Center for Homeland Defense and Security - Curriculum 692 (DL and Res)

Academic Associate

Carolyn C. Halladay, Ph.D.

Code 38, Glasgow Hall, Room 317

[phone], DSN 756-6256

[e-mail]

Director

Gregory Bernard

Code 06, Watkins, Hall, Room 371

[phone], DSN 756-3038

[e-mail]

 

Deputy Director

Judith H. Stiles

Code 06, Watkins, Hall, Room 378

[phone], DSN 756-3155

[e-mail]

 

This 18-month program is offered at no cost to eligible senior and mid-career local, state, tribal and federal officials and NORTHCOM-sponsored officers with significant homeland security responsibilities. Participants: This program is also open to civilian government officials and military officers who work for ministries or departments that fulfill missions that are relevant to homeland security, defense preparedness, and national resilience (including Home, Interior, Justice, Civil Defense, etc.), contingent upon funding available from the appropriate sources.

Overview

Designed to accommodate busy officials, the Master of Arts degree program requires participants to be in residence (at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California) two weeks each quarter (for a total of 12 weeks). Participants complete the remainder of their coursework via online distance learning methods, delivered both synchronously and asynchronously. The program is interdisciplinary in nature, with emphasis on the study of terrorism; intelligence practices and threat analysis; infrastructure assessment and protection; innovation processes and technology adoption; media issues and communications techniques; consequence management and resilience; comparative assessments of homeland security/defense capacity; and domestic policy development to promote the safety and security of civilian populations. Participants are expected to complete a substantial thesis project, based on original research, on a topic relevant to the fields of homeland defense/homeland security.

The program graduated its first class in June 2004 and graduates approximately 30 officials twice a year. A military variant of the program, including classified courses, is available through the Department of National Security Affairs.

Requirements for Entry

U.S. applicants eligible for sponsorship must be full-time state, local, tribal or federal DHS officials or U.S. Navy and Marine Corps officers. All others, including other military branches and NORTHCOM, are eligible to apply but must obtain financial sponsorship from their command. A baccalaureate degree or its equivalent is required. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 or its equivalent is required. 

International applicants must have achieved the following: a baccalaureate degree with an undergraduate 3.0 grade point average for all undergraduate coursework or awarded a graduate degree. International candidates must have a TOEFL score of 83 or above. International candidates must be in national security positions and must be nominated by their appropriate government agency to the military training office at the U.S. Embassy in their country as specified in the US Joint Security Cooperation Education and Training regulations.

A complete application and eligibility details are available online at http://www.chds.us.

Convenes

This is an 18-month program with entry dates in spring and fall.  In addition, there is an online orientation period.

The program requires 12 weeks of in-residence attendance, with the balance of coursework conducted online.

Degree

Master of Arts in Security Studies (Homeland Defense and Security)

Typical Subspecialty Jobs (Executive Level)

Homeland Security

Emergency Management

Public Health

Public Safety (Law, Fire Enforcement)

Public Policy

Subspecialty Code

Navy P-Code: 2600P

Website: www.chds.us

Outcomes

A CHDS master’s program graduate will be able to:

• Serve and lead in public sector organizations with insight, ethics, and an awareness of the cultural, political, legal, fiscal, technological, and strategic context for the purpose of advancing the homeland security enterprise.
• Make informed contributions to procedural discussions and policy development efforts at various levels of government in support of U.S. and allied homeland security missions, objectives, and goals.
• Use a variety of analytical frameworks to assess and deploy human capital and material resources to meet current and emerging homeland security threats, challenges, and opportunities.
• Conduct research and create timely and relevant work, to include papers, theses, presentations, and analyses on homeland security topics.

