The Bachelor of Arts degree in Homeland Security offers you a comprehensive education in the basics of terrorism, counterterrorism, hazard management, intelligence, and other components of national security. This program helps students develop the knowledge and skills to contribute new ideas, identify and critique unexamined assumptions of policy and strategy, and have the ability to translate good intentions into effective action.
This online bachelor's degree is designed to meet this market need. Through this bachelor’s program, you will receive a holistic liberal arts education that covers the range of domestic security efforts, helping to prepare you for advancement or new entry into the homeland security field. This degree program is taught by highly credentialed and experienced instructors, many who hold key positions in government agencies or public safety organizations.
Degree Program Objectives
In addition to the institutional and degree level learning objectives, graduates of this program are expected to achieve these learning outcomes:
- Examine the historical and evolving concept of homeland security within the broader political and national security system of the contemporary nation-state.
- Recognize the detailed mitigation, planning, response, and recovery phases to and from a national security incident.
- Differentiate among the various national security threats including those that are manmade, technological, and natural.
- Discuss the strategic, operational, and tactical threats presented by chemical, nuclear, and biological agents including agent characteristics and delivery systems.
- Distinguish among and assess the various homeland security approaches, techniques, and processes such as analytics, indications, warnings, and forecasting.
- Explain the key administrative and command and control elements of the evolving homeland security relationships among the intelligence community Department of Homeland Security; interagency processes and institutions; federal, state, and local intergovernmental relations; and a comprehensive U.S. homeland security strategy.
Degree at a Glance
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Semester Hours |
| 30 |
| 18 |
| 24 |
| 3 |
| 45 |
| Total Semester Hours | 120 |
Degree Program Requirements
General Education Requirements (30 semester hours)
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Semester Hours |
| 6 |
| Arabic I | |
| Arabic II | |
| Art Appreciation | |
| Survey of Photography | |
| Film and Literature | |
| Image Enhancement using Adobe Photoshop® | |
| French I | |
| French II | |
| German I | |
| German II | |
| Introduction to Japanese | |
| Literature of American Encounters, Revolution, and Rebellion | |
| From Abolition to #MeToo: Literature of the American Civil Rights Movement | |
| Pivotal Figures in Early British Literature | |
| British Literature from Wordsworth through the Wasteland | |
| Leadership in World Literature: Antiquity to the Early Modern Period | |
| Literature of the Newly Globalized World: The Individual’s Struggle to Adapt | |
| Music Appreciation | |
| Jazz and Rock | |
| World Music and Cultures | |
| Introduction to Philosophy | |
| Critical Thinking | |
| Introduction to Ethics | |
| Philosophy of Science | |
| Introduction to Brazilian Portuguese | |
| Introduction to the Study of Religion | |
| Introduction to World Religions | |
| Russian I | |
| Spanish I | |
| Spanish II | |
| Thinking and Acting Ethically | |
| 6 |
| Introduction to Anthropology | |
| World Archaeology | |
| Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | |
| Human Sexuality | |
| Planning Your Future with Purpose in Security & Global Studies | |
| Social Media and Society | |
| Intercultural Communication | |
| Microeconomics | |
| Macroeconomics | |
| Humane Education: A Global Interdisciplinary Perspective | |
| Introduction to Geography | |
| Practical Food Safety and Awareness | |
| International Relations I | |
| Forgotten America--Under Represented Cultures in American Literature | |
| Introduction to Political Science | |
| American Government I | |
| Introduction to Psychology | |
| Death and Dying | |
| Race & Religion | |
| Hope and Resilience | |
| Introduction to Sociology | |
| Social Problems | |
| American Popular Culture | |
| Exploring Society and Cultures via Science Fiction | |
| COMM120 | Information and Digital Literacy | 3 |
| ENGL110 | Making Writing Relevant | 3 |
| 3 |
| Public Speaking | |
| Proficiency in Writing | |
| Argumentation and Rhetoric | |
| Introduction to Literature | |
| Technical Writing | |
| Scientific Writing | |
| Effective Business Communication | |
| Human Relations Communication | |
| Information Literacy and Global Citizenship | |
| Introduction to Information Technology Writing | |
| Human Relations | |
| 3 |
| American History to 1877 | |
| American History since 1877 | |
| World Civilization before 1650 | |
| World Civilization since 1650 | |
| Western Civilization before The Thirty Years War | |
| Western Civilization since The Thirty Years War | |
| African-American History before 1877 | |
| African-American History since 1877 | |
| History of the American Indian | |
| History of Science | |
| The History and Context of STEM | |
| 3 |
| Accounting for Non Accounting Majors | |
| Fundamentals of Programming | |
| College Algebra | |
| College Trigonometry | |
| Pre-Calculus | |
| Introduction to Statistics | |
| Math for Liberal Arts Majors | |
| Calculus | |
| 3 |
| Introduction to Biology | |
| Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology | |
| Introduction to Chemistry | |
| Introduction to Meteorology | |
| Introduction to Geology | |
| Introduction to Environmental Science | |
| Introduction to Physics | |
| Introduction to Astronomy | |
| Introduction to STEM Disciplines | |
| Total Semester Hours | 30 |
Major Required (18 semester hours)
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Semester Hours |
| HLSS300 | Research Methods in Homeland Security Studies | 3 |
| HLSS302 | Introduction to Homeland Security and Defense | 3 |
| HLSS310 | Critical Infrastructure Protection | 3 |
| HLSS311 | Border and Coastal Security | 3 |
| HLSS320 | Intelligence and Homeland Security | 3 |
| HLSS322 | Homeland Security Legal and Ethical Issues | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 18 |
General Concentration (24 semester hours)
A general concentration allows you to take courses across a number of areas of study within your program based on your own interests.
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Semester Hours |
| 24 |
| Patrol Methodologies & Community Policing | |
| Law Enforcement Intelligence Applications | |
| Emergency Planning | |
| Emergency and Disaster Incident Command | |
| Hazard Mitigation and Preparedness | |
| Consequence Management | |
| Risk Communications | |
| Mind of a Terrorist | |
| Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Hazards | |
| Regulatory Issues in Weapons of Mass Destruction | |
| Homeland Security Risk, Threats and Consequences | |
| Private Sector Homeland Security | |
| Port Security | |
| Homegrown Violent Extremism | |
| Intelligence Collection | |
| Law and Ethics in Intelligence | |
| Intelligence Analysis | |
| Counterintelligence | |
| Cyber Warfare | |
| Terrorism and Counterterrorism | |
| Red and Blue Team Security | |
| IT Security: Risk Management | |
| Cybercrime | |
| Law, Privacy, and Digital Data | |
| Maritime Law | |
| Immigration Law and Policy | |
| Psychology of Disaster | |
| Global Terrorism | |
| Total Semester Hours | 24 |
Final Program Requirements (3 semester hours)
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Semester Hours |
| HLSS498 | Senior Seminar in Homeland Security (to be taken as the last course before graduation) 1 | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours | 3 |
Elective Requirements (45 semester hours)
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Semester Hours |
| 45 |
| Total Semester Hours | 45 |
