Creation of a graduate program in safety engineering: Application of basic Six Sigma principles to curriculum design

This paper presents an educational effort to develop a curriculum in engineering management with a concentration in safety engineering at a university in the southeast United States. This program is offered both at the graduate level as well as some courses being offered at the dual level. Both online learning as well as classroom learning is adopted to maximize outreach and address the needs of a growing population of students. Safety and hazardous waste management constitute the two principal pillars of program development. This paper presents an overview of the curriculum. It also examines the application of Six Sigma principles to curriculum development. This was done in order to ensure quality of the program and to expressly address needs of students and industry.