The Master of Science in management specialization in homeland security management helps prepare you to take a leadership role in protecting against natural and human-made threats to U.S. security. You can gain practical managerial skills 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 requirements are for students who enroll in the 2020–2021 academic year. For prior year academic requirements, visit our catalog archive.

About the Management Master's Degree with Homeland Security Management Specialization

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 critical infrastructure sectors, including 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

Management Master's Degree with Homeland Security Management Specialization 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.

Master's - specialization Courses

Initial Requirement

  • UCSP 615
    (to be taken within the first 6 credits of study)

Core Courses

  • MGMT 630
  • MGMT 640
  • MGMT 650

Specialization Courses

  • HSMN 610
  • HSMN 625
  • HSMN 630
  • INFA 660
  • BSBD 641
  • EMAN 620
  • HSMN 670

Capstone Course

  • MGMT 670

Course Rules and Program Progression

  • MGMT 630 (or MGMT 610) must be taken within the first 6 credits.
    • MGMT 610 and MGMT 615 may be taken instead of MGMT 630.
  • MGMT 640 should not be attempted simultaneously with MGMT 650.
  • HSMN 610 must be taken as one of the first two specialization courses.
  • HSMN 670 must be taken in your last semester.
  • You must complete 24 credits of program coursework, including all core courses, before enrolling in MGMT 670.

Vertical Pathway

If you completed your undergraduate degree at UMGC with coursework in homeland security, a vertical pathway between UMGC's graduate and undergraduate degree programs in that field allows you to reduce your total coursework for this program by up to 6 credits.

Other Requirements

  • You must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher at all times.
  • All degree requirements must be fulfilled within five consecutive years.
  • Any transfer credits must have been earned within the five-year time frame to be applied toward a graduate degree.

Please review our overview of overall master's degree requirements for additional considerations.

Career Preparation

This program is designed to help prepare you to take a leadership role in protecting against natural and human-induced threats to homeland security.

Experience Recommended for Success in the Program

If you lack a recent background in finance or accounting, you should take UCSP 620 before MGMT 640. If you lack a recent background in statistics, you should take UCSP 630 before MGMT 650. Taking UCSP 605 is recommended to improve 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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