Public Safety Management Major

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree Requirements
124 semester hours

Public Safety Management is a completion major designed to complement the existing technical skills of an individual to include general knowledge, communication skills and application of business and leadership practices. The major will accept students who have the equivalent of an associate's degree, including 24 semester credit hours (36 quarter credit hours) of courses in a defined technical discipline that has a public safety mission, from an accredited institution or professional certification from an approved public safety training academy. The 24 semester hours of instruction must be approved by the Public Safety Management Program Chair.

Students seeking a bachelor's degree must earn at least 40 credit hours in residence at Franklin University to be eligible for a degree. Students entering the major with an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) or technical training and other college credit must satisfy General Education requirements listed below for a total of 50 hours in General Education.

The following degree requirements are from the current Franklin University Academic Bulletin. If you began your coursework before the current academic year, please contact your SSA for your degree requirements. Always confirm your degree requirements with your SSA.

Technical Credit

Students with Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees in Law Enforcement, Criminal Justice, Fire Safety, Emergency Medical Services, Corrections or other Public Safety related fields will satisfy the Technical and some of the General Education requirements of the B.S. degree in Public Safety Management at Franklin University. Students without an A.A.S. degree must satisfy the Technical and all of the General Education requirements listed below.

Fundamental General Education Core (24 hours)
All courses must be at the 100 or 200 level

• Minimum of three semester hours of English Composition (if the course does not have a research paper component, COMM 130 Research Paper, two semester credits, is also required)
  Choose COMM 120 College Writing.
• Minimum of three semester hours of Mathematics (at least one mathematics or statistics course beyond the level of intermediate algebra)
  Choose from MATH 160 College Algebra, MATH 180 Applied Calculus, MATH 210 Finite Mathematics, MATH 220 Business Calculus, or MATH 215 Statistical Concepts.
• Minimum of six semester hours of Sciences (two science courses, with one having a laboratory component)
  Choose from the Science discipline.
• Minimum of six semester hours of Social and Behavioral Sciences (which must be in at least two different disciplines)
  Choose from the Anthropology, Economics, Psychology, and Sociology disciplines.
• Minimum of six semester hours of Arts and Humanities
  Choose from the Humanities discipline.

Additional General Education Requirements (26 hours)

• COMM 320 - Business and Professional Communication (4)
• COMP 106 - Introduction to Spreadsheets (1)
• COMP 108 - Introduction to Databases (1)
• ECON 210* - Introduction to Microeconomics (4) OR
  ECON 220* - Introduction to Macroeconomics (4)
• HUMN 305 - Global Issues (4)
• MATH 215 - Statistical Concepts (4)
• PF 321 - Learning Strategies (2)
• SPCH 100 - Speech Communication (4) OR
  COMM 150 - Interpersonal Communication (4)
• General Education Electives (2)
  

*Select another Social Science elective if either Economics course is used in the Fundamental General Education Core.
**Select another General Education Elective if MATH 215 is used in the Fundamental General Education Core.

Professional Core (16 hours)

• BSAD 312 - Management Theory and Practices (4)
• PSMT 225 - Introduction to Public Safety Management (4)
• PSYC 310 - The Psychology of Personal Development (4)
• SOCL 110 - Introduction to Sociology (4)

University Electives (14 hours)

Any undergraduate courses offered by the University except developmental education courses.

Public Safety Technical Area (24 hours)

24 credit hours in a public safety related discipline from transfer credit.

Major Area (20 hours)

• PSMT 315 - Contemporary Issues in Public Safety Management (4)
• PSMT 335 - Emergency Management and Homeland Security (4)
• PSMT 420 - Public Sector Finance and Budgeting (4)
• PSMT 440 - Administrative Law (4)
• PSMT 495 - Public Safety Management Capstone (4)

A minimum 2.25 GPA is required in the major area and each major area course must be completed with a grade of "C" or better to count toward degree requirements.

If needed, English, reading, and mathematics placement tests determine which, if any, developmental education courses are required. Students placing into these courses must pass them prior to enrolling in any course at the 200 level or above. Developmental education courses carry institutional credit only and do not count toward degree requirements for graduation. Computer Literacy is a General Education prerequisite. Students with computer experience will have the option of completing a free placement exam to waive this prerequisite.

All students are required to pass College Writing (COMM 120), Learning Strategies (PF 321), and either Speech Communication (SPCH 100) or Interpersonal Communication (COMM 150) prior to enrolling in any course at the 200 level or above. PF 321 must be taken prior to the first BLF course, or it may be taken concurrently with the first 15-week BLF course. General Education courses must be selected from science, math, social and behavioral science, humanities, economics, communication or professional foundations. Students must also meet the University algebra competency requirement.

The Public Safety Management Program also offers a Minor.