San Antonio College Schedule/Catalog 2021-2022 [Archived Catalog]
Protective Services
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Martin Davila, Department Chair
Main Office: OC 225
Office Phone: 210-486-1692
The Protective Services - Fire Science Department consists of these programs: Law Enforcement Academy, Fire Academy, Fire Science, Emergency Management/Homeland Security, and Mortuary Science. The various degree programs are designed towards the professional licensing of Texas firefighters, peace officers, and morticians. Courses are also geared towards the development and professional education of arson investigators, private investigators and emergency response managers.
Credit towards an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Fire Science, Emergency Management, and Mortuary Science may be awarded upon successful completion of the appropriate certification process as listed below. To be eligible for advanced standing credit, protective services majors must be currently enrolled at San Antonio College, in good academic standing (not on scholastic probation, enforced scholastic probation, etc.).
Fire Science
Martin Davila, Department Chair
OC 225, 210-486-1692
www.alamo.edu/sac/protserv/firescience/
The Fire Science Program reflects the assessed needs of the community for careers in fire service and fire service management. The curricula are designed to prepare students for initial career preparation, career development, and for foundations leading to university transfer credit. Fire science degrees and certificates are part of the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) certification process and certain academic credit can be awarded for specific types of certifications.
Students may receive academic credit for successful completion of TCFP-approved basic firefighter certification courses. The courses listed below can be used to receive a Level I Certificate.
- FIRS 1103 Firefighter Agility & Fitness Preparation, 3 semester hours.
- FIRS 1301 Firefighter Certification I, 3 semester hours.
- FIRS 1319 Firefighter Certification IV, 3 semester hours.
- FIRS 1407 Firefighter Certification II, 4 semester hours.
- FIRS 1413 Firefighter Certification III, 4 semester hours.
- FIRS 1423 Firefighter Certification V, 4 semester hours.
- FIRS 1429 Firefighter Certification VI, 4 semester hours.
- FIRS 1433 Firefighter Certification VII, 4 semester hours.
Emergency Management
The Emergency Management Program reflects the assessed needs of the community for students seeking a career in disaster preparedness.
This program focuses on problem-solving, critical thinking, coordination, and leadership skills that are required to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from a man-made or natural disaster.
Certificate Programs
For those individuals who would like to pursue a certificate in a given specialty in fire science and homeland security, the options are:
- 1 Basic Firefighter
- 1 Basic Peace Officer Course
1 These programs meet the basic standard of the Texas Commision on Fire Protection and the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. Successful certification of the student by the state is the student’s responsibility and is not guaranteed by San Antonio College.
For more information on any of these programs contact the Protective Services Department in room 225 of the Oppenheimer Center (OC)..
Mortuary Science
Jose Luis Moreno, Program Coordinator
NTC 238, 210-486-1137
www.alamo.edu/sac/mortuary
The Mortuary Science Department is the first college-based funeral service education program to be offered in Texas. The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree Program at San Antonio College is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), located at 992 Mantua Pike, Suite 108, Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097, (816)-233-3747, www.abfse.org. Membership is maintained in the University Mortuary Science Education Association. Students achieving the standards for the curriculum are conferred the AAS Degree in Mortuary Science by the college and are eligible for examination by the Texas Funeral Service Commission (TFSC) and the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards (ICFSEB) and provisional licensure registration. A student seeking licensure in the state of Texas should refer to the TFSC at www.tfsc.state.tx.us and confer with a faculty advisor.
The Mortuary Science Department at San Antonio College has as its central aim recognition of the importance of funeral service personnel as:
- Members of a human services profession.
- Members of the community in which they serve.
- Participants in the relationship between bereaved families and those engaged in the funeral service profession.
- Professionals knowledgeable of and compliant with federal, state, and local regulatory guidelines.
- Professionals sensitive to the responsibility for public health, safety, and welfare in caring for human remains.
The department’s objectives are to:
- Enlarge the background and knowledge of students about the funeral service profession.
