Master’s of Science in Safety Engineering

The MS in Safety Engineering is administered by Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center (MKOPSC) in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University. The objective of this program is to teach the principles and practices of safety engineering for leadership careers in industry, academia, and government. The prerequisite for the MS in Safety Engineering program is a Bachelor Degree in Engineering.

We offer two options towards the Master: the thesis and non-thesis options. Learn more information about our options HERE.

Students interested in obtaining a Masters degree in Safety Engineering should:

First apply through the Texas A&M Graduate Application System in their desired engineering field
Once accepted they may contact the Director of the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center to discuss their field of study and advisor selection options
Students may apply to obtain the Masters in Safety Engineering via the Distance Learning option available through the application system

GRADUATE STUDENT HANDBOOK

SENG COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Entrance Requirements

The prerequisite for the MS in Safety Engineering program is a Bachelor Degree in Engineering. The University computes GPR (Grade Point Ratio) on a four-point scale for each applicant. Generally, a minimum GPR of 3.0 is required to be considered for admission into the graduate program. While there is no minimum GRE score required, the scores are competitive based on the pool of applicants. The University requires all international graduate students whose native language is not English to fulfill an English proficiency requirement. Verification of English proficiency can be achieved by a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of at least 550 paper-based, 213 computer-based, 79-80 internet-based or GRE Verbal score of 146. Those graduate applicants not verified must take the English Language Proficiency Examination (ELPE) prior to registering for courses in their first semester. The ELPE evaluates English skills in the area of grammar, vocabulary, reading, listening, written composition, and oral communication. The English Language Institute (ELI) administers the ELPE as well as offering English courses in these areas. The Safety Engineering program considers various factors when making the graduate admission decisions, such as quality of institutions previously attended, content of past academic work, letters of recommendation, applicant’s statement of purpose, and writing samples.

Distance Education

The program also offers MS in Safety Engineering via distance education. Students interested in distance education can obtain the MS degree either through a thesis or non-thesis option. Distance education students may need to spend some time on campus to complete their research with the thesis option. The non-thesis option is only available to distance education students. To view specific course requirements please view the Graduate Student Handbook.

Non-Degree Seeking Students NDS

Please contact MKOPSC at [email protected] if interested in taking a course for academic credit. International students must visit International Student Services page regarding the requirements for Distance Learning.

Application Deadlines

Fall Semester: March 15
Spring Semester: October 15

Thesis Option

Non-Thesis Option

The Master of Science with thesis option requires a minimum of 32 semester credit hours of approved courses and research. Of those hours, 16 credit hours must be formal course work (see below for the list of required courses). The remaining credits are for research, electives, and internship hours as applicable.

The specific course requirements of the department appear in this section. Satisfactory completion of an equivalent course at another institution is an acceptable fulfillment of the departmental requirement. Only technical (science or engineering) courses can satisfy these requirements.

The student must complete 16 hours of core courses:

SENG 655: Process Safety Engineering (3 credits)
SENG 670: Industrial Safety Engineering (3 credits)
SENG 660: Quantitative Risk Analysis (3 credits)
SENG 677: Fire Protection Engineering (3 credits)
STAT 601: Statistics (4 credits)

Total Credits: 16 “core” credits

The remaining 16 credit hours may be obtained through research (SENG 691), directed studies (SENG 685), internships (SENG 684), and/or elective courses subject to the approval of your advisor.

The electives must be formal graduate-level courses and should be approved your Chair and Program Director. In special cases, up to 9 hours of advanced undergraduate level courses may be taken. A written request by the student must be submitted and approved by the student’s Committee Chair and the Program Director.
Graduate courses completed at other institutions and passed with a grade of B or better may be used towards satisfying the electives. With approval of the Program Director, up to nine credit hours may be transferred from other institutions. These courses cannot have been used towards another degree.
All degree plans must have at least 1 hour of research SENG 691 included.
In addition, 2 hours of SENG 681 (Seminar) may be taken towards the degree plan.

It is important to note that no more than 12 hours may be used in any combination of the following categories:

No more than 8 hours of 691 (Research).
No more than 8 hours of 685 (Directed Studies).
No more than 3 hours of 690 (Theory of Research) may be used.
No more than 3 hours of 695 (Frontiers in Research) may be used.

Please note the following additional credit hour requirements and restrictions:

There is a maximum of 2 hours of 681 (Seminar) allowed towards the degree.
In special cases, a maximum of 9 hours of advanced undergraduate courses (300-or 400-level) may be used. The student must submit a written request to the Program Director and obtain approval from your Committee Chair.
No credit may be obtained by correspondence study.
For graduate courses of three weeks’ duration or less, taken at other institutions, up to 1 hour of credit may be obtained for each five-day week of coursework. Each week of coursework must include at least 15 contact hours.
Continuing education courses may not be used for graduate credit.
Extension courses are not acceptable for credit.
Exceptions to the above will be permitted only in unusual cases and when petitioned by the student’s advisory committee and approved by the Office of Graduate Studies.

Thus, based on the above, a typical degree plan will include:

16 hours of “core” credits
16 hours of electives, internships, directed studies, and research.

For information on available electives please click here.

This option is offered to Distance Education students ONLY

The non-thesis Master of Science option requires a minimum of 36 semester credit hours of approved courses and does not include a thesis. The student must complete 16 hours of the following core courses:

SENG 655: Process Safety Engineering (3 credits)
SENG 670: Industrial Safety Engineering (3 credits)
SENG 660: Quantitative Risk Analysis (3 credits)
SENG 677: Fire Protection Engineering (3 credits)
STAT 601: Statistics (4 credits)

The student will fulfill the remaining 20 credit hours with elective courses of their choosing, subject to approval from their advisor. This allows the student to take courses in a particular area or areas of interest. Electives may be taken from any Texas A&M University distance learning program, subject to advisor approval as well as any conditions established within the other distance learning programs.

For information on available electives please click here.

A student pursuing the non-thesis option cannot enroll in any 691 (Research) or any 684 (Professional Internship) for any reason and cannot use any 691 or 684 hours for credit towards the non-thesis degree. A maximum of 8 hours of 685 (Directed Studies) can apply toward the non-thesis option. In addition, the number of hours of 685 cannot exceed 25 percent of the total credit hour requirement shown on the degree plan.

Thus, based on the above, a typical non-thesis degree plan will include:

16 hours of “core” credits
20 hours of elective courses and directed studies

The MS in Safety Engineering is administered by the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University.

MORE INFORMATION