The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Diploma provides advanced training and professional development to individuals who are supporting senior level and management-related tasks within the OHS skill set. Practitioners in these roles may work in non-profit, government/public and corporate industries including energy, ITS, grocery, mining and retail.
By the end of the program, successful students will be able to:
- Summarize OHS professional practices used to create organizational safety strategies and procedures
- Evaluation management skills needed to determine core competencies in OHS
- Design and implement an effective disability management program
- Select models and tools that represent industry best practices for investigations
- Manage organizational behaviours that impact and enhance organizational effectiveness, development and operations
- Use project management, change management, strategic planning and business analysis skills to ensure smooth and responsive organizational management.
This program is perfect if you...
- Work, or aspire to work, in the OHS field in government, corporate, or non-profit sectors
- Seek knowledge that meets the needs of progressively demanding levels of responsibility in the OHS field
- Plan to pursue CRST or CRSP® designations
- Want to pave the way for career advancement
Laddering
The full 800-hour Occupational Health and Safety program consists of two certificates and a diploma. This is the final diploma in the program.
After completing the Occupational Health and Safety Diploma, you have the education requirements and are preparing yourself to take the Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP)® examination.
What will I get?
Students who complete this program will receive a Professional Diploma.
Program details
Online
Courses in this program are delivered online. Courses are scheduled at convenient times, allowing you to complete the program at a pace that fits your life.
You should plan on studying and working approximately 6 hours per week per course.
Online learning fits into busy schedules by taking the learning experience out of the traditional classroom. Students have online access to instructors, fellow learners, and learning materials.
Before taking your first online course, we recommended taking our free course: Digital Skills for Learning Online
Instructors
Occupational Health and Safety instructors are industry practitioners and experts. Typically they have a baccalaureate degree, hold a current Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP)® designation, and have at least five years of direct OHS experience.
12 Courses, 400 Hours
All Continuing Education programs are developed with part-time learners in mind. The Occupational Health and Safety Advanced Certificate is a 400-hour program.
The length of time it takes to complete this program varies by student. If you take one course per term, you will likely complete the program in two to three years. You will complete the program faster if you take multiple courses per term.
The Occupational Health and Safety Fundamentals Certificate is the last in the laddered OHS program. The first and second programs include the Occupational Health and Safety Fundamentals Certificate and the Occupational Health and Safety Advanced Certificate. If you take one or two courses per term, you will likely complete the entire OHS program in three to four years.
$7,597
Depending on selected options and required prerequisites, the approximate cost to complete Occupational Health and Safety Diploma is $7,597.
This includes the $105 admission fee.
You do not require a degree or diploma to apply for admission to this program. You can take individual courses to start, and apply later.
The admission fee is $105.
To apply, you must meet the following requirements:
- Completion of the Occupational Health and Safety Fundamentals Certificate, or equivalent courses*
- Completion of the Occupational Health and Safety Advanced Certificate, or equivalent courses*
- 18 years of age or older
- Grade 12 diploma (recommended)
- Relevant work experience (recommended)
- If English is not your first language, you must meet the English language proficiency requirements
Programs change from time to time, so we recommend that you apply for admission as early as possible. Once admitted, your requirements to complete the program will not change – even if the program changes. You can be confident that completed and eligible courses will apply to your program.
Apply for Admission* OHS certificates from other recognized post-secondary institutions may be accepted, though some conditions apply.
Prior learning from other post-secondary institutions
Advanced standing may be granted for equivalent, graded courses completed at other post-secondary institutions within the last 10 years. Credit may be granted up to a maximum of 130 hours towards the Occupational Health and Safety Advanced Certificate.
Apply for Advanced StandingTransferring credit from other Continuing Education programs
If you have completed requirements for another University of Calgary Continuing Education program, you may be able to transfer some credits to this program. For details, please review the "Credit towards other programs" information in the programs you have completed. To transfer credits, please contact a student advisor.
Maximum advanced standing and transferred credit
The combined total of advanced standing and transferred credits cannot exceed 200 hours for this program.
On completion of this program, you may wish to pursue studies in another.
On completion of the Occupational Health and Safety Diploma, the following hours of equivalent courses may be transferred toward certificates in:
- 150 hours: Human Resource Management
- 150 hours: Professional Management
- 100 hours: Certificate in Change Management
If you wish to pursue another program:
- Complete the Application for Admission for your next program
- Contact us to request transfer of the equivalent course credits
The transfer of course credits will not happen without your request.
The Continuing Education Occupational Health and Safety Fundamentals Certificate aligns to the national Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP) certifying competencies as well as the international certifying competencies regulated by the International Network of Safety and Health Practitioner Organizations (INSHPO), a global alliance of OHS professional organizations. This national and international alignment with the Continuing Education University of Calgary OHS program ensures OHS professionals the flexibility of work within Canada and internationally.
The BCRSP has reviewed the Continuing Education Occupational Health and Safety program and designated the University of Calgary an approved education provider.
CRSP Designation
The Occupational Health and Safety Diploma courses fulfil the 60 credit requirement of the Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP)® certification and is an approved program by the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP). Students who successfully complete the University of Calgary Occupational Health and Safety Fundamentals and Advanced Certificates, combined with the Diploma, meet educational requirements, and are well-prepared to take the CRSP exam. For more information, please visit the BCRSP website.
Each year, scholarships and awards are given to deserving students not only for their academic achievement, but also for community involvement. Award sponsors include both corporate and private donors.
To apply, you must meet eligibility criteria and submission deadlines. Students in this program may be eligible for the following awards:
It is the student's responsibility to ensure all requirements for graduation are fulfilled.
See Graduation for details.
This program does not qualify students to apply for an international study permit.
International students who wish to live and work in Canada should consider our International Professional Programs.