Capella University Launches Public Safety Master’s and Ph.D. Programs

MINNEAPOLIS, April 4, 2007—Capella University, an accredited, fully online university based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has announced that its School of Human Services will launch two new public safety programs at the master’s and doctoral levels with specializations in emergency management, public safety leadership, and criminal justice. Graduates of these programs will earn a master of science or a doctor of philosophy in public safety.

Capella’s new programs were created to help address the growing need for professionals in the field of public safety. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that job growth in public safety professions, which include those in law enforcement, fire services, homeland security, corrections, and emergency management, will equal or exceed overall job growth expectations through 2014. In 2004, nearly three million people were employed in the field of public safety.

“These are the people who are our communities’ first line of defense, the people who get the call in an emergency or crisis situation and step in to help,” said Charles Tiffin, Ph.D., creator and faculty chair of Capella’s public safety program. “Our program is designed to help public safety professionals develop or strengthen the leadership, management, and preparedness skills they will need to lead and manage public safety and emergency services organizations in today’s challenging environment. These are busy professionals who need and deserve the flexibility that an online program can offer, and Capella is one of very few universities offering a master of science and a Ph.D. in public safety through an online public safety program.”

Tiffin exemplifies the online university’s philosophy of recruiting highly qualified scholar-practitioners for faculty and program leadership positions. Tiffin, who was a Fulbright Fellow in professional police studies, has more than 29 years of law enforcement experience, including several years as a supervisor within a consolidated public safety organization that provided both fire and police services. He has a Ph.D. in organizational development, as well as degrees in criminal justice and policy studies, police science, and fire science, and has taught management, criminal justice, and organizational culture and change classes for the past six years.

Also participating in the development of Capella’s public safety curriculum were Joseph Pascarella, Ph.D., a Fulbright scholar and New York Police Department captain, and Jeff Green, Ph.D., chief of the Office of Leadership and Management Programs at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Pascarella and Green will serve as adjunct faculty for Capella’s public safety program, which also leverages Capella’s existing strengths in criminal justice. The university’s current master’s and doctoral degree specializations in criminal justice have now become part of Capella’s public safety program, along with new master’s and doctoral specializations in public safety leadership and emergency management.

Capella is now accepting enrollment applications for its six public safety graduate degree specializations. For more information, please call 1-888-CAPELLA (227-3552), option 3, or email info@capella.edu. Review of the master’s and Ph.D. in public safety programs is pending in the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, and Washington. Please contact an enrollment director for additional information regarding these programs.

Learn more about earning an online degree in public safety at Capella University:

• Ph.D. in Public Safety – public safety leadership specialization
• Master of Science in Public Safety – public safety leadership specialization
• Ph.D. in Public Safety – emergency management specialization
• Master of Science in Public Safety – emergency management specialization
• Ph.D. in Public Safety – criminal justice specialization
• Master of Science in Public Safety – criminal justice specialization

Founded in 1993, Capella University is an accredited, fully online university that offers graduate degree programs in business, information technology, education, human services, and psychology, and bachelor’s degree programs in business and information technology. Within those areas, Capella offers 82 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 16 certificate programs. The online university currently serves nearly 18,000 students from all 50 states and 56 countries. It is committed to providing high-caliber academic excellence and pursuing balanced business growth. Capella University is a wholly owned subsidiary of Capella Education Company (NASDAQ: CPLA), headquartered in Minneapolis. For more information, please visit http://www.capella.edu or call 1-888-CAPELLA (227-3552). Capella University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA).