Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security

Overview

The Applied Aviation Sciences Department offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Homeland Security that is based on the needs of the U.S. government and its citizens, as well as the needs of the private sector. The Homeland Security degree combines the University’s General Education requirements with a solid core of homeland security courses as well as specialty course work in emergency management, terrorism studies or cyber security. In addition, this degree allows the student to take maximum advantage of transfer credits and electives in order to explore breadth in related areas of study including either language, international relations courses, safety or business courses.

Students can choose one of two ways to specialize their homeland security education: either through an area of concentration in emergency management or terrorism studies, or through technical study in cyber security. Either way, the Homeland Security degree is designed for students who have an interest in obtaining a strong foundation in many of the domains of modern homeland security, including terrorism studies, law and policy, critical infrastructure and risk analysis, strategic planning, intelligence, environmental security, and emergency management.

Required internship and cooperative work experiences optimize the student’s professional preparation and credentials. The goal of the degree is to produce highly marketable graduates with entry-level skills such as the ability to perform risk analyses, write emergency management plans, design and evaluate exercises, design, deliver professional briefings, and understand how to identify and protect critical infrastructure. Graduates of this program will find employment opportunities in the federal or state government, universities, or the private sector. In addition, the HS program is ideal preparation for further study in graduate school, including law, public policy, or emergency management.

Advantages

With faculty who have more than 70 years of combined experience, the Bachelor of Science degree in Homeland Security (BSHS) curriculum is based on an outcomes-based methodology which includes the needs of the marketplace, expert input from U.S. military and governmental experts and practicing professionals. To enhance the quality of the HS educational experience, subject matter experts from a variety of HS disciplines are often invited to provide guest lectures or teach entire courses.

Core courses include law and policy, terrorism studies, emergency management, risk assessment, intelligence analysis, strategic planning, environmental security and transportation security.

The HS program includes two tracks. Track 1 consists of the Core plus one of two Areas of Concentration (AOC): Terrorism Studies or Emergency Management. Track 2 is Cyber Security, and it consists of the Core plus extensive Computer Science courses; no AOC is required. Students interested in Cyber Security, Network Administration or Data Assurance are encouraged to take this technical track. The HS Program also requires an Internship designed to provide students with a rich, real world experience.

Graduates of this program will be well prepared to enter the dynamic and rewarding field of homeland security. Whether one is interested in emergency management, terrorism, law enforcement, law or policy, critical infrastructure, risk analysis or environmental security, students will gain valuable insights and expertise which enable them to contribute to U.S. national security.

Combined with our reputation as the leader in aviation education, our state-of-the-art facilities, world-class faculty and industry relationships, Embry-Riddle is the best choice for your study in homeland security.

Requirements

The Bachelor of Science degree in Homeland Security requires successful completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours and is normally completed in eight semesters as outlined below. Students enrolling in the cyber security track should be aware this is a technical degree and will require Calculus I in their first semester and Calculus II in their second. Students should be aware several courses have prerequisites or co-requisites, and should check course descriptions to be sure such requirements are met. There are two areas of concentration (AOCs) available: emergency management or terrorism studies. All students not enrolled in the cyber security track are required to complete one AOC. All Homeland Security majors must complete a senior capstone course (HS 490) and an internship or co-op (at either two credits or 200+ hours) between either the sophomore or junior years or between the junior and senior years.

Students transferring into the program who have earned academic credits in homeland security-related course work or professional experience can be granted up to 16 credit hours from the specified elective areas per approval from the program coordinator.

Careers

According to Barron’s Guide to Homeland Security Careers, security-related opportunities are available with the following federal transportation agencies:

• Federal Aviation Administration (Federal Air Marshals): 500+
• Transportation Security Administration (TSA): 20,000+
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): 1,000+
• U.S. Border Patrol, including pilots: 3,000+
• U.S. Customs, including pilots: 1,000+

Graduates with a degree in Homeland Security could potentially work for any of the nine divisions of the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Some examples of DHS positions- where the average starting salary is estimated to be $40,000- include:

• Disaster Recovery and Operations Specialist
• Immigration Information Analyst
• Infrastructure Analyst
• Management and Program Analyst
• Operations Research Analyst
• Program Specialist (Citizen Corps)
• Search and Rescue Controller
• Security Specialist
• Technological Hazards Program Specialist
• Transportation Security Specialist
• Vessel Documentation Assistant