Erik Fritsvold, PhD
Erik Fritsvold serves as the Academic Director for the Master of Science in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership program. He was the founding faculty member for the program and part of the team that shepherded it from concept through launch – a process that included three years of research and collaboration with law enforcement. Prof. Fritsvold personally directs all aspects of program academics, including curriculum, faculty, admissions, accreditation, and any issues related to students.
Prof. Fritsvold’s primary expertise is applying core tenets of academic criminology and criminal justice to dynamic, modern-day law enforcement. The cutting-edge nature of the Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership program requires Prof. Fritsvold to be meaningfully engaged with an array of academic and practitioner-centric specialties including leadership, organizational theory, Constitutional Law, communications, data-driven and intelligence-led policing, law enforcement and criminal justice policy, conflict resolution, and law enforcement best practices.
Prof. Fritsvold has been a full-time faculty member at USD in various capacities since 2005. He formerly served as an Associate Professor of Sociology in the Crime, Justice, Law & Society Concentration, teaching an array of undergraduate courses in sociology, criminology, and criminal justice. He has also served as both a Department Chair and Interim Associate Dean in the College of Arts & Sciences. In 2013, Prof. Fritsvold was recognized by Princeton Review as one of America’s “Best 300 Professors” in a book by the same name.
Erik earned his BA in Sociology from the University of San Diego in 2000, and his MA and PhD from the Criminology, Law & Society Department at the University of California at Irvine in 2003 and 2006 respectively.