New Master of Science in Homeland Security Begins at the University of the District of Columbia

November 19, 2010 --
The new Master of Science program in Homeland Security at the University of the District of Columbia is now accepting students for classes beginning in January 2011. The program was approved by the Board of Trustees at its meeting on November 17, 2010.

The graduate program in Homeland Security builds upon the University’s undergraduate homeland security science and technology (UDC-HSST) program and is part of its inclusive academic direction in justice, crime, and security studies. Current active research includes work on contributing factors of radicalization and extremism; social media and network analysis; computer-based modeling of social phenomena; as well as community-resilience in the face of catastrophic events.

In addition to a core curriculum providing students with a graduate level understanding of homeland security students also complete an individualized concentration. The concentration area permits students to tailor their program, following consultation with their advisor, to their specific career or research interests. Two themes incorporated throughout the core curriculum are the development, use and analysis of computer-based models to simulate events or phenomena, and spatial analysis using geographic information systems (GIS).

The program will educate students who are interested in research careers in nonacademic settings, as well as those who are not yet ready to enter a Ph.D. program but who may be interested in the pursuit of a doctorate in the future. The graduate program is designed to offer students extensive individualized mentorship. The program’s formal curriculum emphasizes coursework in research design, specifically qualitative & quantitative methods. Each student completes the degree by preparing and defending an original thesis project based on his or her interests. At the completion of this program students will have the knowledge and skills for further study at the doctoral level or for entry into the field in a professional capacity; science and technology competencies to meet the challenges of homeland security priority research areas; and research experiences enabling them to demonstrate research proficiency.