Doctorate in Public Safety (DPS)

CIP Code

43.0104

Doctor of Science in Public Safety (DSPS)

Dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences: Dr. David Biek
Chair of the Department of Psychology and Criminal Justice: Dr. Paul Gladden
Interim Graduate Program Coordinator, DSPS: Dr. John Hall

(478) 757-5748, office
(478) 471-2501, FAX Email: john.hall3@mga.edu

School of Education and Behavioral Sciences
Middle Georgia State University
100 University Parkway
Macon, Georgia 31206

Program Description (Doctor of Science in Public Safety)

The Doctor of Science in Public Safety is a graduate program that prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state, and federal government and that focuses on the systematic study of executive organization and management. The program includes instruction in the roles, development, and principles of public administration; the management of public policy; executive-legislative relations; public budgetary processes and financial management; administrative law; public personnel management; professional ethics; and research methods. The Public Safety Doctoral Program is designed to serve current professionals within the field who have interest in advancing into leadership roles within their respective area. The proposed program fits well within both the vision and mission of MGA by offering a doctoral level practitioner focused program that enhances partnerships between research and practice in the public safety workforce. The program aims to merge the practice of public safety with the research capabilities of higher education to provide a holistic approach to in-service training (i.e., to working public safety professionals), with concentration being on those who are currently in, or plan to seek, administrative positions within their respective agency or area of experience and linking them with researchers who can guide program evaluation with the intent of improving public safety for all Georgians.

Program Format (Doctor of Science in Public Safety)

The Doctor of Science in Public Safety (DSPS) curriculum emphasizes the core concepts, theories, and practices of public safety management to provide a holistic approach to administrative education. The program includes coursework in management and leadership theories, human resource practices, cultural competency, and program evaluation with an emphasis on application of this knowledge within a public safety context. The DSPS program requires students to complete 54 hours of graduate coursework. All courses are offered online and students may complete the program on a full-time or part-time basis. Students choose from among two concentration tracks: Those who select the security and analytics track will learn the foundations of security systems theories and practices and will then apply those to specific analyses (i.e., geographical information systems or financial and fraud analysis). Alternately, students who select the emergency and disaster management track will focus on the application of resilience to public emergencies and disaster science within a public safety context. In the capstone course for the program, students will complete a field-based research project using the skills acquired through their previous coursework, including Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods Course. Projects will be focused on a real-world challenge faced in the student’s public safety agency and will include implementation and evaluation of a programmatic solution to that challenge.

Doctorate in Public Safety Curriculum

Students must complete all program requirements with a grade of "B" or better.

Core Courses (33 Credit Hours)

Complete each of the following courses.

SFTY 7000Public Safety Administration

3

SFTY 7010Correctional Management & Law

3

SFTY 7020Police Management & Law

3

SFTY 7030Legal Issues in Criminal Justice Organizations

3

SFTY 7040Public Administration

3

SFTY 7050Organizational Theory

3

SFTY 7060State and Local Government

3

SFTY 7070Public Agency Financial Management

3

SFTY 7100Qualitative Methods and Analysis

3

SFTY 7110Quantitative Methods and Analysis

3

SFTY 8120Policy & Program Evaluation

3

Global Diversity Elective (3 Credit Hours)

Complete one of the following courses.

SFTY 7200Cultural Crime and Justice

3

SFTY 7210International Affairs

3

Concentration Track (9 Credit Hours)

Choose and complete one of the following concentration areas.

Security and Analytics Track

Security and Analytics Required Courses

Complete both courses.

SFTY 8000Security Systems

3

SFTY 8010Geographic Information Systems

3

Security and Analytics Track Elective

Complete one of the following.

SFTY 8130Financial Investigation & Fraud Prevention

3

SFTY 8140Cybercrime

3

Emergency and Disaster Management Track

Emergency and Disaster Management Track Required Courses

Complete both courses.

SFTY 8400Infrastructure and Resilience

3

SFTY 8410Emergency Management

3

Emergency and Disaster Management Track Elective

Choose and complete one of the following.

SFTY 8430Disaster Science

3

SFTY 8420Conflict Management

3

Practicum (9 Credit Hours)

Complete both courses.

SFTY 8980Evaluation Design and Planning

3

SFTY 8990Evaluation Implementation

6