Embry-Riddle Prescott’s Industrial Psychology and Safety Program Secures No. 1 Ranking in U.S.

In-demand aviation safety bachelor’s degree programs at both Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s residential campuses recently topped CollegeValuesOnline.com’s “20 Best Values in Occupational Safety Degree Programs” report with its Prescott, Ariz., Campus’ Industrial Psychology and Safety Program earning the No. 1 spot and the Daytona Beach, Fla., Campus’s Aerospace and Occupational Safety program placing fourth.

Launched in Fall 2014 at the Prescott Campus, the Industrial Psychology and Safety bachelor of science program entails traditional safety curriculum such as ergonomics, hygiene and toxicology, but stands out nationally for its focus on human behavior at all professional levels. CollegeValuesOnline.com declared it the best among 20 other universities because of “its unique courses offered including statistics for organizational analysis and research, group and team behavior, and human reliability and safety analysis. There are three minors that go hand-in-hand with either side of the major’s dual focus – security and intelligence studies, emergency planning and management and aviation safety.

According to a 2014 Bureau of Labor Statistics report, Industrial/Organizational Psychology is the No. 1 fastest growing occupation in the U.S.

“Industrial Psychology focuses on human behavior and thought in the workplace, but we take this to the next level by adding in specialized training for our students in aviation and industry safety. Our students get amazing analytic skills and understand how major theories on human behavior and actions apply to influence the how and why people do the safe (or unsafe) thing in the workplace, how to promote safety when part of a team, and how the policies, procedures, regulations and culture of an organization all interact to support or impede safety,” said Dr. Erin Bowen, Chair of Embry-Riddle Prescott’s Behavioral & Safety Sciences Department and Director of the Robertson Safety Institute. “Being named best in the U.S. further validates our commitment to providing our students the in-demand and necessary tools to go into career fields where they can excel personally and professionally.”

In ranking it fourth, CollegeValuesOnline.com singled out the Daytona Beach Campus’ coursework for its aerospace and occupational safety degree, which was developed specifically to meet the requirements of the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI). Chaired by Dr. Michael O’Toole, it is the only safety program in the country accredited by AABI. Courses offered include human factors in aviation safety, system safety in aviation, aircraft crash investigation, observational data analysis and Engineering Hazard Controls with two minors in aviation safety and industrial safety.  

To determine its rankings, CollegeValuesOnline.com selected 20 bachelor-level programs out of 30 schools returned by the NCES College Navigator database and awarded points based on four categories: low tuition, high return on investment, a high percentage of students receiving financial aid, and the number of minors, concentrations, or areas of emphasis offered by the school. Each of these categories contributes to the value of a program. The return on investment figures were sourced from Payscale.com. The tuition information was sourced from The National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator Database

For more information and other schools ranked, go to collegevaluesonline.com/rankings/occupational-safety-degree-programs/.