Middle Georgia State, Georgia Public Safety Training Center Partnership Opens Degree Options to Law Enforcement Professionals
Author: News Bureau
Posted: Thursday, July 16, 2015 1:54 PM
Categories:
College of Arts and Sciences | Pressroom
Macon, GA
Middle Georgia State's online two-year degree in public safety is designed to give students attending the Basic Law Enforcement Training program at GPSTC the chance to earn university credits. Another option students have is to earn a certificate in public safety.
Students who complete the associate's or certificate will be able to apply the credit to a Middle Georgia State bachelor's degree.
"This partnership benefits people who qualify for the GPSTC basic law enforcement training program by providing a pathway to a higher education degree," said Dr. Art Recesso, assistant provost for innovation and outreach at Middle Georgia State. "We recognize the highly specialized and advanced training taking place at GPSTC. We wanted to give those students a flexible pathway to a university degree program."
Chris Wigginton, director of GPSTC and Dr. Christopher Blake, Middle Georgia State president, formally signed the partnership agreement on July 16.
The degree and certificate programs represent an expansion of a GPSTC/Middle Georgia State association that began in June 2014. That’s when the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, headquartered in Forsyth, opened GPSTC Bibb on the Macon Campus. The academy leases space in the Macon Campus's Community Education Center.
Here are additional details about the public safety degree and certificate programs:
• Students who are approved by the Peace Officer Standards Training Council (POST) to attend the Basic Law Enforcement Training program at GPSTC may earn credits toward the certificate and/or degree in public safety.
• Sixteen credit hours are earned through the face-to-face tactical and hands-on training classes taught at a GPSTC training center or regional academy. An additional 17 credit hours in basic law enforcement will be taught online at Middle Georgia State. The 33 credit hours total makes up the certificate program.
• To earn the associate’s degree, participants will take an additional 30 credit hours in public safety courses at Middle Georgia State. All courses will be available online, enabling students to complete the work from wherever they happen to be employed in law enforcement.
• For now, the associate’s degree and certificate options are open to those beginning GPSTC training as of this fall. Recesso said the options will be made available in the future to people who have already graduated from GPSTC training programs.
Prospective students who want more information can visit https://www.mga.edu/degrees/public-safety.aspx or contact Angela Broussard, Middle Georgia State recruiter, at angela.broussard@mga.edu.