Graduate Programs in Public Safety Leadership and Administration

Graduate Programs in Public Safety Leadership and Administration are offered through a collaboration between the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the Department of Sociology in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. The programs prepare public safety personnel for their next level of career advancement.

Mentoring and advising are an essential part of the program. Students meet with faculty and the academic program director to ensure that educational goals and career learning and development goals are met. Students should contact the Dr. Les Andrist, via email: landrist@umd.edu.

Overview

The Graduate Certificate in Leadership in Diverse Organizations, Online (Z131) is a 12-credit, 4-course graduate program that provides training in leadership skill sets and credentials to sufficiently deliver on strategic planning promises.

• Students learn how to evaluate organizations for best practices, implement policies that impact the capacity to lead organizations, and understand social interaction and human behavior to solve complex problems.
• Meets the needs of employers who are searching for leaders who have the skill set and credentials to sufficiently deliver on strategic planning promises. 
• Program prepares professionals to deal with growing challenges related to equity and inclusion. 
• Students learn to assess and evaluate their organization and provide innovative recommendations to change organizational and cultural norms.
• Program can be completed in twelve months of continuous part-time enrollment. See Designation of Full-time/Part-time Status.

Courses

Below is a listing of all program courses. For a detailed course description that includes pre-requisites or co-requisites, see The Graduate School Catalog, Course Listing as follows: SOCY Course Descriptions.

Registration Overview

• See the sample plan of study, below. Students should use this as a guide to develop a plan with the academic program director. 
• Actual course offerings are determined by the program and may vary semester to semester. Students should note if a course has a pre-requisite or co-requisite. 
• Specific class meeting information (days and time) is posted on UMD’s interactive web service services, Testudo. Once on that site, select “Schedule of Classes,” then the term/year. Courses are listed by academic unit.
• The program uses specific section codes for registration, which are listed on the sample plan of study.

Online Learning

• The program features 100% online instruction with engaging and interactive learning.
• Uses the semester academic calendar with classes held in fall and spring semester (16 weeks each) and Summer Session (two 6-week sessions).
• Instruction provided by University of Maryland faculty and professionals in the field. 
• Using advanced audio and video technology, UMD’s online learning environment delivers dynamic and interactive content.
• Featuring convenience and flexibility, online instruction permits asynchronous or synchronous participation.
• Lectures are video archived. Students who are unable to attend in real time can review the session through asynchronous participation.

Upon successful completion, graduates will have mastered the following competencies:

• Evaluate their organization in terms of employee outcomes and best practices 
• Understand policies that impact the capacity to lead organizations. 
• Develop strategies to lead diverse organizations. 
• Better understand human interaction and human behavior to better work with organizational members to solve complex problems.