Public Safety Administration
Announcement
Announcement: Rio Salado students interested in the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Public Safety Administration program have the option to enroll in the Administration of Justice Studies and Public Administration pathway map specializations:
The BAS Public Safety Administration Specializations in Corrections, Detention, Juvenile Corrections, and Law Enforcement Training are offered through an educational partnership and require employment by the partnership organization prior to admission.
Rio Salado does not offer the specializations in Fire Science, Fire Management, or Paramedicine, as listed in the admission criteria, but students with these backgrounds can pursue the Public Safety Administration degree as a general pathway.
For more information, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Please contact a Rio advisor for questions on the most current program information.
Credit for Prior Learning:
Students enrolled in the Public Safety Administration degree program can submit an application for Credit by Evaluation for 300 and 400 level PSA courses for training previously completed.
For information on the credit for prior learning evaluation process, please contact Laura Liuzzo, Faculty Chair of Public Safety Programs, at [email protected]
The Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Public Safety Administration prepares students with the skills necessary to coordinate, develop, and direct the resources of a variety of public safety agencies. Courses within this program analyze the legal, political, and social factors related to public safety, and provide an overview of topics such as organizational theory, public policy, resource management, leadership, and ethics. Prior to completion of this program, students will complete a capstone project within the field of public safety administration, applying the concepts covered throughout the program.
Details
Field of Interest
Behavioral Science and Human Services
Degree Type
Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS)
Academic Plan
Public Safety Administration (DEG)
Academic Plan Code
9303
Total credits required
120
Catalog Year
2026-2027
Effective Term
Fall 2026
Admission criteria
Entry to the Bachelor’s of Applied Science (BAS) in Public Safety Administration requires completion of, or eligibility to complete, a designated Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in a public safety-related field. Refer to BAS Plan Electives for a complete list of qualifying programs, and to eligible AAS degrees for associate-level admission criteria.
Notes
Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses within the program.
The BAS in Public Safety Administration is aligned with the following current Maricopa CCL and AAS awards and supports students seeking professional advancement:
AAS3181/Associate in Applied Science, Administration of Justice Studies
AAS3016/Associate in Applied Science, Corrections and Detention
AAS3205/Associate in Applied Science, Fire Science
AAS3207/Associate in Applied Science, Fire Service Management
AAS3183/Associate in Applied Science, Forensic Science
AAS3188/Associate in Applied Science, Law Enforcement Training
AAS3889/Associate in Applied Science, Paramedicine
CCL5007N/Administration of Justice
CCL5698N/Basic Corrections
CCL5699N/Basic Detention
CCL5081N/Advanced Corrections and Detention
CCL5322N/Homeland Security
CCL5987N/Law Enforcement
CCL5027N/Law Enforcement Field Training
CCL5991N/Law Enforcement Training Academy
CCL5966N/Legal Studies
CCL5392N/Victimology
CCL5557/Firefighter Operations
CCL5420/Fire Service Management
CCL5990/Paramedicine
++ indicates that any suffixed course may be selected.
What You'll Learn
- Examine public administration management within the context of public safety and criminal justice organizations.
- Analyze public policies, structures, and the social forces that influence policy utilizing research to evaluate their effect on public safety and criminal justice organizations.
- Assess the ethical basis for public service.
- Assess the impact of key leadership and organizational theories within public safety and criminal justice organizations.
- Develop plans to manage complex events and incidents.
- Analyze the role of evolving technologies and social media including their application to practices within the fields of public safety and criminal justice.
- Demonstrate effective oral and written communication to diverse audiences as it relates to the fields of public safety and criminal justice.
Career Statistics
Successful completion of this degree may lead to employment in a variety of different occupations and industries. Below are examples of related occupations with associated Arizona-based wages* for this degree. Education requirements vary for the occupations listed below, so you may need further education or degrees in order to qualify for some of these jobs and earn the related salaries. Please visit with an academic advisor and/or program director for additional information. You can click on any occupation to view the detail regarding education level, wages, and employment information.
