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Across the country, colleges are responding to recent headlines by creating coursework related to homeland security. Since the Department of Homeland Security is a major U.S. government employer (and both regional governments and individual companies have security top of mind these days), graduates with this background are finding many real-world opportunities.
Where Are the Programs?
More than 35 Homeland Security Programs at colleges are listed on the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) site. While many of those listed are for current law enforcement and security personnel, others are designed to be taken during the college years. On the FEMA site, you'll find more details regarding the following programs:
Corinthian Colleges, Florida: These cooperating schools offer bachelor's, associate's, and diploma programs in Homeland Security. The coursework is aimed at future and current managers of government and corporate security programs.
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue is currently considering offering a Specialization in Homeland Security; this would be a supplement to degrees in other fields. The program is being investigated for the B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. level.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY: Their Graduate Program and Center on Terrorism and Public Safety have collaborated on a M.A. Certificate in the study of terrorism. The coursework is of particular interest to graduate students in criminal justice, forensic psychology or protection management.
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan: MSU's School of Criminal Justice is now offering an online one-year Certificate Program in Homeland Security Studies for undergraduate and post-graduate students. Coursework might be applied toward a degree at your current school.
The University of New Haven, West Haven, CT: This University has a Master's Program in National Security in Connecticut and a Graduate Certificate Program in Livermore, CA. There is a special emphasis in the coursework on the needs of our national security agencies.
What Would You Study?
As you can see, individual institutions are approaching this coursework in different ways-often as a supplement to other degrees and sometimes as a degree in itself. Other majors might be sociology, political science, information technology, criminal justice or emergency management. Topics of the classes include risk assessment, response planning and implementation, security principles, security ethics, investigation, domestic and international terrorism, the psychology of terrorism, national policy, terrorism and criminal justice, information security, national security programs, etc.
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