As M.S. Risk Control alumna Xiongmee Lor, Safety Manager (pictured above) knows firsthand, in today's competitive economy, numerous organizations employ on-staff risk control/safety professionals to assist with the protection of human, property, financial and environmental assets. UW-Stout's M.S. Risk Control and Safety Management degree will prepare you to serve as a risk control/safety professional who can identify, analyze and promote an organization to control employee safety and other operations risks that are inherent to manufacturing as well as service-based processes.
Our faculty promote high standards of communication, management and technical-based achievement with the program students through personalized guidance and mentoring. Students are heavily encouraged to work with area employers for course-related assignments as well as participate in professional-based associations to enhance their understanding of various risk control/safety concepts.
Program Overview
As a student within the M.S. Risk Control and Safety Management program, you will continuously integrate management theory with realistic, practical problem-solving experiences within our labs and in local business/industrial settings. Our program is nationally recognized by major corporations for promoting the technical, managerial and communication skills that align with the demands of a highly dynamic profession.
The M.S. Risk Control and Safety Management program emphasizes the following valuable and relevant content areas:
- A broad technical base in employee protection, workplace design and engineering principles, regulatory compliance, risk finance, as well as public, property and environmental protection.
- A strong management emphasis which promotes effective communication as well as collaboration skills to prompt management personnel to alter the method(s) of managing moderate to high process risks.
Use the Request Information form to receive a program summary and learn more about the Masters of Science degree in Risk Control and Safety Management.
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Total Asset Protection Focus
In the past 35 to 40 years, the nature of the profession has significantly changed in that the "risk manager" is now responsible for identifying, analyzing and guiding management’s control of risks that are a threat to all of an organization's assets. This total asset protection focus is reinforced through information and experiences that students receive through our program’s courses and parallels the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) certification through the American Institute for Charted Property Casualty Underwriters (AICPCU). Below is the risk control model that is heavily reinforced throughout the M.S. Risk Control and Safety Management program:
The above risk control model emphasizes:
- The various assets that risk control/safety support personnel typically strive to protect.
- How all of an organization's assets have money as the common denominator.
- Management's needs to consider how any given decision might impact (positively or negatively) all of their organization's assets.
- The various assets can be downgraded as a result of workplace accidents.
- The need for management to consider all of the organization’s assets when cost-justifying needed process changes.
In a nutshell, an organization’s risk control/safety personnel serve as agents of change who help identify moderate to high-risk situations that place various assets at risk. Such personnel then work closely with the applicable management to identify as well as implement the necessary equipment and procedures to bring unacceptable risks down to a reasonable level. This type of organizational service is what UW-Stout’s M.S. Risk Control and Safety Management program strives to convey in all of the course objectives and associated classroom experiences.
General UW-Stout Graduate School Application
All prospective graduate students at UW-Stout must follow a standard application process through our Graduate School. Beyond that, each graduate program has specific requirements that must be met to be successfully admitted to the program.
Program-Specific Application Requirements
Please submit the following to apply to the M.S. Risk Control & Safety Management program:
- Transcripts of all prior associate, undergraduate and graduate-level academic studies.
- A professionally-written statement of intent within the UW System application which describes the candidate's academic as well as employment history, professional goals and personal development needs.
The M.S. Risk Control and Safety Management Program Selection Committee will favor applicants who possess a minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 as well as academic and workplace experience that aligns with the broad demands of the risk control and safety management profession.
To earn an M.S. Risk Control and Safety Management degree, a student must complete a minimum of 30 graduate credits with an overall GPA of at least 3.0. A minimum of 15 credits must be completed in 700-level courses that are only available to graduate students. Students with limited risk control/safety work experience are highly advised to participate in an industry-based summer co-op position in conjunction with the structured Risk Control and Safety Management Co-Op course in order to graduate with a greater degree of professional competence.
Professional Foundation Courses
The credit distribution includes 12 credits of coursework that provide both a managerial and research orientation to the risk control and safety management field. These courses include:
- Environmental Protection and Sustainability Management
- Risk Management Applications
- Risk Control Systems
- Risk Control Pre-Capstone
- Risk Control Capstone
Required Technical Courses
A minimum of 18 technical course credits are required and the program director may tailor such for each student, based his/her level of academic preparation, work experience and career goals. These courses include:
- Occupational Safety and Health Standards
- Human Factors Engineering / Ergonomics
- Emergency Preparedness and Response
- Process Hazard Management
- Industrial Hygiene Instrumentation
- Industrial Hygiene
- Collect and evaluate relevant data to reduce the risk profile of an organization.