Emergency Management Directors
$67,050
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers
$60,140
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives
$98,610
General and Operations Managers
$99,490
Medical and Health Services Managers
$117,420
Social and Community Service Managers
$69,700
Training and Development Managers
$107,340
There are additional career opportunities associated with this degree that do not have occupational data available for Arizona at this time. These occupations are listed below:
- Personal Service Managers, All Other
* Career and wage information provided by Pipeline AZ using data, reports, and forecasts which are generated using government data sources. Sources
Course Sequence by Term
The following is the suggested course sequence by term. Please keep in mind:
- Students should meet with an academic advisor to develop an individual education plan that meets their academic and career goals. Use the Degree Progress Report Tool in your Student Center to manage your plan.
- The course sequence is laid out by suggested term and may be affected when students enter the program at different times of the year.
- Initial course placement is determined by current district placement measures and/or completion of 100-200 level course and/or program requirements.
- Degree and transfer seeking students may be required to successfully complete a MCCCD First Year Experience Course (FYE) within the first two semesters at a MCCCD College. Courses include FYE101 and FYE103. Course offerings will vary by college. See an academic, program, or faculty advisor for details.
Full-time Sequence
| Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) |
|---|
|
Students pursuing an Associate for transfer to a university or a MCCCD bachelor's degree should note the following changes to the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) requirements, effective Catalog Years 2026-27 and beyond. Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to assess whether transitioning to the Reimagined AGEC requirements aligns with educational goals and to ensure completion of all graduation requirements. Effective Catalog Year 2026-27 and beyond, AGEC Requirements will include:
Effective Catalog Year 2026-27 and beyond, AGEC Requirements will no longer include:
For a full outline of the Reimagined AGEC Requirements, please visit Maricopa’s AGEC Webpage. |
Part-time Sequence
| Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) |
|---|
|
Students pursuing an Associate for transfer to a university or a MCCCD bachelor's degree should note the following changes to the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) requirements, effective Catalog Years 2026-27 and beyond. Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to assess whether transitioning to the Reimagined AGEC requirements aligns with educational goals and to ensure completion of all graduation requirements. Effective Catalog Year 2026-27 and beyond, AGEC Requirements will include:
Effective Catalog Year 2026-27 and beyond, AGEC Requirements will no longer include:
For a full outline of the Reimagined AGEC Requirements, please visit Maricopa’s AGEC Webpage. |
Course Area Key
- AHM = Arts and Humanities
- FYC = First-Year Composition
- IAM = Institutions of the Americas
- NSI = Natural Sciences
- OCM = Oral Communication
- QNR = Quantitative Reasoning
- SCB = Social and Behavioral Sciences
- WCM = Written Communication
Disclaimer
Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses within the program.
Course Sequence total credits may differ from the program information located on the MCCCD curriculum website due to program and system design.
View MCCCD’s official curriculum documentation for additional details regarding the requirements of this award at https://aztransmac2.asu.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/acres.woa/wa/customView?id=16462090.
At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.
Previous Catalog Years
The pathway map presented above is for the current catalog year and is the intended pathway map for new students. All previous catalog years for this pathway map are available at the link below.
Previous catalog years for Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Public Safety Administration
Public Safety Administration FAQ
The Bachelor's degree in Public Safety Administration (PSA) is a great opportunity for our criminal justice students to start at any Maricopa Community College and finish at Rio Salado or Phoenix College. We hope this FAQ sheet will clarify how students can start their program, transfer credits, and change current programs.
Students can enter into the Bachelor's degree program via many pathways identified as “specializations.” The Public Safety Administration (PSA) degree has two focus areas: criminal justice and emergency management. It might be easy to confuse the term “specialization” as a “minor” of the PSA degree. If a student is not certain which specialization fits their career goals, please contact an advisor. A common pathway open to all students is the Administration of Justice (AJS) specialization. This pathway is shared with all the Maricopa Colleges except for Gateway. Students who start their AJS pathway at a college other than Rio or Phoenix can transfer their credits when they are ready to begin their upper-division courses.
The bachelor's degree is meant to be a stackable credential so it is recommended that students complete their respective associate degree programs prior to transferring, however, this is not required. If a student feels that it is more beneficial to transfer prior to completion of an associate degree, that can be done. These students should get in touch with their academic advisor upon transfer to discuss how their transfer credits apply to the bachelor’s degree.
