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Safety Director Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a safety director. Safety directors usually study business, criminal justice, or occupational safety and health. 55% of safety directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 7,348 real safety director resumes to see exactly what safety director education sections show.
The most common colleges for safety directors are the Columbia Southern University and the Columbia Southern University.
There are also many online safety director courses to help get the education required to be a safety director.
There are certain safety director certifications that you should consider. These safety director certifications include OSHA Safety Certificate and Certified Safety Professional (CSP).
What education do you need to become a safety director?
What degree do you need to be a safety director?
- Bachelor's, 55%
- Associate, 21%
- Master's, 10%
- High School Diploma, 7%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a safety director?
- Business, 27%
- Criminal Justice, 10%
- Management, 7%
- Other Majors, 46%
Most common colleges for safety directors
| Safety Director Common College | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Columbia Southern University | 18.10% |
| University of Phoenix | 10.82% |
| Eastern Kentucky University | 5.97% |
| West Virginia University | 5.22% |
| Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | 5.04% |
Best majors for safety directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 27.3% |
| 2 | Criminal Justice | 10.5% |
| 3 | Occupational Safety And Health | 9.8% |
| 4 | Management | 7.2% |
| 5 | Public Health | 4.7% |
Best colleges for safety directors
The best colleges for safety directors are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A safety director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for safety directors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become safety directors.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. Maine Maritime Academy
Castine, ME • Private
In-State Tuition
$13,478
Enrollment
979
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
7. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
8. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
20 best online courses for safety directors
Advertising Disclosure
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A Workplace Safety Management Course for Current and Future Safety Professionals...
5. Fire Safety: Become A Fire Safety Expert
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6. Basic Fire Safety Awareness
Basic Fire Safety Awareness - Your Gateway towards Career in Fire Safety...
7. Functional Safety for Safety Instrumented Systems
The most complete course available on Functional Safety. 2+ hours of videos, case studies, assignments, & more...
8. Occupational Health & Safety Training
Workplace Health and Safety Course For Employees & Managers...
9. OSHA Safety Pro: Deadly Concrete Dust. Crystalline Silica.
OSHA's General, Construction, and Maritime Industries Hazard Prevention and Safety Standard...
10. Food Safety for Managers and Supervisors
The Highfield Food Safety Level 3 syllabus presented in two hours of video tutorials. Boost your food safety knowledge...
11. Basic Certificate in Health Safety & Environment-HSE Level 2
A comprehensive course for Safety Officers, Supervisors, Managers and Aspiring Safety Professionals...
12. OSHA Workplace Safety (General Industry 6 Hr Class)
Learn the requirements and standards associated with OSHA and workplace safety. Safety best practices for the workplace...
13. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System
Understand the requirements for a food safety management system applicable for any organization in the food chain...
14. OSHA Safety Pro: Trenching Excavation & Soil Mechanics
A quick yet detailed certification in OSHA safety with a focus on Trenching, Excavation, & Soil Mechanics...
15. Fun food safety and sanitation course
The food safety course will help prepare you for safely working in a kitchen and food handler tests like Servesafe...
16. NEBOSH health and safety Management System
It Shows the Start point to Build your Health & safety Career and how to Join the field and becoming HSE Specialist...
17. Fire Safety and Prevention Planning
Become an expert in understanding Fire Safety and Prevention Planning for your workplaces and organizations...
18. ISO 45001. Occupational health & safety management system
Upgrate your health and safety career by understanding the requriements for an OH & S management system from ISO 45001...
19. Complete Health and Safety Auditor Course. OHSAS 18001.
How to implement and audit a health & safety management system and obtain certification to OHSAS 18001 Standard...
20. Refresher course of Safety Management Systems
A quick overview for aviation managers and safety professionals about basic concepts and philosophy of SMS...
Top 10 most affordable universities for safety directors
The most affordable schools for safety directors are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for safety directors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for safety directors.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Cost of Attendance
16,091
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,309
Cost of Attendance
16,714
3. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,262
Cost of Attendance
14,046
4. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,942
Cost of Attendance
14,469
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,240
Cost of Attendance
13,991
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,238
Cost of Attendance
21,567
8. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,587
Cost of Attendance
13,043
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,488
Cost of Attendance
22,990
10. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,419
Cost of Attendance
17,697
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for safety directors
The hardest universities for safety directors to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for safety directors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for safety directors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
4%
SAT Average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions Rate
8%
SAT Average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
8%
SAT Average
1,492
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
22%
SAT Average
1,420
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
20%
SAT Average
1,419
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
13%
SAT Average
1,445
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
29%
SAT Average
1,407
8. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
43%
SAT Average
1,338
9. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
40%
SAT Average
1,376
10. Brandeis University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
31%
SAT Average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for safety directors
The easiest schools for safety directors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a safety director without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for safety directors.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions Rate
68%
SAT Average
964
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
82%
SAT Average
983
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
70%
SAT Average
849
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions Rate
90%
SAT Average
994
5. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
83%
SAT Average
1,061
6. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
98%
SAT Average
999
7. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions Rate
94%
SAT Average
979
8. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
100%
SAT Average
1,072
9. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions Rate
97%
SAT Average
1,050
10. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions Rate
96%
SAT Average
1,139
Average safety director salary by education level
| Safety Director education level | Safety Director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $106,742 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $90,279 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $70,547 |
Safety Director Education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025