B.A. in Homeland Security or Security Mangagement?

Have you looked at AMU/APU's public health program? It has a lot of overlap with the homeland security program.

DESCRIPTIONCREDITS
COLL300Research, Analysis, and Writing3 hours
PBHE112Health Services Organization3 hours
PBHE209Wellness: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention3 hours
PBHE211Public Health in America3 hours
PBHE315Health Economics and Finance3 hours
PBHE361Moral Issues in Health Care3 hours
PBHE426Quarantine3 hours
PBHE427Epidemiology3 hours
POLS410Public Policy3 hours
SCIN130Introduction to Biology with Lab4 hours
SCIN131Introduction to Chemistry with Lab4 hours
Major Requirements12 Hours
NAMEDESCRIPTIONCREDITS
EDMG220Emergency Planning3 hours
EDMG230Emergency and Disaster Incident Command3 hours
EDMG340Consequence Management3 hours
EDMG420Risk Communications3 hours
HLSS212Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Hazards3 hours
HLSS320Intelligence and Homeland Security3 hours
PBHE111Introduction to Health Care Administration3 hours
PBHE413Special Operations in Emergency Medical Services3 hours
PSYC324Psychology of Addiction & Substance Abuse3 hours
PSYC406Psychopathology3 hours
PSYC431Psychology of Disaster
AMU Degree Program: Bachelor of Science in Public Health

The OP's options are probably limited if she wants to transfer her degree from Ashworth, which is DETC-accredited.

 

Yes your right, their limited, but I knew that when I enrolled. I apologize to truckie270, I should have informed you of that. I planned on going to AMU/APU anyway. The other option was Henley-Putnam University, but they had the same accreditation as Ashworth. Ashworth was cheaper, so that's how I ended up there. I always wondered. Why would someone have to get a background check, for material that's considered to be open source? I could have bought their the books online. Here I am poking everyone on the forum, after saying my farewells. This was always something I found of great interest so, this would be under the realm of things that catch my eye. Thank you for the course list, I started looking through it.

 

If you are interested in the Masters of Science in Homeland Security, CTU Online has a good program.

Homeland Security Degree Online | Masters in Homeland Security | CTU

I am a bit partial though. In full disclosure, I am pursuing my Doctoral degree in Management there with a concentration in Homeland Security and I have loved it so far... I am in the latter dissertation phase currently. Also, from what I have seen, AMU/APU has a number of great looking Masters from Public Admin. to Homeland Security to Emergency Mgt. to National Security Studies. I am actually looking at the National Security Studies program currently... Just my 2 cents.

 

Thanks!
It sounds like an option, something to throw on my list.

 

Even though I wouldn't personally choose either one for a masters degree, I would recommend APUS over CTU for three reasons:

1. Colorado Technical University is not a well-known school. If an employer does his or her research, all they will see is that it's a for-profit. APUS has already established a decent reputation with public sector employers even though it's for-profit too.

2. Colorado Technical University is a lot more expensive. The total cost for their MS in Homeland Security is $30,420! There are top 100 schools with online programs in homeland security for around that price. Penn State's program is about $5,000 cheaper and it's currently ranked in the top 50 nationally. APUS' program is only $11,700.

3. Colorado Technical University is on the quarter hour system. This makes it harder to transfer credits if need be.

I looked at APUS' national security studies program, but ended up going with a state university (Angelo State University) that would be slightly cheaper for me and not carry any stigma of being a non-traditional school. My other choice was East Carolina University, but it would have been expensive for me as a non-resident. National Security Studies aka Security Studies is a sub-field of international relations. It's best suited for people in the military, foreign affairs, NGOs, and intelligence. I work for a law enforcement agency right now and our LEOs don't need to know anything that I learned in my graduate program. Homeland Security is applied-professional while National Security is theoretical and research-oriented.

 

I understand. What do you know about The Center of Homeland Defense and Security's masters program, other then what is given on their site? https://www.chds.us/?masters/overview

 

HIGHLY competitive and selective. Limited to those already working at the local, state, and federal level with significant homeland security and/or emergency management responsibilities. The cost of the program is covered by the DHS and the above-mentioned gov agencies. It is not viewed as a degree program for those wishing to enter the field of HS or EM, rather it is geared towards those already in the sector looking for career advancement.

 

OK, I have some questions. Please understand that this is something that I know virtually nothing about and probably some of the things I think I know may be wrong.

When someone says that they want to work in law enforcement, what does that mean? Does it mean local police? FBI? ATF? If it's the locals, you don't need a degree, you take the test and go to the academy. FBI? It's such a big organization, they have people who do everything. There are field agents, scientists, accountants, etc. What do you mean "I want to work in law enforcement?"

Then, I'd like to know, does the FBI even cares what your major was? Is it just a check mark in a box or are some majors actually more attractive to them? I don't really know what you actually learn in a CJ program but is it going to really help you to do your job better than if you have a PA degree? I really don't know. It seems like people are saying "Go for versatility, just in case." so the inside message is that "law enforcement" doesn't really care about your major, they want people who are bright and ambitious. Beyond that, does it really matter what your degree might be in?

