Public Safety Administration [BS]

The  Bachelor of Science  in  Public Safety Administration  program is an interdisciplinary program involving coursework in three departments from two colleges within the University. It is a competency-based curriculum resting on a strong liberal arts foundation. The curriculum is intended to meet the professional development needs of in-service and entry-level personnel in public safety organizations including law enforcement, public safety, fire protection, private security, disaster and emergency management, and corrections.

The public safety manager’s focus is on leadership, public policy, politics, and administration. The public safety manager is concerned with issues such as the causes of crime, the nature and impact of criminal behavior, threats to public safety arising from fires, environmental and natural disasters, and the nature and operation of correctional institutions. The administrator’s responsibilities extend to addressing how the public safety organization develops a response to these problems, the nature of the response, and how resources - budgets and personnel - are obtained, utilized and evaluated in responding to problems.

The program builds on the public administration major.  Courses are drawn from three groups:

• An interdisciplinary foundation group
• An administration group directed toward developing an understanding of public and nonprofit organizations and related personnel, budgeting, policy, and administrative skills, as well as an understanding of the conditions, strategies, and practices found more specifically in public safety agencies
• An area concentration
• An academy or internship component

The program also requires three credits from an internship or academy.

The program capstone course, PLSC 450, is offered in Winter semesters and should be taken in a student’s final or nearly final semester.

The program combines both major and minor requirements, and graduating students will be awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in public safety.

Transfer students from associate degree programs in related fields may matriculate into the program. Students transferring from another college must, however, complete all General Education course work as required by the University for the bachelor’s degree.