Programme list > Master of Health Science > Occupational Health and Safety

Master of Health Science (Occupational Health and Safety )

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Overview

Help improve the health and wellbeing of workers.

Occupational health and safety (OHS) has become an integral part of business in New Zealand. Work related injuries and ill-health are two problems all workers potentially face.

  • Level

  • Postgraduate, NZQF Level 9

  • Distance learning

  • Available

  • Duration

  • 1.5 year(s) full-time. Available part-time.

The Master of Health Science (Occupational Health and Safety) is a 180 credit master’s programme.

It offers a professional pathway or a research pathway option for health and safety practitioners seeking advanced studies in creating healthy workplaces.

Careers and further study

Careers

Career options once you have graduated include:

  • health and safety managers
  • WorkSafe New Zealand and ACC employees
  • occupational health and safety consultants
  • occupational health nurses
  • environmental health, air pollution and noise control specialists
  • occupational hygienists
  • human resource managers and advisors.

Entry requirements

University admission

All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.

Programme admission

Required

Master of Health Science(180 credits)

To enter the Master of Health Science (Occupational Health and Safety) 180 credits programme you will have been awarded or qualified for:

  • a relevant health-related bachelor’s degree with a minimum B- grade average over the 200/300 level courses OR
  • a relevant health-related bachelor’s degree and extensive professional experience.

Master of Health Science (120 credits)

To enter the Master of Health Science (Occupational Health and Safety) 120 credits programme you will have been awarded or qualified for:

  • a Postgraduate Diploma in a relevant health-related discipline OR
  • a Bachelor of Health Science (Honours) degree.

This programme is suited to registered health professionals.

You must provide verified copies of all academic transcripts for studies taken at all universities other than Massey University.

English language requirements

To study this programme you must meet Massey University's English language standards.

Prior learning, credit and exemptions

For information on prior learning, exemptions and transfer of credit or other questions:

If you do not have the entry requirements

English language and foundation courses

If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, we have courses and programmes that may help.

Courses and planning

Credit summary

180 credits

From the Schedule to the Degree including:

  • Completion of Parts One and Two
  • Compulsory courses
  • Completion of a subject

A specialisation (subject) is compulsory. Subjects require 150 credits (except psychology which requires 165 credits).

Subjects include a:

  • A 60-credit professional project or research report (Professional pathway); or
  • A 90 or 120 credit thesis (Research pathway).

Advanced entry: Those who have already completed specified qualifications in advance of the minimum entry requirements may be able to complete this degree in 120 credits.

This is a parts-based qualification. This means there are regulations around your completion of Part One before progressing to Part Two, etc.

Attend contact workshops, block courses, field trips, studios, workshops, tutorials, and laboratories as required.

There are regulations around completion of Part One before progressing to Part Two.

See ‘Courses for this programme’ below for schedules of courses.

Courses for this specialisation

Compulsory course

251731 Advanced Occupational Safety and Health 30

Subject courses

Professional Pathway (60 credits) or Research Pathway (No more than 30 credits)

251770 Health and Safety Auditing 30
251772 Advanced Occupational Hygiene 30
251773 Hazard Management 30

Part Two

Research Pathway

Between 90 and 120 credits
250810 Thesis 90
250811 Thesis 90 Credits Part I 45
250812 Thesis 90 Credits Part II 45
250813 Thesis 120
250814 Thesis 120 Credits Part I 60
250815 Thesis 120 Credits Part II 60

Professional Pathway

60 credits
250816 Professional Project 60
250817 Research Report 60

Planning your programme

Planning overview

If you study full-time, you’ll take 120 credits per year or 60 credits per semester.

The Master of Health Science is a parts-based qualification. That means you must complete the first part, before moving to the second etc.

The Master of Health Science (Occupational Health and Safety) offers a research and professional pathway.

Master of Health Science (Occupational Health and Safety) 180 credits

For the professional pathway progression from Part One to Part Two, you must have achieved a minimum B- grade in the Part One Core course 168.713.

For the research pathway progression from Part One to Part Two, you must have achieved a minimum B grade in the Part One Core course, one of 168.711, 179.702.

The Master of Health Science (Occupational Health and Safety) 120 credits

For the 120 credit option please check the regulations for requirements.

