FAQ: Master's Degree Program

 Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. William Butler Yeats Asked to sum up my thoughts on my recent experience in the Master's Degree program at NPS/CHDS, I guess I would say that I had no idea what I was getting in to (lots of thinking!), that I wasn't sure what the experience would involve (hours of reading and writing!), that I didn't have a clue about the value it would bring to me personally (immeasurable!) and professionally (I KNOW I am better able to articulate my position in the homeland security enterprise!), and that I wasn't sure I could even pull it off (but I DID)! Eighteen months later, having successfully completed the program, I can say that for me NPS/CHDS was life-changing....through the ideas I was exposed to, through listening to and learning from 31 of the most amazing people I will ever know (Cohort 1005/1006..you rock!), through a new understanding of the breadth and width of the homeland security enterprise, and through some of the best memories I will ever have of a great experience, with great people, in an awesome place! And out of all the deep and fantastical things I experienced and learned over the eighteen months, the most important was that I want to keep learning for the rest of my life! For those just starting the program, or thinking about applying, please know that there's a group of incredible guides, masquerading as professors and faculty, who will give you the learning experience of a lifetime! Like me, you'll come with pre-conceived notions and ideas that will be challenged (but never mocked!), and offered the chance to see and think in new ways! Bring your mind, bring your heart...the country needs them both! Good luck!