University of Newcastle gains accreditation for OHS

The Australian OHS Education Accreditation Board this week announced that the University of Newcastle program leading to a Master of Work Health and Safety has achieved accreditation by meeting the OHS and educational standards set by the board for the education of generalist OHS professionals.

The University of Newcastle Master of Work Health and Safety is the outcome of a review of the OHS-related programs offered by the university which combined the key components of an OHS and an injury management program. The result is a program that provides the knowledge required by a generalist OHS professional with a strong injury management component.

Accreditation Board Registrar Pam Pryor said that the objective of the accreditation board was to ensure that quality professional education was available to aspiring and current OHS professionals, and that this required a range of programs with differing emphases to meet the various OHS needs of industry. The University of Newcastle Master of Work Health and Safety is such an example.

RMIT University and La Trobe University led the way in achieving accreditation of their postgraduate OHS programs in 2012, with Monash University and Edith Cowen University also recently achieving accreditation. Other universities are currently being assessed.

Based in regional NSW, the Master of Work Health and Safety is delivered by distance mode and draws students internationally.

For more information, visit www.ohseducationaccreditation.org.au.