College of Public Service

Kim Martin-Long, Ph.D., Interim Dean
C400, 713-221-5019

Diane M. Miller, Ph.D., Interim Associate Dean
C400, 713-221-8585

Ben Robles, Assistant Dean
C420, 713-221-5081

Ana Esparza, Director of Advising
C420, 713-221-8906

The College of Public Service is a community-based center for higher learning dedicated to preparing students to enter and/or advance in professional careers in criminal justice, education, and social work. It believes that an educated society creates thoughtful policy and humanistic practices for the betterment of its diverse constituents. The College seeks to instill analytical thinking skills that nurture in students an appreciation of the use of scientific inquiry to solve the problems of our time and encourages creativity and the development of new ideas. It embraces the professional and personal growth of its faculty, staff, and students by promoting intellectual collaboration within the school, university, and community at large. The College of Public Service strives to engage in dynamic research that will improve the quality of our area schools, social service organizations and justice institutions, and will instill scholarship, integrity, and responsibility in tomorrow’s leaders.

Mission

The University of Houston-Downtown College of Public Service exists to educate and develop public servants, advocates, and leaders in criminal justice, education, and social work.

Vision

The College of Public Service will prepare students to disrupt injustices and inequities, build bridges, and make a positive difference in the greater Houston community and our world.

The College of Public Service is organizationally structured into two academic departments and two centers. The two centers are the Center for Public Service and Community Research and the Criminal Justice Training Center. The two academic departments are the Department of Urban Education and the Department of Criminal Justice and Social Work.

Center for Public Service and Community Research

Steven Villano, Director, C220, 713-226-5244

The Center for Public Service and Community Research (CPSCR) is located in rooms C-220 and C-222 within the College of Public Service. The mission of the Center for Public Service and Community Research is to collaborate with internal and external partners of the college to promote interdisciplinary student learning and engagement through semester long curricular and co-curricular service learning and research projects, and ongoing projects through its development and support of specialized labs that focus on larger issues within a discipline. These projects advocate change in community affairs and facilitate community-based research.

The Center serves as a clearinghouse for service learning, co-curricular, and research opportunities that 1) support the mission of the university and the college, 2) enhance and support our students’ educational experiences 3) support faculty to incorporate project-based learning into their courses and 4) provide support to community partners.

Working with faculty and staff, students engage with community organizations who benefit from scholarly activity that substantiates and validates their work while advancing the knowledge of one or more of our disciplines (Criminal Justice, Social Work, and Urban Education).

Law Enforcement Academy

Jimmie Cook, Interim Director
C114, 713-226-5276

Barbara Partaka, Program Coordinator
C114, 713-221-8690

The mission of the Law Enforcement Academy is to provide the best possible training to qualified applicants for the Texas Peace Officer License Exam and to provide advanced law enforcement training to current Texas peace officers in compliance with Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) regulations. The Law Enforcement Academy is licensed by the TCOLE and the Academy trains not only the Basic Peace Officer Course but also advanced law enforcement topics that are needed by Licensed Peace Officers for ‘Continuing Education Points’ to maintain their license. The citizens of Texas deserve the best trained peace officers with the highest standards of ethics and professionalism to protect their communities. Each class at the Law Enforcement Academy must complete a Community Service project prior to graduation. Service to others is at the heart of our program. Cadets and Staff of the Law Enforcement Academy donate thousands of hours annually to activities that improve our community and the criminal justice profession.

Law Enforcement Training Program

Entry-level training for prospective police officers is provided by the Center’s Police Academy. The Academy is certified by the TCOLE and is approved for veterans’ benefits through the Texas Education Agency. Approximately 40-50 specialized and advanced courses are offered annually for police officers and other public sector practitioners. Basic and advanced management training courses range from one to 14 weeks in length.

Specialized Certification Courses and Seminars

Specialized training and certification opportunities are provided through unique seminars and courses.

Certification courses are available in such diverse areas as emergency medical care and technician training, and management.

UHD Law Enforcement Academy Academic Credit

Graduates of the Law Enforcement Academy are eligible to earn 24 hours of credit toward the Technical Credit Block of the Bachelors of Applied Arts and Sciences in Criminal Justice (BAAS-CJ) degree in the College. TCOLE transcripts must be submitted to the CJ Academic Advisor upon application to the BAAS-CJ program for credits to be awarded.

Urban Education Degree Program

The University of Houston-Downtown’s Urban Education program offers certification in elementary, middle, secondary, English as a second language, special education, and bilingual education. Students wishing to obtain Core Subjects with Science of Teaching Reading EC-6 with ESL Supplemental, Core Subjects with Science of Teaching Reading EC-6 with Bilingual Supplemental, Special Education EC-12 and Core Subjects with Science of Teaching Reading EC-6 with ESL Supplemental, and Core Subjects with Science of Teaching Reading 4-8 with ESL Supplemental certification will need to take courses in a variety of academic areas. Students wishing to obtain secondary certification to teach in grades 7-12, may choose from the following subject areas: Mathematics, English, History, Social Studies, Life Science, Physical Science, and Composite Science.

