The Public Safety Concentration will allow public safety professionals to advance
in their careers. In the program, public safety officials will have the opportunity
to develop important knowledge and skills in crisis response, diversity, communication,
and leadership. MTSU standard admission requirements apply. The B.S. Integrated Studies, Public Safety concentration will be an interdisciplinary program utilizing courses from five academic departments
within the concentration. The program officially begins in the 2022 Fall Semester.
Those recommended for the program include those currently in law enforcement, homeland security, emergency management, fire safety, and other public
service professionals at the local, state, and federal level with some college credit but no baccalaureate degree. The concentration also serves
a variety of safety and other related service professionals in both the private and
non-profit sectors. The degree is available online, allowing students complete their
degree while continuing to work full-time. The opportunity for Prior Learning Assessment
will also be available.
Elective course requirements for adult learners are often fulfilled through the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) program, which evaluates college-level learning you may have gained through work,
training, certifications. licensure, military. and other programs.
On average, a student in the PLA course yields 24 credit hours for a student. That
saves the student from taking eight elective courses and more than $9,000. (Total
based off 2021-2022 in-state tuition rates.) Details about the program should be discussed
with your advisor.
LEAD 3010 (Leadership Skills and Development)
LEAD 3010 is a core class in the Public Safety concentration. It provides an examination
of prominent theories, approaches, and a research-based understanding of the theoretical
construct of leadership. Emphasis will be placed on the evolution of leadership theory
and contribution of research to the synthesis of historical leadership perspectives
into contemporary leadership models.
“Students will explore and reflect on their personal leadership philosophy, as influenced
by theory and personal experience,” says Jim Bast, Jim Bast, a faculty member in the
Department of Management and instructor for LEAD 3010. “The leadership skills covered
in this course are applicable in both public and private organizations.”
This course is asynchronous (content available for a week at a time) over 7 weeks.
This allows working adults to complete the coursework at their convenience, dealing
with busy work and home schedules. Also accommodates those students who travel.
Dianna Rust and President McPhee
"We are excited to announce a new concentration in Public Safety which begins in Summer
2022," said Dianna Rust, professor in MTSU’s Department of University Studies. "Our
college has always been focused on serving the adult learner and this degree was built
with adult learners in mind. It will be helpful to adults who work in public safety
and related fields who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree but need to still work full-time."
The degree can be completed entirely online and some of the courses will be offered
in seven-week sessions so that you can concentrate on one class at a time. The program
also provides adults an opportunity to gain credit for their prior learning, which
can expedite reaching their goal of graduation. "Another feature is that the program
includes courses from several departments so that students can receive a well-rounded
foundation," she said. Courses in the core range from leadership to communication
to sociology. We want to recognize our partner departments whose faculty will be teaching
in the concentration: Communication Studies, Health and Human Performance, Management,
Sociology and Anthropology, and University Studies.
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A college degree in public safety can lead you into a variety of fields. From disaster
relief to working for local fire or police departments, these careers are important
and rewarding. Potential careers include:
- Homeland Security Planner Emergency Management
- Law Enforcement
- Child protective services investigator
- Correctional Officer
- Military
- Disaster Preparedness
- Emergency Services Manager
- Fire Service Manager
- Chief Security Officer
- Emergency Medical Technician Occupational Health and Safety Specialist Social and
Community Service Manager Dispatcher
- Social services worker
- Crisis manager
- Community Service Officer
The Bachelor of Science in Integrated Studies (B.S.) is an interdisciplinary degree
offered through MTSU's University College. Students may choose from several pre-planned
Areas of Emphasis through partnership with other university departments or design
their own in consultation with an advisor.
Integrated Studies, Public Safety Concentration, B.S.
University Studies
615-494-7714
Dianna Rust, program coordinator
Dianna.Rust@mtsu.edu
The interdisciplinary Public Safety concentration will provide an adult degree completion program to public safety professionals and will provide them with the opportunity to develop important knowledge and skills in crisis response, diversity, communication, and leadership.
Academic Map
Following is a printable, suggested four-year schedule of courses:
Integrated Studies, Public Safety, B.S., Academic Map
Degree Requirements
| General Education | 41 hours |
| Major Requirements | 31 hours |
| Electives | 48 hours |
| TOTAL | 120 hours |
General Education (41 hours)
General Education requirements (shown in curricular listings below) include courses in Communication, History, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social/Behavioral Sciences.
Major Requirements (31 hours)
Required (16 hours)
COMM 3590 - Organizational Crisis Communication
3 credit hours
Focuses on communication theory, practice, and innovative approaches for handling organizational crisis. Highlights successes and failures for dealing with crisis leadership, managing uncertainty, communicating effectively, understanding risk, promoting communication ethics, and enabling organizational learning across a variety of organizations and crisis.
