Bachelor of Arts in Public Safety Administration with Concentration in Disaster Management

at Study Group - Florida Atlantic University - Boca Raton Campus USA

The Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies is a problem-focused program that emphasizes contemporary cultural concerns while situating these within the broader context of communication and cultural theory. The purpose of the degree is to provide students with the awareness, knowledge, motivation and skills to develop communication strategies to address the problems of a global society, and the emphasis is on all forms of civic engagement. The program examines the strategic role that symbol systems play in constructing meaning in a fast-changing, information-based, media-saturated, and culturally diverse world. Courses examine how meaning informs and persuades individuals, and introduce students to the history and theories of how communication operates in societies. The goal is for students to demonstrate a high level of oral and written communication, critical thinking, and analytical problem-solving skills, and to become active in civic life.

Secondary Teacher Education degree programs are offered in partnership with the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. These programs are Florida Department of Education (DOE) and Council for Accreditation of Education Preparation (CAEP) approved. This state and CAEP approval represents the transferability of teaching credentials from state-to-state. Secondary programs currently approved include the following subject area and grade levels:

We offer B.A. degree programs in French, Italian, Linguistics, and Spanish as well as courses in Arabic, German, Mandarin Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese and Latin, many of which count toward academic minors and certificates. We provide our students with a broad liberal arts background through coursework in language, culture and literature in an interdisciplinary context. Our programs appeal to a wide variety of students, including humanities-oriented students, future educators, and those who wish to broaden their global horizons in the humanities while pursuing careers in business, law, health care, engineering, international relations and science. Our curriculum is designed to reflect South Florida's diversity and meet the intellectual needs of our multi-ethnic population. Our department's philosophy is that interdisciplinary studies and multiculturalism are ideally expressed in a plurality of languages and approached from multiple cultural perspectives across temporal and spatial boundaries. 

The Health Administration major provides students with a university education that promotes personal and professional growth as well as concentrated awareness of health systems and their effects on society. Flexibility in course selection empowers and encourages students to study in a program that will not only sharpen their analytical skills and expose them to a new way of thinking, but will also develop their leadership skills and reinforce social responsibility as citizens and future health administrators.

The rising cost of healthcare provides a problem with great opportunities for graduates of Health Administration who can demonstrate affective business solutions. Graduates have a choice of working in hospital administration, mental health facilities, medical group practices and many others.

The degree in Health Administration - Bachelor of Health Services (BHS) - offered through the Department of Management at FAU, College of Business, is an Associate Member of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration ( AUPHA.org). The program is also fully accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Environmental engineers integrate principles of engineering, mathematics, earth science, soil science, life science, and materials science with an emphasis on the design and development of solutions to environmental challenges, such as improvement of water, air pollution control, safe disposal of wastes, and the stewardship of our natural resources.

History majors use the study of the past to make sense of a complicated world; they learn how to think critically, evaluate evidence, and write with clarity and strength. Majors attain skills that prepare them for jobs in a wide variety of fields, as employers look for applicants who have broad interests and backgrounds and analytical and verbal skills-- rather than narrow field specialization.

The study of history is useful in ways that students may not always anticipate, but which employers often understand... There is no single path that carries history undergraduates directly to one chosen career, but many ways in which skills learned in the study of the past can be translated into the enterprises of the present. History always involves asking how we can make sense of complex situations... That kind of awareness of the complexity of events is exactly what decision-making in business, government, law, journalism, and other fields often requires.

As Coordinator for the BSW Program, I am pleased to welcome our incoming students, as well as invite prospective students to apply for a position in our highly regarded BSW program. As ongoing students can tell you, our faculty members are bright, energetic, and well connected to the social work communities in south Florida. Our students are offered a solid program of academic courses and hands-on training and experience in our field practicum program. Our graduates are prepared for entry-level social work positions in a broad range of settings (e.g., child welfare, criminal justice, schools, gerontology), as well as for entry into an MSW program. Some of our graduates also move onto other fields of professional graduate education such as law, political science, and administration. Our program (accredited by the Council on Social Work Education) is based upon the Generalist Intervention Model, which uses a strength-based approach to working with individuals, families, groups, and communities.

The goals of the FAU School of Social Work are to provide students with a curriculum that will adequately prepare them for beginning generalist social work practice, graduate study in social work, and effective participation in community processes. The content of the social work practice curriculum relates to:

• Client systems of various sizes and types;
• The diverse populations of southeast Florida;
• Societal, community, and agency contexts, and their changing natures, the behavior of organizations, and the dynamics of change;
• Values and ethics of the social work profession, and;
• Emphasizing awareness of the responsibility to continue professional growth and development.

If you want to truly make a difference in the lives of your fellow citizens and the safety of your country, the Bachelor’s in Public Safety Administration (BPSA) is for you. We have all become keenly aware of the rising frequency of threats from both man-made and natural disasters that include natural disasters such as Hurricanes Irma and Michael and the Camp fire in California, to terrorist attacks and events such as  September 11, 2001 in New York, the Boston Marathon Bombing, and the Orlando nightclub shooting.

That means a day-in-the-life of a Public Safety professional looks vastly different than it did even a few decades ago, which gives you virtually limitless opportunities to make a real impact. Here’s a quick look at the wide variety of Public Safety careers you could choose to pursue after graduation.

The BPSA degree in the School of Public Administration is ideal for professionals and pre-professionals interested in police, fire, and disaster response practice and administration. The 18 core credit hours and 60 total credit hours provide:

• A professional/ pre-professional degree program for students entering the fields of law enforcement, homeland security, and disaster response;
• Interested students a foundation for continuing in a professionally focused graduate program; and
• An interdisciplinary degree that allows students to combine key areas from several disciplines to graduate with a pre-professional degree.

For students interested in emergency, crisis, and disaster management, including fire response, and issues related to interagency communication and collaboration, we recommend the Disaster Management concentration.

Accounting is renowned as the language and basic tool of business. Every type of business, from private industry, to local, state, and federal public careers, to government, and even academia require accountants. Accountant skills are in demand and they always will be; the job opportunities that exist today are better than ever.

The School of Accounting is selective. Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. Students who have a high-standing in pre-business courses and/or relevant business experience are preferable to those who do not have such qualifications. Students who have been dismissed from any traditional Accounting program are not eligible for re-admission.

The International Business major arms students with the tools to tackle challenges in business while empowering them to contribute and engage in organizations and communities in a global business environment. Program goals are accomplished through an active partnership with the business community while the program continuously enhances the quality and impact of international business education.