Students interested in the Urban Education program should contact the CPS Advising Center in C-420 for more information.

Initial Status as an Urban Education Pre-Major

All students who enter UHD with an interest in eventually declaring as an Urban Education major will start in a pre-major status.

Declaration as an Urban Education major occurs automatically upon completion of the requirements and requires no action from the student.

To achieve the status as a Declared Urban Education major, the student must:

earn a 2.3 grade point average after having completed 30 credit hours;
successfully complete MATH 1301, ENG 1301, and ENG 1302, with a grade of “C” or higher; and
satisfy the Texas common core in the American History and Life and Physical Science components. (NOTE: To be formally admitted (as described below) the student must earn a “C” or higher in all American History and Life and Physical Sciences courses toward completion of the Texas common core).

Admission to the Urban Education Program

Admission to the Urban Education program is not automatic. It requires the student to formally apply and have a successful interview. A student should see their College of Public Service Academic Advisor for more information.

To seek formal admission to the Urban Education program, the student must:

have been declared as an Urban Education major;
submit an application to the program, including an application fee, essay questions, resume, and interview;
be within 12 hours of completion of all academic major and preparatory requirements before submission of Teacher Candidacy application;
complete all academic major and preparatory requirements before starting PD I-Initial Teacher Candidacy;
have earned a minimum 2.5 overall grade point average;
met TSI Requirements;
be in good academic standing with the university;
earned credit in American History component with a grade of “C” or higher in both courses;
earned credit in Life and Physical Sciences component with a grade of “C” or higher in both courses; and
be Texas common core complete.

Professional Development Sequence (PDs):

Professional Development I (Initial Teacher Candidacy): This course sequence may not be initiated unless the student has earned admission to the Urban Education program.
Professional Development II (Field Experience I): This course sequence may not be initiated until the student has successfully completed Professional Development I.
Professional Development III (Field Experience II): This course sequence may not be initiated until the student has successfully completed Professional Development II.
Professional Development IV (Student Teaching): This course sequence may not be initiated until the student has successfully completed Professional Development III.
- OR
Gators 2 Teachers year-long residency program Professional Development III (Student Teaching I) and Professional Development IV(Student Teaching): This course sequence may not be initiated until the student has successfully completed Professional Development II. This option requires an additional application process.

Admission and Declaration for Social Work Degree Program

Declaration of pre-major status in Social Work

A student interested in admission into a Social Work program of study may initially declare as a pre- Social Work major.

Students who are continuing at UHD will be declared as a Pre-Social Work Major with a Cumulative GPA of 2.3 or higher.

Students who are transferring to UHD will be declared as a Pre-Social Work Major with a Cumulative GPA of 2.3 or higher.

Freshman who are admitted to UHD will be declared as a Pre-Social Work Major with the following requirements: High School GPA of 2.5 or higher and Freshman admission requirements met.

This declaration does not mean that the student will be fully admitted into a Social Work program. See the requirements for Admission as a Social Work major.

Admission as Social Work Major

Each student who meets the following criteria to the Social Work program will be considered for formal admission:

Completion of a minimum of 30 college credit hours including ENG 1301 and ENG 1302 and Common Core MATH course;
Be in good academic and University standing;
Submission of a completed Social Work Program admission application packet (application form, admissions essay, and two references in support of the application): The entire application process is completed online using your student ID and password through a program called TK20 at: https\uhd.tk20.com.; and
Have a GPA of 2.5 or greater for the most recent 30 hours of college credit hours that have been taken in the past five years. (Although UHD accepts earned credits older than 5 years, the Social Work Program does not include grades for courses more than five years old in its admissions GPA calculation.)

Students considering applying to the program are encouraged to take SOCW 2361 and SOCW 2363 as soon as possible; these two required courses are open to non-majors and serve as prerequisites for upper-level Social Work courses.

Admission to the Social Work Program is a competitive process. All students who wish to major in Social Work must complete a separate, admissions application for the Social Work major which is available online at https\uhd.tk20.com. Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year. Students are encouraged to reach out to the Social Work Program Director for support if needed.

NOTE: Forms available at: https://www.uhd.edu/academics/public-service/social-work/Pages/bsw-admissions.aspx

Students who do not meet the Pre-Social Work Major or Formal Social Work Major criteria above do not qualify for admission to the Social Work Program and will be classified as an Undeclared Major with Social Work Interest.

Admission and Declaration for Criminal Justice Degree Program

Declaration as a major in Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (BSCJ) and Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Criminal Justice (BAAS CJ) require the following:

Continuing students at UHD must have a UHD GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Students transferring to UHD must have a transfer GPA of 2.0 or higher
Freshmen who meet the Freshman Admissions criteria will be declared upon admission to the university.

Students who do not meet the criteria above do not qualify for admission into the Criminal Justice degree programs and based upon their respective interest will be classified as one of the following pre-majors: Pre-Criminal Justice (B.S.) or Pre-Criminal Justice (B.A.A.S.).

Graduation with Honors

Students who have earned a GPA of 3.3 or greater in their last 42 credit hours taken at UHD are eligible for College Honors.