LEAD 3010 - Leadership Skills and Development
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Junior standing; admission into the College of Business. Focuses on individual leadership development. Emphasis on leadership practices and skill development.
MGMT 3940 - Ethical Leadership in Business
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Junior standing and admission to the College of Business. Focuses on individual actions required of ethical organization members and how a leader can use organizational factors to lead an ethical organization. Goal is to sharpen skills in areas including values alignment, ethical decision making, creating an ethical organizational culture, developing a strategic approach to social responsibility, and leading with empathy by considering different perspectives of right/wrong and the impact business decisions have on various stakeholders through the lens of current events.
PRST 3995 - Interdisciplinary Research and Problem Solving
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Junior standing; B.S. in Integrated Studies and Professional Studies majors only. Offers preparation for the senior capstone (PRST 4995) or practicum (PRST 4997). Explores and applies interdisciplinary research theory and processes. Emphasis on identifying interdisciplinary research problems, determining relevant disciplines, conducting a literature search, evaluating research, properly citing sources in writing, integrating disciplinary insights, and developing research proposal.
PRST 4000 - Public Safety Capstone
1 credit hour
Prerequisite: PRST 3995; senior standing. A capstone course in which students demonstrate skills and knowledge from the Public Safety concentration program of study (crisis response, diversity, communication, and leadership).
SOC 3300 - Diversity in the Workplace
3 credit hours
Covers various aspects of organizational diversity, focusing primarily on the United States. Explores current patterns of social inequality in the workplace with a specific emphasis on gender, race/ethnicity, age, and family arrangements. Focuses on the link between these social patterns and workforce diversity.
Public Safety Concentration Electives (15 hours)
COMM 3220 - Small Group Communication
3 credit hours
Exploration and application of pertinent concepts and theories of group dynamics, decision-making procedures, problem solving, and leadership.
COMM 3500 - Communication for Organizational Effectiveness
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: COMM 2100 and COMM 2140. Organizational communication and its relationship to employees, leadership, corporate culture, diversity, change, and innovation. Possible topics include work-life balance and organizational identity.
COMM 3650 - Conflict in Communication
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: COMM 2300; sophomore standing. Explores the role of communication in conflict management/resolution between or among individuals and groups. Also examines third party interventions (such as mediation and negotiation) and workplace policies (such as theft and employee assistance programs).
HLTH 3300 - First Aid and Safety Education
3 credit hours
(Same as PHED 3300.) Deals with first aid measures, accident prevention, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Addresses issues related to drug use/abuse and related acts of violence. Satisfactory completion of the course qualifies the student for Emergency Care and Safety Institute Standard First Aid and CPR certificates. NOTE: If taking online, student must take skills test with instructor in order to receive certification.
HLTH 4340 - Fitness Education for the Adult
3 credit hours
(Same as PHED 4340/REC 4340.) Planning, teaching, and participating in individual and group fitness programs for the adult. Offers preparation for administering and interpreting assessments of related components with understanding of physiological principles related to exercise in the adult. Major lifetime wellness activities covered.
HLTH 4400 - Drugs and Violence in Health Education
3 credit hours
Offers an understanding of the nature of drugs, relationships people form with drugs, and consequences of those relationships. Relationship of drugs to acts of violence considered as well as educational programs addressing issues related to drug use/abuse and acts of violence.
MGMT 3800 - Managing Change and Conflict in Organizations
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Junior standing; admission to the Jones College of Business. Examines contemporary thought on managerial roles in identifying, fostering, and implementing change in complex environments. Study of current developments in leading groups through change and managing conflict in organizations by use of competencies related to negotiation and mediation.
PRST 3010 - Prior Learning Assessment
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020 or equivalent; permission of instructor. Students will be required to prepare a portfolio of their college-level experiential learning for credit assessment; participate in a formal assessment process, and pass course PRST 3010. Students should consult their advisors to determine if experiential learning credit might be an option for them. Prior-Learning Assessed credit may be applied to the B.S. in Integrated Studies, Professional Studies, and Liberal Studies. PLA credit may also be applied to other degree programs. Check with your college advisor.
PRST 4510 - Using Teams to Facilitate Organizational Development
3 credit hours
Studies organizations as systems and how teams can help facilitate change in organizations.
SAFE 4320 - Principles of Accident Control
3 credit hours
Basic course on principles, concepts, and methodology of the safety movement. Introductory experiences dealing with accident prevention and control efforts recommended for various social institutions and agencies.
SOC 4152 - Topics in Criminology
3 credit hours
An in-depth study of a special topic in criminology. Interested students should contact the instructor for specifics.
SOC 4160 - Sociology of Gangs
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: SOC 1010. History of gangs in the United States, the factors that account for their formation and perpetuation, and current empirical data on gang composition, demographics, and culture. Policy strategies for prevention, law enforcement, and nonlegal intervention assessed.
