Transportation Safety Administration, MTSA

Program Description

The first degree program of its kind in the United States, Clemson University’s Master of Transportation Safety Administration (MTSA) is a two-year, non-thesis, 30-credit, online interdisciplinary program designed to develop leaders skilled in developing, administering, managing, and evaluating road safety programs, including the complex interaction of the human-vehicle-road system. Created in collaboration with national and international leaders in the field, the MTSA curriculum is grounded in the belief that the future of transportation safety will require creative leadership capable of working in interdisciplinary teams and applying scientific and systems theory approaches to road safety management. MTSA utilizes expertise of Clemson faculty across multiple departments and colleges, modified for high-quality online delivery to students in every state and around the world.

Summary of Degree Requirements

The MTSA courses include four three-credit core courses and six additional three-credit courses selected to form a thematic cluster customized to fill the needs of individual students.

Coursework

The courses listed below are currently being offered for completing this degree program:

• CE 8150 - Transportation Safety Engineering 3 Credits
• COMM 8210 - Seminar in Strategic Communication 3 Credits
• MTSA 8000 - Introduction to Road Safety 3 Credits
• MTSA 8300 - Road Safety Management 3 Credits
• MTSA 8420 - Road Safety Culture 3 Credits
• MTSA 8880 - Special Topics in Road Safety Management 3 Credits
• MTSA 8990 - Internship in Road Safety Management 3 Credits

Outcomes, Learning Objectives, and Graduation Requirements

Upon completion of the MTSA degree program, students will demonstrate mastery of core competencies identified in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Research Results Digest 302. Moreover, building on the knowledge and skills of these core competencies, students will apply critical and creative thinking to recognize and respond to the emerging future of road safety. Students will, therefore, be prepared for leadership positions as road safety professionals to meet the needs of business, industry, educational institutions, and government agencies for the State of South Carolina as well as for the nation and the world. Learning objectives for this outcome are:

• analyze and synthesize crash, injury, and fatality data to identify safety problems, plan interventions, and evaluate results
• design creative problem-solving approaches to address road safety issues
• identify and explain the legislative initiatives, program development and delivery structures, research initiatives, leadership theories, contributions of complex systems science, and other factors that will shape the future of road safety management practices
• demonstrate advanced knowledge of major concepts, theoretical perspectives, and historical trends in road safety management

Secondly, students will demonstrate the ability to apply theoretical approaches to real-world experiences in a team setting in researching and designing strategies to address problems related to road safety management both in the U.S. and globally. Learning objectives for this outcome are:

• articulate and evaluate a comprehensive definition of interdisciplinary road safety management from a scientific perspective
• evaluate methods and resources for selecting effective countermeasures by identifying factors that contribute to crashes
• demonstrate critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and a scientific approach to address current and emerging issues in road safety management

Thirdly, MTSA students will use effective teamwork and collaboration skills.

• demonstrate team-building skills that can be used to cultivate effective interdisciplinary and collaborative relationships
• evaluate their teamwork and collaboration skills through peer and instructor assessments
• create a dynamic Road Safety Management portfolio of work that showcases examples of theory-based methods and innovative strategies for integrating safety into the transportation planning process

This master’s non-thesis degree program requires a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit. For more information, see the MTSA Program Handbook as well as the Graduate School Policies and Procedures handbook.