Homeland Security Academics?

So I noticed that I can get an MA in Criminal Justice and an MA in Homeland Security from APUS (American Public University) for the same price as an MBA from St. Josephs College….so if I forgo the MBA for a while and get these 2 degrees…..how realistic is it for me to be able to get a job teaching HS or CJ somewhere? Is Homeland Security growing at the academic level? Would it be more desirable for a teaching applicant to have a degree in both? I know I could use an MA in Homeland Security at work now and later, so that’s money in the bank, but the MA in CJ….that’s more because I just want one.


What do you guys think? I would love to teach college.

 

With most colleges . . .

You need 18 graduate hours in a specialty, such as criminal justice, either to go along with your master's degree or included with the master's degree.

I will put it to you this way - I am completing my master's in legal studies specializing in homeland security and I am concurrently working on my PhD specializing in criminal justice. This is because I am hoping to teach criminal justice and homeland security courses. I am in the same position, but those are my plans. We will have to see if this works out.

Best of Luck!

 

Do you see homeland security growing as an academic discipline? Like Criminal Justice?

 

I don't think it will ever be as major an academic discipline as CJ, and there is also the question if it will have "staying power". After 9/11, a lot of schools jumped on the HS bandwagon, it will be interesting to see how many are still there in 10 years.

If you're already employed in a HS field, you could use that experience, combined with a CJ graduate degree, to teach in both fields. When schools were starting-up their HS programs, the real problem was getting qualified faculty, since it was a new concept. What one major school did was recruit people with CJ and/or law degrees, who also had significant HS-type experience (former FBI Agents, military intelligence, etc.).

 

Are there many MPA's teaching CJ at the college level?

 

For their highest degree? I've certainly seen them, but I would say they're far outnumbered by CJ and law degrees.

Of course, some MPA programs can be tailored to a CJ specialization, and I have no idea how many of those are out there. Marist College used to offer a MPA/CJ specialization by DL, but I believe it's not offered anymore.

Remember, many schools are willing to allow people with significant experience in their field to teach in that field, regardless of their academic credentials. For example, even though Colin Powell's academic credentials consist of a Bachelor's in Geology from CUNY and an MBA from George Washington, he could teach International Relations at nearly any university he chose. That's an extreme example, but you get the idea.

 

I'm going to have to disagree with Bruce on this one (sorry, Bruce). Homeland Security is a growing field, and while I don't have a crystal ball, I predict it will continue to grow for quite some time. Not only are more colleges adding Homeland Security as a discipline every day, but such programs are also starting to reach down to the high school level: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-te.ha.homeland07jul07,0,3942766.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

According to this article: http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060706/NEWS0104/607060366 the U.S. Department of Labor expects significant growth in this career field.

Every once in awhile, one is able to recognize an emerging field which will provide steady work and decent pay. I believe this is one of them.

 

In this basic order, our degrees have basically evolved in the following order, for those of us who remember:
- sociology
- police science
- administration of justice
- law enforcement
- criminal justice (no longer the new kid on the block)
- homeland security (new kid on the block)

What's next?

 

I suspect that public order will be the next burning issue for law enforcement academics around the world.

Recent events in the South Pacific include Solomon Island, East Timor, and the various places the Tsunami. In Europem there have been the riots in France and soccer hooligan issues. In Australia we have had the riots at Cronulla, Redfern, and Palm Island. The US has had the aftermath of Katrina.

Policing major events and public disquiet will require a sophisticated set of skills for criminal justice professionals, particularly when there is an international media to cope with. A riot in one city may stimulate a riot in another city around the other side of the world courtesy of media comment acting as a force multiplier. A local event and response triggers the response wave around the world.

The issue of public meltdown will not go away and with the current uncertainty can be expected to grow. Whether this will be part of Criminal Justice, Sociology, Homeland Security (or some international equivalent) or Law Enforcement remains to be seen.

It is something that the new technology in communication and globalisation has landed on the plate of law enforcement globally. Maybe a discrete stream of studies around the management of this issue will emerge? Either way these fields are here to stay.

 

I don't deny it's a growing field, I believe I even acknowledged that. What I'm saying is that it will be interesting to see how things play out over the next 10 or so years.

My personal opinion is that if there are no major terrorist attacks within the US borders within the next 10 years, you'll see Homeland Security start a steady & rapid decline as an academic discipline.

 

Some colleges are interjecting courses in building and physical security like Webster or "safety engineering" (with prior chem/physics coursework preferred or pre-requisites satisfied) like at National University.
Of course, practical experience can and does trump it at time. The #3 at the FBI is reported to be leaving to go work for Bank of America as chief of global security for $600K/yr. Mid-level management can teach as adjunct in certain colleges.
I had 3 professors with no academic background in IS teach database and networking classes. One was a lawyer who studied for the CCNA and the other had a grad degree in Biology from UC Davis who taught database admin.
JMHO!

 

Homeland Security is a growing field which includes several federal agencies and disciplines. Just click on this page from the Department of Homeland Security and you will see what I am talking about.

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0133.xml

Notice part of Homeland Security is emergency management, law enforcement, intelligence and security just to name a few. This is why I think it will continue to grow at record pace.

 

Additionally, the interest seems to be growing overseas as well to seek formalized instruction in homeland security and emergency management.
I've had some friends expressing interest to seek a Master's degree in this country (a couple of them would be government-funded, which they have to repay by working for 8 years for the government when they get back).
If you excel at a foreign language and have a respectable amount of experience, you can also consult internationally as well as teach.
I am by no means an expert, just another schmuck getting a MA. in diplomacy (far removed from HS)