Qualified Academic Programs
College or university degree programs classified by BCSP as Qualified Academic Programs (QAPs) reward their graduates with the opportunity for additional recognition and set them on a path to professional certification.
A QAP is a bachelor's, master's, or doctorate degree program in the EHS field whose required course curriculum has been reviewed by BCSP and been found to substantially match the current Associate Safety Professional® (ASP®) examination blueprint.
Graduates of QAPs are eligible to apply for the Graduate Safety Practitioner® (GSP®) designation, which meets the qualifying-credential requirement necessary to apply for the Certified Safety Professional® (CSP®). The GSP is only available to EHS graduates from programs classified as QAPs.
What are the benefits of becoming a QAP?
- Distinction from other EHS degree programs, recognizing your graduates' accomplishments with a path to professional certification.
- Special recognition in BCSP's online QAP list.
- Eligibility for BCSP grants of up to $10,000 toward full accreditation or reaccreditation by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
- Eligibility for your students to apply for BCSP's annual QAP Scholarships.
What are the benefits for students?
- The opportunity to achieve a qualifying credential for the CSP, waiving the need to sit for, and pass, the ASP examination before applying for the CSP.
- Eligibility for the STS and STSC certifications.
- Recognition of their level of preparation for professional safety practice.
- A GSP Digital Badge and inclusion of their name in the online BCSP Credential Holder Directory.
- Use of the BCSP Career Center to post a resume and view career opportunities.
- A GSP digital certificate.
How does a school get on the QAP list?
U.S.-based environmental, health, and safety (EHS) degree programs that are accredited by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and/or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and which demonstrate a substantial match to the current Associate Safety Professional® (ASP®) examination blueprint will be eligible to become a Qualified Academic Program (QAP).
Non-U.S. EHS degree programs that are accredited and/or recognized in their country of origin, determined to be comparable to U.S. accreditation standards as evaluated by a third-party, and demonstrate a substantial match to the current Associate Safety Professional® (ASP®) examination blueprint are eligible to become a Qualified Academic Program (QAP) as well.
Along with completing a program information form, the school must submit a list of required courses in the curriculum and the corresponding detailed syllabi from the current academic year.
There is no cost to the school for either a program review or to become a QAP. However, the process of review will be repeated with each ASP exam blueprint revision.