An analysis of perceptions of learning outcome competencies of college graduates in ABET and non-ABET accredited occupational safety and health programs

There is a continued need to assess higher education programs to assure the quality higher education students receive. Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accreditation provides assurance that a college or university program meets the quality standards established by the profession for which it prepares its students. The assurance of a quality education provided by the accreditation process supports the shift in higher education institutional culture from a teaching focus to the measurement of student learning. Assessing program learning outcomes is an integral component to ensure quality learning is occurring. The purpose of this study is to analyze the perceptions of learning outcomes of graduates in occupational safety and health programs.;The hypothesis driving this study is the premise that the skills, knowledge, and behaviors acquired by graduates from ABET accredited occupational safety and health programs contribute to a higher degree of learning outcome perceptions than graduates from non-ABET accredited occupational safety and health programs. The method used in this study is a combined research method, mixing quantitative and quality approaches. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from the graduates of 13 occupational safety and health programs.;Statistical analysis of the data revealed that ABET accredited graduates learn more based upon learning outcome perceptions compared to non-ABET accredited graduates. The findings in this study support occupational safety and health programs pursuit of ABET accreditation. Also, the findings show the importance of integrating business principles and an internship, cooperative, or supervised experience into the curriculum.