Maximum time limits for completion

There are maximum time limits to complete postgraduate qualifications.  If you do not complete within the maximum time, you may be required to re-apply for the programme if you wish to continue your studies.

Time limits for Honours, Distinction and Merit

Where your qualification is completed within the stated time limit and to a high standard, you may be able to graduate with a class of Honours, Distinction or Merit. 

Fees and scholarships

Fees and finance

Fees, student loans and free fees scheme

Your tuition fees may be different depending on the courses you choose. Your exact fees will show once you have chosen your courses.

There will also be some compulsory non-tuition fees and for some courses, there may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.

Already know which courses you're going to choose?

If you already know which courses you are going to take, you can use our fees calculator to get an estimate of your fees.

Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme

You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.

The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme and your eligibility on the Fees Free website. To use the site's eligibility checking tool, you will need your National Student Number.

Current and returning Massey students will find their National Student Number on their student homepage.


A good fit if you:

  • want to create healthy workplaces
  • want to prevent injuries and ill health at work
  • want to improve the health and wellbeing of workers.

Key information for students

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Regulations

Review this important information before you apply for this programme. This gives you full details of the rules and regulations about what you need to study and what you must achieve in order to graduate with this qualification. That includes structure, courses and requirements. These regulations should be read in conjunction with all other Statutes and Regulations of the University including the below.

Postgraduate regulations

General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas and Postgraduate Certificates.

Regulations for this programme

Applying and enrolling

Applying for the programme

Check you are ready

If you are ready to apply, have a look at our application checklist. It will help you get prepared with what you need. Please also check the entry requirements carefully before you apply.

Choose your programme and click on Apply now

You will apply for the programme using the Apply now button on this page. You’ll also choose your specialisation (major, subject or endorsement) if applicable.

Some programmes have additional requirements such as the submission of a portfolio or CV. Click on Apply now and you will be able to submit those documents as part of the application process.

Receive and accept an Admission Offer of Place

You will receive an Admission Offer of Place when you have been accepted into the programme. You need to accept this before you can enrol in your courses. International students also need to pay their fees at this point.

Enrolling in courses

You’ll then get access to your own student homepage (also known as the student portal). This is where you can enrol in courses. Any updates on your application or enrolments will also be on your student homepage. Make sure you check this regularly.

When you choose courses, ensure you check for any requirements that apply including:

  • prerequisites (courses you have to do before the one you are enrolling in)
  • corequisites (courses you have to do at the same time as the one you are enrolling in)
  • restrictions (courses that you cannot enrol in if you are completing or have completed another identified similar course)
  • location – for instance some distance-based courses still have an on-campus element, so double check that the way the course is taught is suitable for your situation.

Each of our courses has its own webpage where you can find this information. You can use our course search to find course pages.

More information on courses is in the ‘Courses for this programme’ section on this page.

You can find information on application due dates and semester dates on the key dates page.

We look forward to welcoming you to Massey!

If you have any questions, contact us through the Enquire button on this page.

What are courses and credits?

What are courses and credits?

Each Massey programme is made up of courses (in some tertiary institutions they are called ‘papers’).

You will have some compulsory courses and some you can choose from.

Each course is worth a certain amount of credits (often 15 credits, but this does vary). You must gain a set number of credits to be able to graduate from this programme.

There may also be some rules about which courses you need to pass to progress to the next year, or stage, of your study (known as progression). There are also courses you must pass to graduate with a specialisation.

  • See the ‘Courses for this programme’ section for the list of courses.
  • Courses search

Understanding course numbers

The first three digits of our course numbers show you which subject the course is about.

The second three digits show you the level and course ID number. For instance:

  • sub-degree courses are '0' (i.e. xxx.0xx)
  • undergraduate study begins at 100-level, (i.e. xxx.1xx)
  • as you progress through 200- and 300-level courses this number changes to 2 and 3 respectively. The higher the number that starts the second three digits, the higher the level of study.
1 6 2 . 3   0 1
Subject area   Level   Course ID number

Workload and time management

Use this tool to help determine how much time you will need each week to complete your studies.

Estimate workload

Returning students

For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.

In some cases the programme or specialisation you enrolled in may no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these programmes go to the Massey University Calendar.

Please contact us through the Enquire button on this page if you have any questions.

Scholarships and awards

There are a number of scholarships available for new and current students. They could relate to your situation, achievement or interest.

Find and apply for scholarships