Public Safety Management (BSCJ)
The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in Public Safety Management requires 120 credit hours. The program includes four main areas: I. IU Indianapolis Common Core, II. O'Neill General Education/baccalaureate requirements, III. Program/Major requirements, and IV. Open electives. Criminal Justice and Public Safety majors learn to protect communities and their citizens. Students who major in Public Safety Management focus on large-scale disaster preparedness, homeland security, and delivery of lifesaving services including fire fighting, emergency medical services and disaster recovery.
I. IU Indianapolis Common Core (30 Credits)Students at IU Indianapolis will complete 30 hours of general education coursework prior to graduation with a baccalaureate degree. The coursework is aligned with the Indiana Common Core (formerly known as INSTGEC). For more information, please click here.
- Core Communication (2 courses; 6 credits) From approved list, students must take at least one writing course (ENG-W 131 - Reading, Writing and Inquiry I or ENG-W 140 - Reading, Writing and Inquiry I Honors Version) and one speaking and listening course (COMM-R 110 - Fundamentals of Speech Communication) for a total of two courses and six credits.
- Analytical Reasoning (2 courses, 6 credits) From approved list, at least one college level math course. It is recommended that O'Neill students take Math-M 118 (Finite) or higher, and SPEA-K 300 (Statistical Techniques). Required for O’Neill, regardless if INSTGEC Milestone is complete. *SPEA-K 301 (1 cr.) is optional, but recommended to help with SPEA-K 300.
- Life and Physical Sciences (2 courses, 6 credits) From approved list, at least two courses and six credits toward the life and physical sciences.
- Cultural Understanding (1 course; 3 credits) From approved list, at least one course. O'Neill students are encouraged to complete first year competency in a foreign language.
- Arts & Humanities or Social Sciences (3 courses; 9 credits) From approved list, students must take at least three credits from the Arts & Humanities list, at least three credits from the Social Sciences list for a total of nine credits.
Classes in this area must be a minimum of three credits each.
Choose one course:
- BUS-X 204 Business Communications (3 cr.)
- ENG-W 231 Professional Writing Skills (3 cr.)
- ENG-W 270 Argumentative Writing (3 cr.)
Choose one course:
- SPEA-V 261 Using IT in Public Affairs (3 cr.)
- BUS-K 201 Computers in Business (3 cr.)
O'Neill Core Requirements
- HIST-H 105 - American History I (3 cr.)
- HIST-H 106 - American History II (3 cr.)
- Choose from approved list of IU Indianapolis Common Core options (9 cr.)
*If HIST-H 105, HIST-H 106, and/or SPEA-K 300 are used to meet a core requirement, the student must take additional credits from any of the core curriculum general areas (Core Communication, Mathematics/Analytical Reasoning, Life and Physical Sciences, Cultural Understanding, Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences) to achieve the additional O'Neill general education requirement credits. Though, students are not limited to only the core course listings and are encouraged to take higher level courses in those areas, depending on interests, minors, or certificates. Course selection and approval should be done in consultation with a O'Neill Academic Advisor.
All O'Neill students are encouraged to complete First Year Competency in a foreign language.
Students cannot double count courses in this area with their major requirements.
III. Public Safety Management Major (16 courses; 48 cr.)
Public Safety Management Core (10 courses; 30 cr.)
- SPEA-J 101 The American Criminal Justice System (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 150 Public Safety in America (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 202 Criminal Justice Data, Methods, and Resources (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 272/V 272 Terrorism and Public Policy (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 275 Diversity Issues in Criminal Justice (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 376 Principles of Public Safety (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 382 Emergency Management (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 387 Foundations of Homeland Security (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 426 Mapping and Analysis for Public Safety (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 429 Public Safety Management Capstone (3 cr.)
Choose six Public Safety Management electives from the list below (18 cr.; 12 cr. must be 300/400 level)
- SPEA-J 201 Theoretical Foundations of Criminal Justice Policies
- SPEA-J 205 Juvenile Justice
- SPEA-J 206 The Criminal Courts
- SPEA-J 211 Introduction to Criminal Law and Procedure
- SPEA-J 220 Criminal Investigation
- SPEA-J 232 Investigating Post-Blast Crime Scenes (1-3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 238 Introduction to Modern Police Practices
- SPEA-J 260* Topics in Criminal Justice (1-3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 303 Evidence
- SPEA-J 311 Criminal Law and Procedure
- SPEA-J 321 American Policing
- SPEA-J 331 Corrections
- SPEA-J 280/SPEA-J 380/SPEA-V 380* Internship in Criminal Justice(1-3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 327/SPEA-V 328* Applied Research Experience (1-3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 480/SPEA-V 480 Research in Criminal Justice (1-6 cr.)
- SPEA-V 252 Career Development and Planning (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 263 Public Management
- SPEA-V 362 Nonprofit Management and Leadership
- SPEA-V 366 Managing Behavior in Public Organizations
- SPEA-V 376 Project Planning and Management
- SPEA-V 412 Leadership and Ethics
- SPEA-V 435 Negotiation and Alternate Dispute Resolution
- SPEA-V 443 Managing Workforce Diversity
- SPEA-V 482 Overseas Study*
*Indicates may count toward this requirement, but are limited to a maximum of 3 credits each
Current Ivy Tech students completing HSPS 211 (Intro to Mitigation) at Ivy Tech will be able to count this within this area once it is on your IU Indianapolis transcript, Work with an O’Neill Advisor to ensure this course is pulled into your Academic Advisement Report (AAR) in One.iu.edu.
IV. Open Electives (credit hours vary)Additional courses beyond the IU Indianapolis Common Core, O'Neill General Education requirements, and Major requirements to total 120 credit hours.
- Only college level course work will count toward open electives. Remedial courses in areas such as math and English do not count.
- Review “Verify 120 credit hours” within your AAR to see how many *credits/*open electives remain after current semester.
- Transfer students, please also review the “Residency Requirement at IU Indianapolis” area on your AAR.
- How to calculate open electives: Take “credits needed,” subtract the credits you have left for your degree. If credits remain, this is open electives.
- Open electives can include minors/certificates. If minor/certificate is with O’Neill, you can double count two courses from you major and the minor/certificate.
Important notes:
Students may transfer to O'Neill School of Public & Environmental Affairs once they acquire 12 credit hours, an overall cumulative GPA of 2.0, and a previous semester GPA of 2.0.
On the Indianapolis campus, no more than 50 percent of courses taken to satisfy the requirements of the Public Safety Management Concentration may be transfer courses from other accredited institutions of higher learning; including all IU campuses.
O'Neill Good Standing requires: a previous semester 2.0 GPA, a cumulative 2.0 GPA.
Please see your O'Neill Academic Advisor with any questions. To make an appointment with your advisor, call O'Neill Student Services at 317-274-4656.
