The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA and the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) have pioneered graduate education programs for homeland security. Since 2003, CHDS has built a cadre of graduate education programs and resources used by universities and agencies across the country. The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree program is offered at no cost to eligible local, state, tribal, territorial, and federal officials. To accommodate participants’ time constraints, students are in residence just two weeks every quarter during the 18-month program. Students complete the remainder of their coursework via web-enabled instruction. The degree is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and is awarded by the Naval Postgraduate School. The degree provides leaders with the knowledge and skills to:

• Develop policies, strategies, plans and programs to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, and reduce America’s vulnerability to the full range of other homeland security threats and potential catastrophic events.
• Build the organizational and interagency arrangements needed to strengthen homeland security.
• Help mayors, governors, other elected officials and federal leaders improve homeland security preparedness by developing actionable policies and strategies.

The degree program requires 18 months of continuous enrollment and coursework and a thesis. It involves a significant commitment on the part of the participants and their agencies. The courses are organized in quarters rather than semesters. Each quarter requires two weeks in residence at either the NPS campus, located in Monterey, California, or in the National Capital Region (at the Bolger Center outside of Washington, DC). The remainder of the coursework is completed via network-based learning. Participants spend an average of 15-20 hours per week during the network-based learning periods of study—reading assigned materials, participating in online discussions with faculty and other participants, and preparing papers and projects. Participants and their agencies must be cognizant of this commitment and should view it as an investment in enhancing the individual´s and the jurisdiction’s homeland security capabilities.

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The internationally respected faculty guide discussions and focus the attention of the participants, establishing the predicate for continued study through network-based learning methodologies for the non-residential period. The thesis is a qualitative or quantitative research project on a significant homeland security topic. The thesis may, for example, have a strategic planning focus, a model-development perspective, or a threat-risk assessment concentration. The thesis should be of significant benefit to the participant’s agency or jurisdiction.

Timeline

Students admitted to the 18-month program already hold positions with significant Homeland Security-related responsibilities. The demands of their jobs prevent most of these professionals from enrolling in a traditional in-residence MA program. To accommodate their time constraints, NPS requires students to be in residence only two weeks every quarter. Students complete the remainder of their coursework via the web.

Criteria and Eligibility

The Master’s Degree Program is provided at no cost to state (including members of the National Guard under Title 32), local municipality, tribal, territorial, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) government employees (including the U.S. Coast Guard) accepted into the program. DHS employees should see these instructions before applying.

Non-DHS federal government employees and U.S. military officers are also strongly encouraged to apply, however, non-DHS federal government employees and non-Naval/Marine military officers are required to have financial sponsorship from their agency or command if they are accepted into the program. Agency-to-agency financial agreements and funding must be in place prior to beginning the program. Active Duty Naval and Marine Officers do not require funding assistance nor financial agreements in order to attend the program due to the Naval Postgraduate School’s legislative basis and primary mission. Active duty military officers should see this additional information.

The following are minimum qualifications prospective students should have in order to be considered for admission:

• Employed full-time by a local, tribal, territorial, state, or federal government agency or the U.S. military, and have homeland security experience and responsibilities; National Guard members who are not in a full time assignment may also be considered.
• Be a United States citizen.
• Possess an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university. Caveat: In July 2020, the Department of Education (DoE) recategorized how accreditation bodies are classified. “National” and “Regional” accreditation are no longer used and were replaced by “Institutional” and “Programmatic” accreditation. Any degree under Institutional or Programmatic accreditation awarded after July 2020 meets the minimum accreditation standard and is recognized by the Naval Postgraduate School.  Any degree awarded before July 2020 should be accredited by one of the six regional accreditation bodies. Recognizing a non-regionally accredited degree is decided on a case-to-case basis. Contact CHDS if this case applies to you.
• Graduated with a minimum 3.0 grade point average for all undergraduate coursework or awarded a graduate degree. (Applicants with an undergraduate grade point average below 3.0 will be considered if they have work experience and qualifications that complement their academic record, and if their written materials demonstrate an ability to do graduate-level work.)

If accepted to the program: 1) state, local, tribal, territorial and non-DHS federal participants agree to continue to serve in a public service, homeland security capacity for at least two years following graduation. (This may be the applicant’s current position or one accepted after participating in the program, so long as you are serving in the public sector in a position related to homeland security.) 2) DHS participants agree to continue to serve DHS for at least two years following graduation [DHS Continued Service Agreement – PDF]. The criteria for acceptance to the CHDS Master’s Degree Program includes the requirement that students be employees of local, state, federal, territorial or tribal government agencies. It is the requirement of the program sponsor and the Naval Postgraduate School that students remain local, state, tribal, territorial or federal employees during the 18-months they participate in the program. However, we understand that from time to time, unique circumstances may occur that result in a change in employment status, (e.g. agency reorganizations, change in administrations, etc.). These changes in status may affect continued enrollment and/or matriculation. Applicants and students who are currently facing or who are concerned that they will likely experience a change in government employment status (while enrolled in the program) should contact chdsmaap@nps.edu or by phone at 831-656-3829.

Most students in the program are experienced or fast-rising state, local, tribal, territorial or federal officials. DHS selects the students on the basis of their demonstrated expertise and/or leadership potential in homeland security-related fields, and evidence of their academic ability to complete the rigorous coursework at NPS. To encourage intergovernmental and interagency cooperation and network-building, the program enrolls military officers and federal officials in concert with local, tribal, territorial and state leaders.

DHS’ National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA sponsors authorized tuition, books, travel and lodging during each two week in residence session at NPS, as long as the participant is making acceptable progress in the Master of Arts Degree program. The participant’s agency or organization will continue to be responsible for his or her salary, benefits, and related support during the completion of the degree. Computer equipment to facilitate study and research will be provided by CHDS to each participant for their use while in the program.

DHS Employees: Read this before starting an application.
All DHS components require their employees to apply through their training and education department before submitting an official application on the CHDS website. If you are a DHS employee, see the list of the points of contact for each component.