Public Safety
Public Safety
Public safetyis bigger thana patrol car.
Law enforcement, dispatch, corrections, homeland security, and emergency management all run on the same foundation: knowing how an incident is managed and where you fit in it. Two years to look at the whole field before you pick a direction.
$77,310 median
What police and detectives earn. Dispatch and corrections start sooner, at $53,040 and $58,940.
2 Years
Junior and senior year. A senior-only option is available, but you'll miss a full year of lab time and credential prep.
No Tuition
Lab fees are typically a few hundred dollars. Payment plans are available.
College Credit
Earn college credit toward a degree while you are still in high school.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 wage data. Sworn law enforcement almost always requires a training academy, and most agencies require you to be at least 21. Dispatch and corrections hire with a high school diploma.
This Is Not a Police Academy.
Most people picture one job when they hear public safety. The field runs from patrol to dispatch to corrections to homeland security and emergency management, and the point of these two years is to show you the whole thing before you commit to any of it.
- How an incident is commanded and who does what
- Emergency communications and dispatch
- Law, constitutional rights, and the court system
- Corrections and the justice system
- Homeland security and threat awareness
- Hazardous materials awareness
- Scene safety, size-up, and first response
- Report writing and documentation
- Talking to people on the worst day of their lives
Worth knowingThis program is being rebuilt right now to cover more of the field than it used to, so the details are still taking shape. If there is a corner of public safety you are curious about, ask about it on a visit.
Why WCCC
You see the whole field
Plenty of people decide on this career at 22, after a degree they are still paying for. You get to look at law enforcement, dispatch, corrections, homeland security, and emergency management at 16, and find out which one actually fits you before it costs you anything.
Keep your home school
You're still part of your home high school. Graduate with your class, and keep playing sports, going to prom, and showing up for homecoming.
Steady demand
Dispatch centers run around the clock and are chronically short-staffed, with about 9,000 openings a year. Corrections projects roughly 30,000 openings a year, nearly all from turnover, though the number of those jobs is shrinking. Law enforcement is projected to grow about 3%.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 wage data and 2025–2035 projections.Where This Can Lead
This program is a head start, not the finish line. When you graduate, you'll have real options:
Start working
911 dispatcher, corrections officer, or security work, all of which hire at 18 to 21
Keep training
A criminal justice or emergency management degree, or a police academy once you are eligible
Keep building
Sworn officer, investigator, emergency management, or supervisory roles with experience
Applications open December 2.
Come see what the program covers.