SOC 4400 - Sex Trafficking
3 credit hours
(Same as ANTH 4400.) Provides an in-depth analysis of the causes, experiences, and implications of global sex trafficking through a social science and feminist perspective. Utilizes various multimedia methods to examine sex trafficking both globally and locally; includes both an anthropological and sociological perspective, incorporating statistical analysis of-and individual narratives from-the transnational sex industry.
THM 4300 - Issues and Trends in Tourism and Hospitality Management
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: THM 3100. Examines current critical issues facing the hospitality and tourism industry. Through examination, students will assess the implications and impacts of these trends and issues as well as develop an understanding for how to manage, utilize, mitigate, and develop their outcomes.
Electives (48 hours)
- 3000 to 4000-level electives 5 credit hours
- Unrestricted electives 43 credit hours
Curriculum: Integrated Studies, Public Safety
Curricular listings include General Education requirements in Communication, History, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social/Behavioral Sciences categories.
Freshman Fall
ENGL 1010 - Expository Writing
3 credit hours
The first General Education English course. Emphasis on learning to adapt composing processes to a variety of expository and analytic writing assignments. Minimum grade of C- required to meet degree requirements.
- Social/Behavioral Sciences 3 credit hours
- Mathematics 3 credit hours
- Elective 3 credit hours
UNIV 1010 - University Seminar
3 credit hours
Provides information to ease the transition to college during the first semester on campus. Helps student develop strategies for a successful college career.
Subtotal: 15 Hours
Freshman Spring
ENGL 1020 - Research and Argumentative Writing
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: ENGL 1010. The second General Education English course. Emphasis on analytic and argumentative writing and on locating, organizing, and using library resource materials in the writing. Minimum grade of C- required to meet degree requirements.
COMM 2200 - Fundamentals of Communication
3 credit hours
Introduces principles and processes of effective public oral communication including researching, critical thinking, organizing, presenting, listening, and using appropriate language. Counts as part of the General Education Communication requirement. TBR Common Course: COMM 2025
- Natural Sciences 4 credit hours
- Elective 3 credit hours
- Humanities and/or Fine Arts 3 credit hours
Subtotal: 16 Hours
Sophomore Fall
ENGL 2020 - Themes in Literature and Culture
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020. Traces a specific theme or idea through a number of literary texts that reflect different historical and cultural contexts. Subject will vary.
ENGL 2030 - The Experience of Literature
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020. The reading of a variety of literary types which illuminate themes and experiences common to human existence.
HUM 2610 - World Literatures
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020. Representative works of French, German, and Hispanic authors in English translation. No foreign-language proficiency required. Carries General Education credit.
HIST 2010 - Survey of United States History I
3 credit hours
Survey of the political, economic, social, cultural, and diplomatic phases of American life in its regional, national, and international aspects. Discusses the era from the beginning to 1877. May be used to satisfy one part of the General Education History requirement. HIST 2010 is NOT a prerequisite for HIST 2020. TBR Common Course: HIST 2010
HIST 2020 - Survey of United States History II
3 credit hours
Survey of the political, economic, social, cultural, and diplomatic phases of American life in its regional, national, and international aspects. Discusses the era from 1877 to the present. May be used to satisfy one part of the the General Education History requirement. HIST 2010 is NOT a prerequisite for HIST 2020. TBR Common Course: HIST 2020
HIST 2030 - Tennessee History
3 credit hours
The role of the state in the development of the nation. May be used to satisfy one part of the General Education History requirement. TBR Common Course: HIST 2030
HIST 2040 - Survey African American History I
3 credit hours
The role of African Americans in establishing and shaping the American nation. Covers their historical development and contributions to American art, music, literature, and religion. May be used to satisfy one part of the General Education History requirement.
NOTE: HIST 2040 is not a prerequisite for HIST 2050.
HIST 2050 - Survey African American History II
3 credit hours
The role of African Americans in shaping the American nation and creating a twentieth-century racial identity. Covers their historical development and examines their contributions to American art, music, literature, and religion. May be used to satisfy one part of the General Education History requirement.
SOC 3300 - Diversity in the Workplace
3 credit hours
Covers various aspects of organizational diversity, focusing primarily on the United States. Explores current patterns of social inequality in the workplace with a specific emphasis on gender, race/ethnicity, age, and family arrangements. Focuses on the link between these social patterns and workforce diversity.
