Prepare for a dynamic career protecting critical infrastructure with a certificate in homeland security management.

With a graduate certificate in homeland security management from University of Maryland Global Campus, you'll gain practical experience in performing security risk assessments, planning for and managing operational recovery, and developing strategies to protect people, facilities, and critical infrastructure. UMGC was named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security. Source

These program requirements are for students who enroll in the 2019–2020 academic year. For prior year academic requirements, visit the catalog archive in the Current Students section.

About the Homeland Security Management Graduate Certificate

Perfect for mid-career professionals, your coursework for the graduate certificate in homeland security management will include issues in emergency management, cyber security, bioterrorism, and energy security, as well as core courses in business management. You'll use real data from real crises in assignments and projects and practice making executive-level decisions.

What You'll Learn

Through your coursework, you will learn how to

  • Tackle the five mission areas in homeland security as defined by the Department of Homeland Security
  • Perform risk assessments
  • Conduct resilience planning and preparedness for disaster response and recovery
  • Apply risk methodologies to the energy industry
  • Make decisions using statistics and financial information
  • Use organizational theory, effectiveness measurement, and systems thinking
  • Manage intercultural environments

Coursework Examples

In past projects, students have had the opportunity to

  • Use one of the Department of Homeland Security's daily summaries of current critical infrastructure issues to write hypothetical article
  • Write a job description for a chief risk officer, including the resilience, response, and recovery skills required for the job
  • Analyze one of the critical infrastructures designated by DHS and make recommendations on ways to protect and assure continued availability of services from this infrastructure, providing your judgments together with experts' opinions

Homeland Security Management Graduate Certificate Requirements

Our curriculum is designed with input from employers, industry experts, and scholars. You'll learn theories combined with real-world applications and practical skills you can apply on the job right away.

Required Courses

  • UCSP 615
    (to be taken within the first 6 credits of study)
  • HSMN 610
    (must be taken as one of the first two courses in the program)
  • HSMN 625
  • HSMN 630
  • INFA 660
  • EMAN 620

Overall Certificate Requirements

  • To pursue a certificate program, you must be admitted as a UMGC student.
  • You are responsible for notifying UMGC of your intention to complete certificate work before completion of your last course.
  • If you apply credits from your graduate certificate to a related master's degree, then you must apply for your certificate once you have completed its requirements before finishing the master's requirements.
  • All required coursework for the certificate must be completed with a minimum grade of B (3.0). Certificate courses cannot be taken pass/fail.
  • All graduate certificate requirements must be fulfilled within five consecutive years. Any transfer credits, if applicable, must have been earned within the five-year time frame to be applied toward a graduate certificate.

Career Preparation

This program is designed to help prepare you for management work in security risk assessments, operational recovery management, and strategy development to protect people, facilities, and critical infrastructure.

Experience Recommended for Success in the Program

This program is designed for midcareer professionals or those new to the field. We recommend you have strong writing and analytical skills. We recommend UCSP 605 if you'd like to improve your graduate writing skills.

Student Clubs and Organizations

  • Public Safety Student Association

    • Type: Student organization
    Available To: Undergraduate and Graduate

    The Public Safety Student Association encourages discussions on careers, current events, and topics within the public safety field. Previous activities have included webinars on related topics and careers.



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