.
How you'll learn
Due to the way they are taught, certain programs and plans are not offered online in Semester 1, 2023.
Your learning experiences are designed to best suit the learning outcomes of the courses you choose.
- Lectures
- Tutorials
- Work placements
- Overseas study
- Research experience
- Laboratory work
- Fieldwork
- Seminars
- Workshops
What you'll study
At UQ, degrees are called 'programs' and subjects are called 'courses'. Here's a sample of the courses you could study in this program:
- Integrated Anatomy and Physiology
- Introduction to Psychology: Minds, Brains and Behaviour
- Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems
- Professional Practice and Emerging Issues in Occupational Health and Safety
Career possibilities
Our programs prepare you for your first job and beyond. Here are some of the careers you could be on your way to:
- Occupational health and safety manager
- Occupational health and safety compliance investigator
- Occupational health and safety infection control practitioner
- Occupational health and safety consultant
- Occupational health and safety industrial hygienist
- Occupational health and safety environmental quality analyst
- Occupational health and safety policy officer
Graduate salary
Health services & support (undergraduate)
compared.edu.au
Graduate salary
Science and mathematics (undergraduate)
compared.edu.au
Next steps after graduation
OHS professionals with sound scientific knowledge are in short supply and high demand, so you'll have many career options. Where you choose to start your career will depend on both your career goals and aspirations.
Roles in large organisations and consulting firms offer mentoring by senior OHS staff, and often involve travel within Australia and overseas. Comparatively, solo positions allow you to be more hands-on across the full range of OHS issues, and expose you to other business activities, such as human resources and production.
Legislative requirements in many countries mean all workplaces require OHS advice, and there is a growing demand in developing nations to improve worker safety. This allows you the opportunity to work in all occupational settings and sectors around the world, including:
- agriculture
- construction
- government
- healthcare
- hospitality
- manufacturing
- mining/resource industry
- retail
- tourism
- transport.
According to the annual Hays Salary Guide for 2019/20, there is a growing demand for OHS managers with knowledge of health and safety regulations. This demand is driving salary increases for OHS professionals.
Professional memberships
When you graduate, you may be eligible for memberships with the following professional organisations. Contact the organisation to find out how to become a member.
- Australian Occupational Health and Safety Education Accreditation Board
While studying at UQ, I worked with a large engineering company and a first-tier construction group, which positioned me well to gain full-time employment after graduating.
Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety (Honours)
While studying at UQ, I worked with a large engineering company and a first-tier construction group, which positioned me well to gain full-time employment after graduating.
Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety (Honours)
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Entry requirements
Prerequisites
Prerequisites
Entry score threshold
| ATAR / Rank | IB |
|---|---|
| 78.00 | 28 |
These are the lowest adjusted scores we made an offer to in Semester 1, 2022. Entry scores are based on the most recent Semester 1 intake and are updated in April each year. Meeting the entry score threshold doesn't guarantee admission.
English language requirements
IELTS overall 6.5; reading 6; writing 6; speaking 6; listening 6. For other English Language Proficiency Tests and Scores approved for UQ
TOEFL IBT - Overall 87, listening 19, reading 19, writing 21 and speaking 19.
TOEFL PB - Overall 570, listening 54, reading 54, writing 59/5.
Pearsons - Overall Score of 64 and 60 in all sub bands.
BE - A minimum overall grade of 4 plus a minimum grade of C in all macro skills.
CES - Overall 176 and 169 in all sub bands.
OET is not accepted.
There are other ways to meet the English language requirements. For some programs, additional conditions apply.
Student visas
International students who are accepted into full-time study in the Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety Science (Honours) are eligible to apply for an Australian student visa (subclass 500).
There are a number of requirements you must satisfy before a visa is granted, including the genuine temporary entrant (GTE) requirement.
Entry score range
This table shows the range of entry scores for recent secondary students offered a place in the BOHSSc(Hons) for Semester 1, 2022
| Without adjustments | With adjustments | |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | <5 | <5 |
| Median | <5 | <5 |
| Lowest | <5 | <5 |
Who you'll study with
Here's a snapshot of our student intake for this program in Semester 1, 2022:
| Applicant background | Number of students | Percentage of all students |
|---|---|---|
(A) Higher education study | 0 | 0% |
(B) Vocational Education and Training (VET) study | 0 | 0% |
(C) Work and life experience | 0 | 0% |
| (D) Recent secondary education | ||
| <5 | <5 |
| 0 | 0% |
| 0 | 0% |
International students | <5 | <5 |
Total | <5 | 100% |
"<5" — The number of students is less than 5.
N/A — Students not accepted in this category.
N/P — Not published. The number is hidden to protect the privacy of students in other cells.
Need help meeting the entry requirements?
Fees and Scholarships
Indicative annual fee
Approximate yearly cost of tuition (16 units). Your fees will vary according to your selected courses and study load. Fees are reviewed each year and may increase.
$8,240
2023
Approximate yearly cost of tuition (16 units). Your fees will vary according to your selected courses and study load. Fees are reviewed each year and may increase.
AUD $45,568
2023
Government assistance
Financial aid
As an international student, you might be eligible for financial aid – either from your home country, or from the Australian Government.
HECS-HELP
Domestic places in the Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety Science (Honours) are Commonwealth Supported. This means the cost of your education is shared between you and the Australian Government.
Instead of tuition fees, Commonwealth Supported students pay what are called student contribution amounts.
HECS-HELP is an Australian Government loan scheme to assist eligible students with the cost of their student contribution amounts.
Centrelink support
The Australian Government offers a number of income-support payments to eligible Australian university students.
Scholarships
Make your university experience more affordable with a scholarship. Opportunities include:
How to apply
Applying online
If your senior schooling is from outside Australia, you can submit your application to UQ. Or, if you prefer, you can use an approved UQ agent in your country.
The program code for the Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety Science (Honours) is 2331.
Find out more about applying for undergraduate study
If your senior schooling is from Australia
Submit your application to the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre if you're an international student who is currently studying:
- Australian Year 12 (in Australia or another country), or
- the International Baccalaureate in Australia.
The QTAC code for the Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety Science (Honours) is 729201.
Applying through QTAC
All domestic applications should be submitted to the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC).
The QTAC code for the Bachelor of Occupational Health and Safety Science (Honours) is 729201.
Important dates
If you’re studying Year 12 in Australia, go to the QTAC website to check the closing date for this program.
If you’re applying to UQ, the closing date for this program is:
- To commence study in semester 1 - November 30 of the previous year.
To learn more about UQ dates, including semester start dates, view the Academic Calendar.
Important dates
To check the closing date for this program, go to the QTAC website.
To learn more about UQ dates, including semester start dates, view the Academic Calendar.
Admissions schemes
Applying to university can be both exciting and daunting, which is why we’ve tried to make the process as simple as we can.
We have several schemes in place to improve your chances of getting a place at UQ.
Pathway options
A rank or score doesn’t determine your potential.
If you're not offered a place in your first-choice program – or if you don't meet the entry requirements – you still have a number of options.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants
For support with applying - or if you have any questions about Uni - get in touch with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit.
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