- Humanities and/or Fine Arts 3 credit hours
- Elective 3 credit hours
Subtotal: 15 Hours
Sophomore Spring
HIST 2010 - Survey of United States History I
3 credit hours
Survey of the political, economic, social, cultural, and diplomatic phases of American life in its regional, national, and international aspects. Discusses the era from the beginning to 1877. May be used to satisfy one part of the General Education History requirement. HIST 2010 is NOT a prerequisite for HIST 2020. TBR Common Course: HIST 2010
HIST 2020 - Survey of United States History II
3 credit hours
Survey of the political, economic, social, cultural, and diplomatic phases of American life in its regional, national, and international aspects. Discusses the era from 1877 to the present. May be used to satisfy one part of the the General Education History requirement. HIST 2010 is NOT a prerequisite for HIST 2020. TBR Common Course: HIST 2020
HIST 2030 - Tennessee History
3 credit hours
The role of the state in the development of the nation. May be used to satisfy one part of the General Education History requirement. TBR Common Course: HIST 2030
HIST 2040 - Survey African American History I
3 credit hours
The role of African Americans in establishing and shaping the American nation. Covers their historical development and contributions to American art, music, literature, and religion. May be used to satisfy one part of the General Education History requirement.
NOTE: HIST 2040 is not a prerequisite for HIST 2050.
HIST 2050 - Survey African American History II
3 credit hours
The role of African Americans in shaping the American nation and creating a twentieth-century racial identity. Covers their historical development and examines their contributions to American art, music, literature, and religion. May be used to satisfy one part of the General Education History requirement.
LEAD 3010 - Leadership Skills and Development
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Junior standing; admission into the College of Business. Focuses on individual leadership development. Emphasis on leadership practices and skill development.
- Social/Behavioral Sciences 3 credit hours
- Natural Sciences 4 credit hours
- Elective 3 credit hours
Subtotal: 16 Hours
Junior Fall
COMM 3590 - Organizational Crisis Communication
3 credit hours
Focuses on communication theory, practice, and innovative approaches for handling organizational crisis. Highlights successes and failures for dealing with crisis leadership, managing uncertainty, communicating effectively, understanding risk, promoting communication ethics, and enabling organizational learning across a variety of organizations and crisis.
MGMT 3940 - Ethical Leadership in Business
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Junior standing and admission to the College of Business. Focuses on individual actions required of ethical organization members and how a leader can use organizational factors to lead an ethical organization. Goal is to sharpen skills in areas including values alignment, ethical decision making, creating an ethical organizational culture, developing a strategic approach to social responsibility, and leading with empathy by considering different perspectives of right/wrong and the impact business decisions have on various stakeholders through the lens of current events.
PRST 3995 - Interdisciplinary Research and Problem Solving
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: Junior standing; B.S. in Integrated Studies and Professional Studies majors only. Offers preparation for the senior capstone (PRST 4995) or practicum (PRST 4997). Explores and applies interdisciplinary research theory and processes. Emphasis on identifying interdisciplinary research problems, determining relevant disciplines, conducting a literature search, evaluating research, properly citing sources in writing, integrating disciplinary insights, and developing research proposal.
- Upper-division electives 6 credit hours
Subtotal: 15 Hours
Junior Spring
- Directed electives 12 credit hours
- Upper-division elective 3 credit hours
Subtotal: 15 Hours
Senior Fall
- Upper-division electives/minor 12 credit hours
- Directed elective 3 credit hours
Subtotal: 15 Hours
Senior Spring
PRST 4000 - Public Safety Capstone
1 credit hour
Prerequisite: PRST 3995; senior standing. A capstone course in which students demonstrate skills and knowledge from the Public Safety concentration program of study (crisis response, diversity, communication, and leadership).
- Upper-division electives/minor 6 credit hours
- Upper-division elective 3 credit hours
- Elective 3 credit hours
Subtotal: 13 Hours
Our adjunct faculty bring outstanding professional experience to our programs. Many are industry leaders with decorated careers and honors. Importantly, they are innovative educators who offer hands-on learning to our students to prepare them to enter and thrive in a dynamic, and oftentimes emerging, industry and professional world. They inspire, instruct, and challenge our students toward academic and professional success.
Prior Learning Assessment
Finish Your Degree Faster by Getting Credit For What You Already Know
- Students may earn up to 60 hours—which equals two years of college credit—for what
they already know
- Credit hours earned depends upon the individual student’s background and experience
There are numerous ways to earn college credit outside the traditional classrooms,
and we will work with you to take advantage of all the methods that are right for
you. Many adult students spend years in the workforce or military developing valuable
skills, earning certifications, taking continuing education programs, and obtaining
licenses for specific functions. At MTSU we have developed a means to turn this prior
knowledge into college credit to complete a degree. View our PLA brochure here for more information.
Online or Hybrid Programs at a Glance
This program is available fully online.
For More Information or Explore Your Options
Contact your department / program coordinator or advisor for more details about the program OR work one-on-one with your advisor to explore your options.
The Online Advantage
With over 25 years of experience in online teaching and learning, MTSU Online offers students access to innovative, high-quality programs. Designed with students in mind, our courses allow maximum flexibility for those unable to participate in person.
Resources and services for online students are available from MTSU Online or contact us at distance@mtsu.edu.
