Program Structure

• Admission, Retention, and Graduation Requirements

Qualified graduates of colleges and universities of recognized standards are eligible to seek admission to the OSU Graduate College .   Applicants must submit a completed application form to the Graduate College with official transcripts of all academic work and degrees received.

In addition to the OSU Graduate College 's standard requirements, the Fire and Emergency Management Program (FEMP) will consider student's letters of recommendation, previous academic performance, and fire service or emergency management experience.   Students are eligible to enter the FEMP if they meet one of the following requirements:

• have significant practical experience in a fire service or emergency management career (as determined by the FEMP Director)
• have an undergraduate degree in a discipline related to the   fire service or emergency management
• not meeting the criteria specified in (1) or (2) above, agree to undertake requisite coursework in fire and emergency management.

A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 is required for admission into the program.

• Description of Course Requirements

1. Summary of Course Requirements

The degree requires a minimum of thirty-nine (39) credit hours in public administration and closely related courses.   This includes thirty-three (33) to thirty-six (36) hours of course work and three (3) to six (6) hours of Practicum.   The Practicum involves the completion of a comprehensive Program Design Exercise and may include an Internship.

Satisfactory completion of a Fire and Emergency Management Assessment Center is required and will substitute for comprehensive exams.

2. Curriculum Information

Core Courses (30-33 credit hours)

Theory Component (9 credit hours)

• POLSC 5040 - Readings in Public Administration and Policy - 3 hours

This constitutes an individual reading component of the classical works in Public Administration.   Students will be required to take this course their first semester in the program.

• POLSC 5353 - Seminar in Organizations:   Design, Structure, and Processes - 3 hours

Analyzes governmental units and public sector agencies.   Attention will be given to the principal theoretical models for their design and structure.   Also seeks to understand system-subsystem relationships in the processes of decision making, communication, influence, and leadership.

• POLSC 5613 - Seminar in Public Policy Analysis - 3 hours

This course is an introduction to public policy analysis with emphasis on the examination of public policy areas, including fire protection and emergency management policy.

Methods Component (6 credit hours)

• POLSC 5013 - Seminar in Quantitative Methods - 3 hours

Presents an introduction to the foundations and use of quantitative methods in public administration.   Major topics include systematic research in public administration; research design; measurement techniques; and data analysis.

• POLSC 5113 - Seminar in Program Planning and Evaluation - 3 hours

Methodology of planning and evaluation of government programs.   Emphasizes research design and alternative methods for handling threats to validity of research results.   Also includes the politics of program planning and evaluation.

Applied Component (15-18 credit hours)

• POLSC 5030 - Internship and/or Practicum - 3-6 hours

Involves the completion of a comprehensive Program Design and Implementation Exercise (practicum).   This course will serve as the creative component and will require major analytical and writing assignments.   The practicum may also include a supervised internship in fire protection administration and emergency management career areas.

• POLSC 5313 - Seminar in Public Management - 3 hours

Introduction to the general principles management as they are applied in the public sector.   Topics include systems theory, organization design, and techniques of supervision.

• POLSC 5320 - Seminar in Public Budgeting and Finance - 3 hours

Major processes and practices involved in governmental budgeting in the United States at the national, state, and local level.

• POLSC 5333 - Seminar in Public Personnel Administration - 3 hours

An analysis of the structure and role of human resources, focusing on the development of the public service, personnel planning, personnel functions, and issues in personnel relations.   A special emphasis will be on labor management relations.

• POLSC 5343 - Seminar in Fire and Emergency Services Administration - 3 hours

This course will focus on fire protection and emergency management policies and administration.

Elective/Area Specialization (6-9 credit hours)

• POLSC 4353 - Administrative Law - 3 hours

This course focuses on the legal powers, limits, and procedures of administrative agencies with emphasis on state/local administrative procedure acts.

• POLSC 5323 - Seminar in Urban Politics and Management - 3 hours

This course will focus on the concepts, processes, and techniques of managing urban political systems.   Includes an emphasis on problems of leadership, decision making, general management, and group behavior.

• POLSC 5633 - Practical Environmental Compliance - 3 hours

An analysis of the legal and public policy aspects of environmental regulation and compliance.   A special focus will be on the local context of environmental law.

• POLSC 5643 - Regulatory Risk Analysis - 3 hours

Risk-based decision making, government's risk analysis paradigm, risk analysis policy, and social aspects of risk assessment.   Special emphasis will be placed on risk assessment as it applies to the fire service and emergency management area.

Other specialization areas include, but are not limited to the following:   Environmental Science, Business, Health Administration, Political Science, Sociology, Labor Relations, and Organizational Behavior.