- Analyze internal and external performance measurements for effectiveness and continuous process improvement.
- Develop and deliver effective employee and/or management training programs.
- Articulate the business importance of implementing responsible practices to interested parties.
- Apply appropriate administrative and engineering-based risk control techniques.
- Integrate the concepts of risk analysis and responsible business practices.
- Integrate financial justifications into the development of policies, procedures and systems which align with the organization’s strategic plans.
- Apply credible research or evidence-based information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, support decision-making activities and mitigate risk.
- Evaluate and demonstrate the role of management and leadership in a risk control context.
- Evaluate the legal, moral and sustainability principles which are relevant to the risk control / occupational safety and health (OSH) profession.
2022-23 RCSM Advisory Committee
| Victorio | Angulo-Escudero | Safety Engineer | 3M |
| David | Bartko | Sr. Consultant, Casualty Risk | Aon Risk Solutions, Aon Global Risk Consulting, Casualty Risk Control |
| Mary | Bauer | OSHA Compliance Officer | DOL-OSHA |
| Ken | Christenson | Senior Safety Engineer | 3M |
| David | Ding | Associate Dean - CSTEMM | UW-Stout |
| Michelle | Dingwall | Sr. Gift Officer | Stout University Foundation |
| John | Dzissah | Department Chair Operations & Management | Operations & Management; UW-Stout |
| Brian | Finder | MS RCSM Program Director | School of Management; UW-Stout |
| Steve | Gauger | Sr. EHS Specialist | Abbott |
| Justin | Gillette | Vice President | Hays Companies of Minnesota |
| Cory | Goldschmidt | Corporate Safety Director | Bassett Mechanical |
| Rene | Hilgemann | Director | Aon Risk Solutions, Aon Global Risk Consulting, Casualty Risk Control |
| Matt | Jones | Warehouse Assoicate, MS RCSM Graduate Student; 2021 Construction Graduate | Anderson Windows |
| Gindy | Neidermyer | CSTEMM Interim Dean | UW-Stout |
| Chad | Stuart | Risk & Safety Specialist | Cobb-Strecker |
| Jim | Uhlir | Executive Director, Health & Safety | UW-Stout |
| Ben | Wood | Safety Investigator/Guidance Leader | OSHA; MN Department of Labor & Industry/Governors Executive Orders |
| Steve | Senor | Lecturer, Operations & Management | UW-Stout |
| Lyle | Koerner | Lecturer, Operations & Management | UW-Stout |
| Dale A. | Krageschmidt | Lecturer, Operations & Management | Viterbo University |
| Slick (Glenn - Garry) | Kroft | Lecturer, Operations & Management | UW-Stout |
The M.S. Risk Control and Safety Management program is recognized as a Qualified Academic Program (QAP) by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). The QAP recognition permits the program’s graduates to earn the Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP) certification and eventually achieve the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) designation.
Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) Webinars
Safety’s Competitive Advantage and the Future of the Safety, Health, and Environmental Profession
(30 min) Compliance with state and federal regulations is the absolute minimum and does not ensure the safety and health of workers. Safety and health in today’s dynamic industry space must no longer be defined as the absence of harm and death. Instead, it should ask the question, “How do you turn safety into competitive advantage and what does the future hold for the profession entrusted with employee and customer well-being?” This presentation highlights how professional development through accredited certification can change organizational culture and drive results through SH&E leadership.
Value of Certification: The Occupational Safety and Health Professional
(30 Min) What is certification and how does it apply to today’s safety and health professional? This session highlights the importance of certification and accreditation, as well as helps the attendee identify the right Board of Certified Safety Professional’s certification for their career.
Alumna - Ashley Neby
"Upon graduation from the Risk Control program, I accepted a position at the Rockwell Automation Ladysmith, Wisconsin facility. I am currently the Environmental, Health, Safety and Security Manager for the plant and in addition, recently took on a new role as the Rockwell Production System and Productivity Manager. I absolutely love problem-solving, working in manufacturing, and seeing the cultural impact of our work throughout the years.
When I was in high school, I was employed by the UW-Stout Dining Service. After graduation, I continued my work while pursuing a Bachelor's in Hospitality Management and enlisted in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. To this day, working for the dining service was my favorite job and UW-Stout inspired a long-lasting passion for my career. In 2009, my unit deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and I returned with a new sense of appreciation for occupational safety. Once again, UW-Stout was there to excel my knowledge and experiences in the field. Obtaining my Master's Degree in Risk Control is one of my proudest moments. From dish-washer to safety professional, UW-Stout truly changed my life."