Required Course of Study

Quarter 1

Course Number	Title	Credits	Lecture Hours	Lab Hours
NS3180	Introduction to Homeland Security		4	0
NS3210	Threats and Political Social Psychology in Homeland Security		4	0

Quarter 2

Course Number	Title	Credits	Lecture Hours	Lab Hours
NS4156	Intelligence for Homeland Security: Organizational and Policy Challenges		4	0
NS3014	Graduate School Skills		2	0
NS4081	Research and Thesis Development for Homeland Security Professionals		4	0

Quarter 3

Course Number	Title	Credits	Lecture Hours	Lab Hours
CS3660	Critical Infrastructure Protection		4	0
NS4755	Strategy and Innovation for Homeland Defense and Security Professionals		4	0

Quarter 4

Course Number	Title	Credits	Lecture Hours	Lab Hours
NS4757	Media and Communications for Homeland Security Professionals		4	0
NS3028	Homeland Security: Global Threats and Lessons		4	0

Quarter 5

Course Number	Title	Credits	Lecture Hours	Lab Hours
NS4881	Multi-Discipline Approaches to Homeland Security		4	0
NS4238	Policy and Leadership Issues in Homeland Security		4	0
NS0810	Thesis Research		0	8

Quarter 6

Course Number	Title	Credits	Lecture Hours	Lab Hours
NS4232	Knowledge into Practice: A Homeland Security Capstone Course		3	0
NS0810	Thesis Research		0	8

Educational Skill Requirements (ESRs)

Strategic Praxis: Students will build on their existing knowledge of—and experiences with—the homeland security enterprise (HSE) by critically examining HSE strategies and policies; analyzing the historical, political, economic, and legal factors that underpin homeland defense and security at all levels of government; and evaluating challenges, opportunities, and threats, both contemporary and future. Students will consider institutional roles and missions as they critically assess risks, consequences, and mitigation options for a wide range of homeland security challenges; create assessments to identify near-term and long-term threats; and effectively communicate their findings to support the creation of plans and policies for community resilience, including protection, preparedness, response, and recovery.

Enterprise Praxis: Drawing from an interdisciplinary range of methods, sources, ideas, and practice, students will apply creativity and critical thinking skills to analyze and evaluate the institutions that make up the homeland security enterprise by assessing the missions, capabilities, interests, equities, and limitations of components of the HSE. Students will identify and evaluate HSE objectives and stakeholders at every level of government and develop the capacity to advance interagency and inter-government collaboration. Students will also consider the role of capacity-building partnerships with external organizations, including non-government actors, to address homeland security and defense challenges under preparatory and crisis conditions.

Cultural Praxis: Students will consider how historical, political, social, and ethical factors can affect HSE practitioners’ ability to effectively respond to the needs of policymakers and the public. Students will assess how communities are formed, evolve, and may emerge as vulnerable or adversarial populations; assess institutional and interpersonal dynamics by evaluating the actions, motivations, and incentives of both HSE components and known and potential adversaries; consider models of interpersonal and bureaucratic leadership and followership that have applicability in departmental, interagency, and inter-government settings; and develop the skills to communicate effectively with diverse constituencies within and outside the HSE.

Analytical Praxis: Students will build on their existing research and writing skills as they learn and apply a portfolio of qualitative and quantitative research methods to ask critical questions about the HSE and examine options to address homeland defense and security challenges. Students will refine their abilities to identify, evaluate, and integrate source materials; assess and address their own analytical biases; effectively communicate with diverse audiences using a variety of media formats; and analyze how complexity and change define and shape the homeland defense and security discourse. Students will create knowledge that has academic and/or practical value, informing policy discussions and enriching the literature on homeland security.

Innovation Praxis: Students will develop innovative approaches to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the homeland security enterprise by using a variety of methodologies to frame challenges and threats in new ways; understand different frames of reference, to include individual and organizational expectations, to assess the practicality and utility of new techniques and capabilities to implement HSE goals and objectives; and discover new methods for gathering and deploying data and information in support of HSE requirements. Students will study and assess new concepts and ideas – drawn from a range of disciplinary sources – in order to prompt informed discussions among homeland security and defense policymakers and professionals about strategy, policy, resource management, and operational constraints. Students will consider how historical, political, social, and ethical factors can affect HSE practitioners’ ability to effectively respond to the needs of policymakers and the public. Students will assess how communities are formed, evolve, and may emerge as vulnerable or adversarial populations; assess institutional and interpersonal dynamics by evaluating the actions, motivations, and incentives of both HSE components and known and potential adversaries; consider models of interpersonal and bureaucratic leadership and followership that have applicability in departmental, interagency, and inter-government settings; and develop the skills to communicate effectively with diverse constituencies within and outside the HSE.