- Educate students in every phase of funeral service and to help enable them to develop the proficiency and skills necessary for the profession.
- Educate students concerning the responsibilities of the funeral service profession to the community at large.
- Emphasize high standards of ethical conduct.
- Provide a curriculum at the post-secondary level of instruction.
- Encourage research in the field of funeral service.
The Mortuary Science Department also offers a Funeral Directing Certificate. This academic program is designed to meet specific state or professional needs. It is not accredited by the ABFSE owing to the fact that it does not include instruction in embalming, restorative art, microbiology, pathology, chemistry, and anatomy. Students graduating from this program are not eligible to take the National Board Examination (NBE) or any state board examination for which graduation from an ABFSE-accredited program is required. However, the certificate is recognized by the TFSC. The commission will accept successful completion of the Texas State Board of Funeral Directing exam for registration as a provisional funeral director licensee.
Students enrolled in mortuary science courses which include external learning experiences are required to comply with the department dress code. A copy of this dress code will be provided when the interview for admission is conducted. Students are also required to purchase personal protective equipment for courses in which exposure to biohazards exists.
Courses must be taken according to a degree plan or as indicated by a faculty advisor. Beginning in Fall 2010, each student will be required to take the NBE as a requirement of graduation from the Mortuary Science Department. The Mortuary Science Department at San Antonio College requires any student seeking graduation to take the NBE within 30 days from the last official day of the semester or session in which course work is completed and satisfactorily passed for the associate degree to be posted in that semester. A student who does not take the NBE as provided in the foregoing statement must re-apply for graduation prior to the deadline for the next semester or session and must satisfy NBE preparation protocols that are in effect at that particular time.
Effective in Fall, 2010, a grade of C is established as the minimum grade in any course whose number and title are preceded by the letters MRTS. Any single examination score in any MRTS course lower than 75% is recorded as a zero. Additionally, a grade of C or higher is required for the following courses contained in the Associate in Applied Science in Mortuary Science degree:
- MDCA 1302
- BIOL 2404
- BIOL 2420
- PSYT 1325
Letter grades are based on percentage values as follow:
- A = 93-100%
- B = 89-92%
- C = 84-88%
- D = 78-83%
- F = 0-77%
No credit shall be allowed for any MRTS course that was attempted longer than five years prior to any current enrollment, irrespective of the grade earned. No credit shall be allowed for the courses listed in the preceding paragraph, irrespective of the grade earned.
A minimum period of one year must elapse before any MRTS course is attempted for the second time. Any MRTS course that is attempted for the second time does not meet the minimum grading requirements of the Mortuary Science Department will cause the student to be dismissed from the Department.
The annual passage rate of first-time takers on the National Board Examination (NBE) for the most recent three-year period for this institution and all ABFSE accredited funeral service education programs is posted on the ABFSE Web site: www.abfse.org.
Funeral Director Certificate Program: 32 Hour Certificate
This certificate option is designed for those individuals who desire to practice only funeral directing in the state of Texas. If a student so desires, he or she may return to earn the AAS Degree in Mortuary Science. This academic program is designed to meet specific state or professional needs. It is not accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE). Students graduating from this program are not eligible to take the National Board Examination or any state board examination for which graduation from an ABFSE-accredited program is required. For further information, please see the individual program’s enrollment and admission requirements.
Admissions Information
Students must do the following prior to the anticipated enrollment date:
- Submit an application for admission to the program.
- Arrange for an admissions interview with the department chair or faculty advisor.
- Provide proof of graduation from high school (or proof of GED).
- Submit transcripts of previous college credits.
- Provide proof of a complete hepatitis B vaccination series.
- Present proof of entry-level competencies established by an acceptable assessment (such as Accuplacer, etc.).
- Present a counseling card from the Department of Counseling and Student Development.
For detailed admissions information and deadlines, please visit www.alamo.edu/sac/mortuary.
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