 

For local agencies, some don't require a degree and others require an associates/60 credit hours in any major. State agencies might require anything from 60 college credits to a bachelors degree. There are a few federal agencies where a degree in CJ, law, or a related field can help. For the FBI, a CJ degree can actually hurt. The FBI does have a preference for accounting, law, computer science/IT, and language. After that, they break applicants down by skill set such as law enforcement experience and physical science expertise. CJ majors are on the same level as other majors, but they might be at even more of a disadvantage since I heard that the overwhelming majority of FBI applicants are CJ majors. So, if the FBI wants to diversify, CJ majors have a smaller chance of getting in since they have so many peers to compete against. It's not LE, but I noticed a lot of CJ majors are considering the CIA. I've only seen one opening with the CIA in the past couple of years that openly expressed a preference for CJ. The CIA is an intelligence agency that wants STEM, business, and political science/international relations degrees. They even have few openings for medical professionals, but CJ majors are only desired for security and polygraph examiners (along with psychology).

Does a CJ degree help in law enforcement? I'm of the opinion that all LEOs could benefit from at least completing an associates. I've come across many who aren't very bright. They can be negligent and dangerous. A degree could at least be used as a screening tool. CJ does have a good bit of behavioral science mixed in. I think that any of the behavioral sciences could help LEOs better deal with people. LEOs do a lot of mediation and many offenders have mental health issues. Degrees in other areas such as science and business can help one specialize as he or she moves up in a large agency. Other than that, you learn everything you need to know in the academy and during field training. CJ degrees are very general when it comes to law and law enforcement techniques; the academy will teach you about state and local laws. An online CJ program is definitely not going to teach you how to handcuff someone, shoot, or retain your weapons.

If someone wants to get into corrections, then CJ is the way to go. I'm still trying to figure out what one would do with a homeland security degree outside of emergency management. I guess you could somehow get into policy making, but that's very hard to do, especially without experience in emergency management/military/firefighting.

 

This is probably one of the most cogent arguments I've heard on this forum yet for appropriate purposes to obtain a criminal justice degree.

 

To add to these better options (which I agree with) you can always include some LE/Security/CJ/PA courses as electives.

 

I am in LE and teach security and homeland security courses. I would recommend following truckie's advice. But, I would say to go for a general management related degree with a concentration in security, em, or hls. The kind of jobs you seek will give you a few points for the concentration, but you can still put MS\MA in management and just not mention the concentration if you go the non LE route. Kind of like getting two degrees for the price of one. I, however, would personally stay away from public admin because (1) it is very difficult and (2) it seems a bit more limiting than a general management degree (unless you are going for a job that specifically says a public admin degree is required, which I have seen about as often as job announcements requiring a CJ degree-not very often). You are simply trying to check boxes here while also studying something that interests you.

 

That's a very good point about getting a general management degree with a concentration in HLS or CJ.

Is the public administration curriculum really that difficult? It seems to be a wildly popular degree that many people are pursuing -- but why? It's utility or scope-of-function seems so limited, especially when it's compared to a business or management degree.

 

I've seen public administration listed a lot along side business administration for public sector jobs. Public administration seems easier than business administration and business admin is the most popular major in the U.S. Comparing standardized test scores, business admin majors aren't even close to being the smartest out there. I would actually advise against general management. One could argue that it's similar to business administration in a cover letter, but business admin and public admin are more well-known. Management degrees tend to be weak on the quantitative side. I don't remember seeing many jobs asking for a management degree.

Public admin might not be useful in the private sector, but it's useful throughout the whole public sector. It is much less limiting than CJ, homeland security, and security management.

 

Since the OP indicated a desire to pursue public sector opportunities, I recommended the MPA. In terms if general utility in any sector, I would recommend the MBA. There is a value for the MPA in the public sector due to the interconnectedness of the public and private sectors. In terms of difficulty, I have both an MPA and and MBA and the PA curriculum was easier from a quantitative standpoint but more difficult qualitatively in my experience.

 

Thanks for the head's up. :cool3:

 

Does anyone know more about SouthWestern College, other than what is explained on their site?
Online Bachelor

 

A longtime poster here, friendorfoe, did his B.S. in Criminal Justice with them. Here's a very helpful retrospective thread, full of details. He also found his way to Southwestern there after an associate's from Ashworth.

Disambiguation note for everyone: We're talking about the Southwestern College based in Winfield, Kansas, which also brands itself Southwestern College Professional Studies or SCPS. There are several other, unrelated Southwestern Colleges based in other places.

 

I find their focus on research writing, original.
Most of the time, you see more emphases on quizzes and assessments. Thanks for the link.

 

Such a focus should prepare students very well for graduate school. And for many professional contexts.