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How to Get a PhD in Public Safety Management

As America becomes increasingly focused on protecting citizens from criminals, as well as man-made and natural disasters, governments, think tanks, public policy institutes, universities, and public safety agencies will rely on doctorate-level professionals to lead us toward a safer future. A PhD in Social Sciences with an emphasis in Public Safety Management provides the ultimate training in how to protect Americans from what might hurt us, from thieves to terrorists, fires to floods. Doctoral students gain the insights needed to influence public policy, govern communities, lead organizations, publish scholarly works, or teach at the college level.

Before you enroll in any degree program, it's essential that you research programs and take a hard look at your own motivations, resources, and goals, and consider whether your life has room for the amount of time it will take to complete a doctorate program, which is designed to take three to five years, but often takes even longer.

A Look at PhD Programs in Public Safety Management

While public safety has always been an important consideration of local governments and service agencies, it's a relatively new field of doctoral study. Technology and science have improved many aspects of our day-to-day lives, but unfortunately, they have also created new and more terrifying means of threatening human lives, as the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and emerging methods of biological and chemical warfare have demonstrated. Such human-caused disasters, as well as devastating natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, have forced the topic of public safety management into the spotlight, and have led to the formation of the federal government's Department of Homeland Security, the Center for Domestic Preparedness, and even a National Preparedness Month, held each September since 2003. They've also led to emerging doctorate degrees, including public safety management, emergency management, public safety leadership, and disaster science.

A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in social sciences with an emphasis on one of these specializations indicates the highest level of competence in research and scholarship. Upon completion of your coursework, you will generally prepare a dissertation, in which you contribute substantially to existing knowledge in the field. A PhD degree is the typical terminal degree in the social sciences, and unlike certain other terminal degrees that emphasize practice, a PhD's focus is on theory, and often leads to work in academia, as well as to leadership or research positions.

Typical public safety-related doctorate degrees include the following specializations:

PhD in Public Safety Leadership or Public Safety Management. The emphasis here is on the executive-level needs of law enforcement organizations, fire services, emergency management agencies, the criminal justice or correctional system, security businesses, or protective professions. Doctoral students will examine organizational theories, issues of human resources and management, labor relations, diversity, etc.
PhD in Emergency Management. This program is designed to create scholars with the theoretical and practical skills to oversee emergency situations, teach future leaders, consult with emergency management professionals and organizations, and work toward developing preventive measures and proactive public policies to effectively deal with future emergencies.
PhD in Criminal Justice. Occasionally, a PhD that specializes in public safety and security is awarded under the broader category of criminal justice, as its focus is essentially on preventing and reducing crime. Your coursework will focus on crime theory, the criminal justice system, research methodologies, and statistics of crime. You might also explore forensic science, the correctional system, security management and administration, and organizational and procedural criminal justice.
PhD in Public Policy and Administration. With an emphasis on terrorism, mediation, and peace, your studies explore the impact of terrorism on society, its history, and effective intervention methods.
PhD in Disaster Science and Management. This program focuses on management of all aspects of disasters, and their impact on the built and natural environments and society as a whole.

Explore other online social sciences programs, or learn more about doctorate programs on WorldWideLearn.com.com.

How to Apply for PhD Programs in Public Safety Management

According to Inside Higher Ed, some of the greatest contributing factors in doctoral students not finishing their programs, aside from finances, are the quality of the program, the guidance offered by faculty, and the support of family and peers. In other words, you're not likely to complete a PhD program if you don't spend enough time finding the right program for you. Following are some helpful steps to take, from evaluating your needs to researching schools, applying, and selecting a program.

Step 1: Evaluate your goals and educational needs.

There are hundreds of great PhD programs in public safety management, each of them appealing to a unique set of students with their own goals and learning styles. What might work for some may not work for you. Determine your own list of requirements by asking yourself the following questions:

Am I more interested in on-campus or online PhD programs? There are many schools offering quality online PhD programs. Online PhD programs have numerous benefits; they offer flexibility and access to tremendous resources and faculty, as well as exposure to a diverse group of people from all over the world. Plus, online PhD programs often cost less and take less time than traditional on-campus programs. However, when it comes to public safety management, traditional face-to-face interaction with instructors and peers is often valuable. They offer more hands-on training opportunities, the ability to enter into stimulating classroom discussions, and the ability to meet important leaders in the field. Also, in distance learning situations, each student is responsible for driving his or her own learning experience. Some programs even offer hybrid options, which combine online and on-campus courses. It's important that you consider what your own limitations and strengths are as a student, and what sort of learning environment you prefer.
What are your career goals? Are your aspirations academic or career-track oriented? This may help you in choosing a program, because some PhD programs offer career guidance and professionalization activities, while others concentrate more on academic research and professorship. Some programs offer opportunities to work in the community or with local public safety agencies, and some do not.
How important is mentorship? A national study of PhD programs found that doctoral students who completed their programs sooner than others also were more likely to give "excellent" ratings to their schools' mentoring and training activities. If it's important to you to work very closely with a mentor or advisor, this should be a criterion you weigh heavily in the research process.
What outside factors will affect your participation in a PhD program? Considering that finances and support from family and peers top the list of important factors in doctoral students' success, these should be given ample weight. Social sciences PhD programs most often receive four to five years' worth of financial aid, so it's a good idea to plan to complete your program in this amount of time. Will you need to continue working full- or part-time as you complete your studies? If so, perhaps an online degree or hybridized program would suit you best. If an on-campus program is your choice, are certain locations more accessible or appealing to you?

