About
We're advancing solutions to address complex social problems
Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions is the largest consolidated public service college in the nation. With four schools and 20 research centers, we are advancing solutions to address complex social problems facing our world today.
An essential ingredient of our success is our ability to advance a transdisciplinary approach to public service education and research. To accomplish this goal, we offer three, graduate-level interdisciplinary degree programs that are situated across our schools in content areas that require this particular approach.
Our master’s degree in emergency management and homeland security integrates content from a variety of fields including public policy and administration, criminology, homeland security, and stress management to prepare emergency managers to respond to disasters and ensure the safety of our local communities. Our master’s in public safety leadership and administration prepares professionals working in police and fire administration to advance in their careers with content focused on leadership, public policy, and emergency services administration. Finally, our master’s degree in program evaluation and data analytics prepares professionals to examine programs happening across public and non-profit sectors to gauge the effectiveness of their work.
All of these degrees are offered fully online, allowing professionals working in these fields to advance their knowledge and move their careers to the next level. Our courses are created and taught by scholars nationally known for their expertise in emergency management, public safety leadership, and data science, as well as by professionals with real-time experience. This means our students learn about cutting-edge research as it is emerging, from respected academic and industry leaders, ensuring course content is always timely and relevant in these interdisciplinary fields that are quickly changing.
Recognizing the benefit of this transdisciplinary approach, our program in emergency management and homeland security rose to the #1 ranking within just five years of its launch, a source of pride for our college. We are deeply proud of this successful collaboration across our schools and community partners that allowed us to advance these three cross-college, interdisciplinary degree programs.