Students with or without an AAS degree can pursue this bachelor’s program. Students that do have an associate degree that aligns with one of the 12 specialization options will be further along toward their bachelor’s degree requirements compared to those who do not, but any student interested in this bachelor’s program can pursue it.
The closed specializations are exclusive partnerships with certain public safety organizations. Students are employed by the public safety organization and receive college credit for on-the-job training.
Although Rio Salado does not offer certain specializations, Rio accepts all the specialization pathways obtained with a prior AAS or Certificate of Completion. Likewise, Phoenix College does not offer closed specializations but they will also accept all the specialization pathways.
For example:
Student Jones completed an AAS in Forensics at Scottsdale Community College and now wants to pursue the Public Safety Administration degree. They prefer a fully online program; therefore, will choose Rio to fit their schedule.
Student Johnson is currently in the Fire Science program at Glendale Community College and only has a few more classes to complete their Associate degree in the program. They want to begin taking upper-division courses toward the Bachelor’s. When can they start taking upper-division courses at Rio or PC?
Officer Smith received a certificate of completion for their police academy basic training from Rio Salado. They want to pursue the Public Safety Administration degree and prefer to attend in-person classes. They can transfer their credits to Phoenix. Phoenix offers a blend of in-person, hybrid, and online courses.
The Public Safety Administration degree includes a general Public Safety specialization or pathway. It is inclusive of many prefixes such as those listed below. Consult with a faculty advisor, program director, and/or academic advisor to identify coursework that best aligns with academic and professional goals.
| Prefix | Course Discipline | Prefix | Course Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACC | Any ACC Accounting course(s) | JUD | Any JUD Judicial Studies course(s) |
| AJS | Any AJS Administration of Justice Studies course(s) | LAS | Any LAS Paralegal Studies course(s) |
| CWE | Any CWE Career Work Experience course(s) | LEO | Any LEO Law Enforcement Operations course(s) |
| DPR | Any DPR Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response course(s) | LET | Any LET Law Enforcement Training course(s) |
| ECN | Any ECN Economics course(s) | MGT | Any MGT Management course(s) |
| EMT | Any EMT Emergency Medical Technology course(s) | PAD | Any PAD Public Administration course(s) |
| FOR | Any FOR Forensic Science course(s) | PAR | Any PAR Paralegal course(s) |
| FSC | Any FSC Fire Science Technology course(s) | PME | Any PME Paramedicine course(s) |
| GBS | Any GBS General Business course(s) | POS | Any POS Political Science course(s) |
| HCC | Any HCC Health Core Curriculum course(s) | PSA | Any PSA Public Safety Administration course(s) |
| HCR | Any HCR Healthcare Related course(s) | PSY | Any PSY Psychology course(s) |
| JAS | Any JAS Justice and Government Agencies Administration course(s) | SOC | Any SOC Sociology course(s) |
It may count! Practitioners with extensive experience and professional development can explore credit for prior learning also known as prior learning assessment. Industry certifications can be evaluated, as well. There is also an opportunity to earn credit through portfolio assessment coming soon. Please contact the program director/faculty chair or work with your assigned advisor.
Degree and certificate-seeking students can start taking classes fairly quickly. There are 16 start dates each fall and spring semester and 8 start dates in the summer at Rio Salado. Students new to Rio will be able to learn more about our flexible start dates as they go through their enrollment steps.
If it's been a few semesters since you have taken a course, you'll need to reactivate your Maricopa reactivate your Maricopa ID by reapplying. If you need further assistance with reactivating your Maricopa ID, please call the college in which you plan to attend for support. Once you have reactivated your account, it's important to seek Academic Advisement for assistance with course selection and educational planning. For students planning to attend Rio Salado, you will be assigned an academic advisor. Rio students can find their academic advisor through the RioLearn portal.
Students currently enrolled in a program at their college can switch majors at the end of a semester and prior to the beginning of their next semester. You can update your program through the My Maricopa Student Portal application. We recommend that you meet with an academic advisor prior to updating your program. In addition, updating your program may impact your financial aid or veteran benefits.