Step 2: Research schools and programs.

Make sure you understand what's available in your field of interest. Fortunately, when it comes to doctorate degrees in public safety management, you have a number of resources at your disposal. Here are a few:

FEMA Higher Education Web site: This source explores eight schools with public safety management-related doctorate programs, and provides a separate listing of schools offering distance graduate education.
U.S. News & World Report: This publication ranks the best programs in the social sciences and humanities, and details the differences among them. You'll also find news about colleges or the application process. You'll also find contact information for each program; it's a good idea to contact each school that interests you directly, to request further information about their programs.
American Sociological Association (ASA): This professional association's Web site includes everything from spotlights on careers to news and important research related to the field of social sciences, explanations of various programs and courses of study, and opportunities for networking and advice. Plus, through this site, you can purchase the ASA's Guide to Graduate Departments of Sociology, a publication which provides comprehensive information about 224 graduate sociology departments and their faculties, special programs, costs, financial aid, and enrollment statistics.
WorldWideLearn.com: Consult the Education Advisor for advice and information covering all aspects of the college research and application process, and the latest news on a wide variety of college programs. You can also explore online degrees by subject. Plus, WorldWideLearn.com's free, downloadable book, The Insider's College Guide for Working Adults, provides timely information about colleges, the application process, financial aid, and more.

Step 3: Weigh the pros and cons of each program.

Evaluate what each program offers, and how it aligns with your own wants and needs. Here are some must-haves for any PhD in Public Safety Management program:

Accreditation

When it comes to public safety programs, if your focus is basic job training, accreditation isn't all that important. But when you're talking about a PhD in Public Safety Management, it's essential that you research whether any program you're interested in is accredited, which ensures that your degree will have value and is transferrable; this will also affect your eligibility for financial aid. Get more accreditation information on WorldWideLearn.com.

Time-to-Degree

New research suggests that, from employers' perspective, the time to complete a PhD degree is an indicator of quality of both the program and the graduate. In other words, if it takes too long to complete, employers may question whether or not the candidate can complete future tasks in a timely fashion. Try to find out what the average time to degree for PhD's is.

Mentoring

Mentorship is key for a doctoral student's success. Determine how students find mentors, how many times per year mentors meet with students, and the quality of the faculty available. Look at whether advisors are actively involved in research or have worked or been published in the field of public safety management.

Career Advisement

Explore the professional development activities, networking/training opportunities, and career placement services available. Ask about the proportion of students who get jobs, and in what positions. You might even consult with former students to learn about their experiences. Doctoral students who have received professional advisement tend to have higher completion rates and greater satisfaction with their programs.

Important Questions to Ask Any Graduate School or Department

These questions can help to further narrow down your list of potential PhD programs in public safety management.

How old is this program? (Bear in mind, public safety management is a relatively new field of doctorate study. Sometimes quality of experience is more important than quantity.)
What are the qualifications and experiences of the faculty and staff?
Does this school offer programs that support my career objectives?
What types of teacher training are available for both academic and nonacademic careers?
What teaching, research, or administrative assistantships are available?
What types of funding are available, and for how long?
Is health care or child care available to graduate students?
What proportion of graduate students get jobs, and how many are in the career that I'm interested in?

Step 4: Begin the application process.

Once you've narrowed down your selections to a handful of PhD programs in public safety management, it's time to begin the application process. Determine what each school's prerequisites and application requirements are. They may include the following:

GRE or other qualifying exams: Many PhD programs require a Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score. Starting in summer 2009, there is a new optional component of the GRE, "the Personal Potential Index." This measures personal skills as opposed to test-taking ability. Also, a growing number of graduate programs are accepting portfolios of work completed in place of exam scores.

Professional or academic prerequisites: Many doctoral programs require that candidates have bachelor's and master's degrees in related fields. Some may accept professional experience in lieu of academics. Some programs, particularly those concerning international terrorism or emergency management, require that students know a foreign language.

Prepare for a PhD Degree in Public Safety Management

In addition to thoroughly researching PhD programs, you should also familiarize yourself with emerging trends, important people working in public safety, and special training certain jobs require. You can do this by becoming a member of professional organizations, such as the American Sociological Association or American Political Science Association, or by following prominent organizations such as FEMA or the Department of Homeland Security for important news and conference updates.

The field of public safety management is exciting and ever-evolving, with changes happening every day in the anticipation of and response to disasters and emergencies. The opportunities for protecting and preserving the lives of American citizens, and for affecting the lives of future students as a professor in the field, make earning a PhD degree in public safety management a challenging but highly rewarding accomplishment.

Sources

American Sociological Association (ASA)
Capella University, School of Public Service Leadership
Emergency Management Magazine, Training and Education, Emergency Management Training: How to Find the Right Program, by Bob Jaffin
FEMA Emergency Management Institute
Inside Higher Ed, The Impact of 'Time to Degree'
Inside Higher Ed, Money, Mentors and Love
University of Washington Doctoral Education, PhD Resources: Obtaining a PhD
U.S. News & World Report, Best Social Sciences and Humanities Schools
U.S. News & World Report, Social Sciences Programs: Tips and Stats