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Safety representative education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a safety representative. Safety representatives usually study business, occupational safety and health, or criminal justice. 51% of safety representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,856 real safety representative resumes to see exactly what safety representative education sections show.

The most common colleges for safety representatives are the Hofstra University and the Hofstra University.

There are also many online safety representative courses to help get the education required to be a safety representative.

There are certain safety representative certifications that you should consider. These safety representative certifications include OSHA Safety Certificate and Construction Site Safety Technician (CSST).

What education do you need to become a safety representative?

What degree do you need to be a safety representative?

The most common degree for safety representatives is bachelor's degree, with 51% of safety representatives earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 22% and associate degree degree at 14%.
  • Bachelor's, 51%
  • Associate, 22%
  • High School Diploma, 14%
  • Master's, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a safety representative?

You should major in business to become a safety representative. 21% of safety representatives major in business. Other common majors for a safety representative include occupational safety and health and criminal justice.

Most common colleges for safety representatives

Safety representatives often get their degrees at Hofstra University, Columbia Southern University, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for safety representatives in the US based on their resumes.
Safety representative common collegePercentages
Hofstra University22.75%
Columbia Southern University19.46%
University of Phoenix5.39%
Murray State University5.09%
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania4.49%

Best majors for safety representatives

Best colleges for safety representatives

The best colleges for safety representatives are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A safety representative 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 representatives. 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 representatives.

1. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

2. Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$11,803

Enrollment

4,631

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Enrollment

13,871

5. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$7,692

Enrollment

11,045

6. Friends University

Wichita, KS • Private

In-state tuition

$28,415

Enrollment

1,071

7. Missouri University of Science and Technology

Rolla, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$9,440

Enrollment

6,785

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

9. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

10. University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$9,457

Enrollment

7,445

20 best online courses for safety representatives

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1. OSHA Safety Training: Conducting Safety Meetings

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3. NEBOSH FIRE SAFETY

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Managing Fire Safety in Workplace...

4. Fire Safety: Become A Fire Safety Expert

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Become an expert in Fire Safety, Fire Hazards Control, Fire Evacuation Plans, and Fire Risk Assessment...

5. Basic Certificate in Health Safety & Environment-HSE Level 2

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A comprehensive course for Safety Officers, Supervisors, Managers and Aspiring Safety Professionals...

6. Basic Fire Safety Awareness

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Basic Fire Safety Awareness - Your Gateway towards Career in Fire Safety...

7. Functional Safety for Safety Instrumented Systems

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8. OSHA Safety Training: Heat Stress Management

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10. Fun food safety and sanitation course

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17. Fire Safety and Prevention Planning

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18. Complete Health and Safety Auditor Course. OHSAS 18001.

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19. ISO 45001. Occupational health & safety management system

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20. Refresher course of Safety Management Systems

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A quick overview for aviation managers and safety professionals about basic concepts and philosophy of SMS...

Top 10 most affordable universities for safety representatives

The most affordable schools for safety representatives are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for safety representatives 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 representatives.

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. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

8. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for safety representatives

The hardest universities for safety representatives to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for safety representatives 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 representatives 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 representatives

The easiest schools for safety representatives to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and university of houston - downtown.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a safety representative 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 representatives.

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. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,012

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

7. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

8. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

9. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

10. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

Average safety representative salary by education level

Safety representatives with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $66,113 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, safety representatives earn a median annual income of $54,253 compared to $53,011 for safety representatives with an Associate degree.
Safety representative education levelSafety representative salary
Master's Degree$66,113
High School Diploma or Less$46,418
Bachelor's Degree$54,253
Some College/ Associate Degree$53,011

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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