Public Safety (BA in Combination)

Make a difference in your community and develop the critical thinking skills essential for any public safety-related career. Learn from passionate professors with real-world experience and join our graduates who have successfully pursued careers in mental health, government and communications.

Experience unparalleled flexibility and a hybrid schedule of online and on-campus courses that perfectly balances your academic goals with your personal commitments.  Choose one of our popular program pairings, or curate a unique combination of your own.

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Program Details

Degree Highlights

Your future professors work hard to make sure your academic experience is current, complete and designed to open doors in your career. Here are a few things you can count on:

  • Customize Your Degree
    Earn a double major by combining our Public Safety degree with a second pairable major. Our practical courses pair seamlessly with courses such as criminology, psychology and sociology to provide a well-rounded learning approach. Choose a minor or option to compliment your learning and edge out competition in the job market.
  • Hybrid Learning Flexibility
    Combine your in-person courses on campus with our asynchronous online offerings to customize a schedule that fits with your lifestyle.
  • Content that Really Matters
    Analyze ethical considerations and other consequences of action or inaction in public safety situations. Demonstrate intercultural competence and sensitivity and apply these skills when working with marginalized populations.

Top Experiences

Here are just a few ways our students apply their learning in the real world throughout their degree:

  • Your Laurier Community
    Meet other students with similar interests by joining an on-campus club or association such as the Double Degrees Club, Criminology Students' Association, or Foot Patrol/Hawk Walk in Brantford or Waterloo.
  • State-of-the-Art Security Software
    Construct crime maps, disaster maps and municipal emergency incident maps using online GIS mapping software.
  • Data Analysis
    Learn how to analyze social media data using advanced analytics and data mining platforms. Explore techniques for identitying trends and detecting emerging issues - turning raw, structured and unstructured data into actionable insights that support public safety and community outreach.

Courses, Options and Pathways

Courses

Get a glimpse of what you will study throughout your degree. See what your first-year classes will look like through sample courses and start exploring what your upper academic years can offer.

Program Options

Explore a variety of courses, specializations and pathway options that let you shape your degree around your unique interests and goals. Find out how you can customize your experience and prepare for what’s next.

Admissions

  • Format: full time or part time
  • Duration: four years
  • Start: September (fall term), January (winter term) or May (spring term)

Your Career Awaits

It’s not only about the journey; it’s about the destination. Let us help you get to where you’re going.

Here are just some examples of our graduates' destinations. What’s yours?

Sample Career Options

Note: Additional training and education may be required.

  • crime analyst
  • mental health worker
  • communications professional
  • public health officer
  • emergency management planner
  • cybersecurity/fraud investigator
  • intelligence analyst
  • law enforcement personnel
  • urban planner

Explore more careers.

Support After Graduation

Alumni for life means that you have access to Career and Employment Support offered at Laurier for your entire career.

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Tuition and Scholarships

Getting a university education is an investment in your future.

At Laurier, we take financial health seriously by providing a wide variety of funding opportunities for you throughout your degree, such as scholarships and bursaries, and by equipping you with the skills to manage your finances effectively in the years to come.

 

Laurier is among the top 6 percent in the Center for World University Rankings

 

Laurier students engaged in hands-on learning in 2024

 

Laurier graduates employed or in post-graduate studies in 2024

Program Location

The program you choose to combine with your online Public Safety degree will determine whether, in addition to your online classes, you will also attend classes on one of our campuses.

For example:

  • If you choose to combine your online major in Public Safety with Criminology, you will attend classes for the latter on our Brantford campus.
  • If you choose to combine your online major in Public Safety with Communications, you will attend classes for the latter on our Waterloo campus.
To determine whether your program will entirely be online or whether you will also attend classes on campus, visit the Bachelor of Arts (BA) program page of interest.

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Delivered In Person and Online

Get the best of both worlds. In this program, you attend some scheduled classes in a physical classroom and participate in online learning.

Some online components may be live at scheduled times (virtual synchronous), while others can be completed independently (virtual asynchronous). Your course syllabus will outline when you’re expected to be in class and when you’ll be learning online.

Hear From Current Students

Want to know what it’s really like to be a Laurier Golden Hawk? Student Life at Laurier is your social media source to get unfiltered content, first-hand stories and tips on living and learning at Laurier.

Connect with Us

Questions? Email chooselaurier@wlu.ca, call 548.889.8888 or see all contact information.


You Belong Here

Think this program might be the perfect fit for you and your future?