Police science program at OSU-OKC prepares officers for future

Monday, July 28, 2025

Making tough decisions in split seconds is part of the job of a peace officer. Learning to make those decisions is part of the training you receive at Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City’s Collegiate Officer Program. 

“Currently, the biggest training trend I see is in de-escalation and decision making,” said Dustin Whitten, director of the OSU-OKC Police Science degree program. “Police officers have to make good decisions under stressful conditions; they are required to deal with people in volatile situations, and we try to lay a solid foundation for those things.”

OSU-OKC is at the forefront of modern police training regarding the methods and situations used. 

“Scenario-based training and live role-play training are the current trend in police training, and we try to integrate that into our classes as much as possible,” Whitten said. 

The Police Science program at OSU-OKC includes the Collegiate Officer Program. OSU-OKC offers two degrees in this field: Police Science AAS and Police Science-CSI Concentration AAS. COP is part of the AAS degrees and is a state-certified path for students to get their peace officer certification in Oklahoma.

Whitten retired from the OKC Police Department in 2018, after 21 years of service. 

“I started teaching at OSU-OKC as an adjunct instructor in 2011,” he said. “Through that experience, I started looking at teaching in higher-ed after retirement. A full-time faculty position opened in 2018, and I took it.”

Whitten said the foundation for the OSU-OKC curriculum is the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training Basic Academy curriculum, which is supplemented by additional degree and course requirements. But the true strength of the program, he said, is the quality of the OSU-OKC instructors. 

“All of our Police Science instructors are either currently in law enforcement or have extensive experience in the profession,” Whitten said. “This includes a Criminal Appeals Court judge, patrol officers, detectives, CSI professionals, SWAT officers, state troopers, and the like. Our instructors bring a high level of experience and expertise that they pass on to our students through our degree programs.”

OSU-OKC benefits both entry-level police candidates and those looking to expand their education. 

“We train our students for entry-level positions in police departments across the state. When our students graduate, they are eligible to take the State Peace Officer's Certification Exam. When they pass that, they are then hired by police departments, who commission them as officers and generally put them through further field training,” Whitten said. 

However, those who are already commissioned can also benefit from their existing academy training at OSU-OKC. 

“We also offer advanced standing to commissioned police officers, who can use their basic academy training to receive college credits toward their Police Science AAS,” Whitten said. “This can benefit them in pay, promotions and career advancement. Many officers also continue their education through the Public Safety Management program at OSU-OKC.”

For more information about the Police Science degrees available at OSU-OKC, visit the website.