Get Graduate-Level Credit for Your Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP) Training

The University of San Diego has partnered with the Police Executive Research Foundation (PERF) to give SMIP graduates the opportunity to have their coursework evaluated, given an academic grade, and validated for 6 graduate-level extension units.

If you have successfully completed SMIP within the last five years, and have already earned a bachelor's degree, you are eligible to apply for credit validation, which will provide you 6 units of transfer credit into USD's M.S. in Law Enforcement & Public Safety Leadership (MS-LEPSL) online degree program. Your SMIP transfer units will be applied to the following two courses:

  • Contemporary Issues in Law Enforcement and Public Safety – LEPS 500
  • Organizational Theory and Change for Law Enforcement – LEPS 560

The cost for credit validation is $79 per unit.

Learn More about the M.S. in Law Enforcement & Public Safety Leadership

Eligibility

Law enforcement professionals with a bachelor's degree who have successfully completed SMIP within the last five years can apply. Additional requirements apply for admission to the M.S. in Law Enforcement & Public Safety Leadership program.

SMIP Credit Validation Process

  1. You will be asked to create a student account.
  2. Complete the application.
  3. Write a polished and professional 5-6 page essay based on your SMIP learnings. PERF SMIP nurtures a host of leadership and management skills necessary for successful law enforcement leaders in the contemporary environment. Of all the skills presented in SMIP, choose the three most impactful leadership skills that will be central to your leadership approach moving forward. For each leadership skill, your essay should define and describe the skill, discuss how it will play a role in your leadership approach and within your organization, and draw heavily from and cite program reading, program presentations, and outside research as necessary. Your essay should be double-spaced using standard fonts and margins. Please include a formal reference section.
  4. Email the following documentation to pce-cv@sandiego.edu
    1. Proof of SMIP completion (a picture of your certificate will suffice)
    2. Your Three Leadership Skills essay
  5. Your application and essay submission will be evaluated and given an academic grade
  6. You will receive an email notifying you when your application has been approved and providing you with direction for completing the validation process
  7. You will login as directed and submit your payment ($474 for six units of credit validation)
  8. Your transcript will be sent to you and a copy of your transcript will be forwarded to the registrar to be applied toward your MS-LEPSL degree completion
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