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
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.
About the Faculty
Our world-class faculty members combine academic credentials with a wealth of experience in the field.
Faculty members in this program hold or have recently held positions including
- Branch chief for port and facility compliance
- IT analyst
- Program analyst
- Regional manager Secure flight analyst
- Transportation security officer
- U.S. Army medical sergeant
- U.S. Army officer
- U.S. Army security branch chief
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer
Our faculty work or have worked at organizations including
- NSA
- Transportation Security Administration
- U.S. Army
- U.S. Coast Guard
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Additional Information
Fast-Track Your Degree
Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security to Master of Science in Management Specialization in Homeland Security
If you graduated from UMGC with a Bachelor of Science in homeland security, you could be eligible to fast-track a Master of Science in management with a specialization in homeland security management by up to 6 credits and complete both degrees with a total of 150 credits of coursework.
The Graduate School will accept the following course substitutions toward the completion of this master's degree program, for a maximum of 6 credits:
- HMLS 302 in lieu of HSMN 610
- HMLS 408 in lieu of HSMN 625
To be eligible, you must have completed these courses at UMGC no more than two years before being accepted to the Graduate School and earned a B or better in the courses. The substitutions listed above are the only substitutions possible. Transfer credits are not accepted. Admission requirements and time limits for degree completion apply to all students.
Apply Undergraduate Coursework in Homeland Security to Master of Science in Management Specialization in Homeland Security
If you graduated from UMGC and took courses in homeland security, you could be eligible to fast-track a Master of Science in management with a specialization in homeland security management by up to 6 credits and complete both degrees with a total of 150 credits of coursework.
The Graduate School will accept the following course substitutions toward the completion of this master's degree program, for a maximum of 6 credits:
- HMLS 302 in lieu of HSMN 610
- HMLS 408 in lieu of HSMN 625
To be eligible, you must have completed these courses at UMGC no more than two years before being accepted to the Graduate School and earned a B or better in the courses. The substitutions listed above are the only substitutions possible. Transfer credits are not accepted. Admission requirements and time limits for degree completion apply to all students.