Associate of Arts Degree in Homeland Security
General Education Requirements
ENG 101- English Composition & Rhetoric I 3 ENG 102- English Composition & Rhetoric II 3
ENG 105- Public Speaking 3
ENG Literature Course 3
MA 111- College Algebra 3
ART/LA/PHL/REL (3 humanities/fine art courses) 9
SCI (any science course) 5
HST 111/112, or PS 101 3
HST/PS/BS (2 additional courses) 6
CS 108- Principles of Computers 3
Subtotal: 41
Degree Requirements
(Complete 15 credit hours of core requirements)
HS101- Principles of Homeland Security 3
CJ 101- Criminal Justice System 3
CJ201- Criminal Law 3
HS102- Principles of Crisis and Disaster Management 3
HS201- Homeland Security Intelligence 3
Degree Electives
(Choose 9 credit hours of electives)
HS103- Roots Terrorism 3
HS104- Domestic Terrorism 3
HS202- Principles of Security Management 3 HS203- Natural Disaster Planning and Response 3
MS- Military Science 4
Subtotal: 24
Program Description:
The Wentworth Military Academy and College (WMAC) Associate of Arts Degree in Homeland Security is a comprehensive degree program centered around 65 credit hours of college
coursework. The program is designed to enable students to identify and describe the major components of the Department of Homeland Security and the key governmental agencies associated with defending the United States. Students will identify and describe relevant federal and state laws and their application to domestic terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and natural disasters. Students will then analyze the emergency and military response to crisis and disaster management. The program is designed to enable students to complete general education requirements and to prepare them for continued education in pursuit of a career within the homeland security profession.
Program Learning Outcomes:
1. The student will be able to think critically and to effectively communicate both orally and in writing.
2. The student will be able to manage information effectively.
3. The student will understand the moral and ethical values of a diverse society; and able to make informed decisions through identifying personal values and the values of others; and able to analyze the ethical implications of choices made on the basis of these values.
4. The student will understand and be able to describe the major components of the Department of Homeland Security.
5. The student will recognize and distinguish the multiple forms of terrorism and their root causes; and summarize related counterterrorism practices.
6. The student will be able to apply his/her knowledge to actively engage in emergency response situations whether man-made or natural.
Program Outline:
In order to receive an Associate of Arts Degree in Homeland Security, students must complete 65 credit hours. Of those, 24 credit hours will be Homeland Security Courses and 41 credit hours will be General Education Courses. The 24 credit hours of Homeland Security Courses will be comprised of the following:
Core Requirements (15 credit hours) –
Principles of Homeland Security (HS101) 3 credit hours
Criminal Justice System (CJ101) 3 credit hours
Criminal Law (CJ201) 3 credit hours
Principles of Crisis and Disaster Management (HS102) 3 credit hours Homeland Security Intelligence (HS201) 3 credit hours
Elective Courses (9 credit hours) –
Roots Terrorism (HS103) 3 credit hours
Domestic Terrorism (HS104) 3 credit hours
Principles of Security Management (HS202) 3 credit hours Natural Disaster Planning and Response (HS203) 3 credit hours
Military Science 4 credit hours
Homeland Security Courses
HS101 Principles of Homeland Security Course Description:
Principles of Homeland Security is an undergraduate course designed to enable students to recognize and define a broad spectrum of the fundamental issues significant to Homeland Security. Students will develop the skills, abilities, and working knowledge key to further their studies and future opportunities by aggressively exploring contemporary problems and prospects, interpreting evolving relationships between the many components of Homeland Security, and analyzing forward-looking and emerging national and global trends.
Required Text:
Introduction to Homeland Security: Principles of All-Hazards Response, Third Edition, by Jane Bullock, George Haddow, Damon Coppola, and Sapp Yeletaysi, Elsevier Inc., Burlington, MA, 2009.
HS102 Principles of Crisis and Disaster Management Course Description:
Principles of Crisis and Disaster Management is an undergraduate course designed to enable students to identify and explain the emergency management system and process. Students will recognize preparedness, response and recovery issues and will conduct an in-depth analysis of the All-Hazards Approach and various mitigation techniques. Additionally, student will become NIMS certified in the IS-230.a Fundamentals of Emergency Management FEMA training course.
Required Text:
Introduction to Emergency Management, by Michael Lindell, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, 2007.
HS103 Roots of Terrorism Course Description:
Roots of Terrorism is an undergraduate course designed to enable students to identify, categorize and explain the fundamental causes and ideological motivators of terrorist organizations.
Students will recognize and identify specific political, religious and special interest roots associated with different terrorist groups. Students will also earn a United Nations (UN) certification by the end of the class.
Required Text:
Global Terrorism, by Paul Medhurst Ph.D., UNITAR Training Program, New York, NY, 2002.
HS104 Domestic Terrorism Course Description:
Domestic Terrorism is an undergraduate course designed to enable students to identify and explain the key types of domestic terrorist organizations in the United States. Right wing, left wing and special interest groups will be examined in detail and discussions will focus on the historical significance, ideologies and methods of operation for each type. Students will analyze and discuss the future outlook of domestic terrorism.
Required Text:
American Extremists: Militias, Supremacists, Klansmen, Communists, and Others, by John George and Laird Wilcox, Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY, 1996.
HS201 Homeland Security Intelligence Course Description:
Homeland Security Intelligence is an undergraduate course designed to enable students to
recognize and explain how the intelligence process works within the United States. Students will be able to describe the historical aspects of intelligence, and relate those aspects to current intelligence procedures. Students will then evaluate the future need for and role of Homeland Security Intelligence. The course will develop the student’s ability to identify and describe intelligence issues including the multiple means by which intelligence is gathered, analyzed, and disseminated.
Required Text:
HS202 Principles of Security Management Course Description:
Principles of Security Management is an undergraduate course designed to enable students to identify and explain the key issues related to physical security in the United States. Students will relate these issues to homeland security. Physical security is a vital piece of the broader
homeland security context and the course focuses on this important field. Students will identify, compare and analyze key issues related to security of airports, rail stations, businesses, military installations and other key infrastructure assets.
Required Text:
Security: An Introduction, by Philip P. Purpura, CPP, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2011.
HS203 Natural Disaster Planning and Response Course Description:
Natural Disaster Planning and Response is an undergraduate course designed to enable students to identify and describe the major forms of natural disasters. Students will explain and relate how and why these events occur. Students will describe and explain the planning process and
response procedures involved in mitigating natural disasters and relate those procedures to improving the effectiveness of US Homeland Security.
Required Text:
Natural Hazards and Disasters, by Donald Hyndman and David Hyndman, Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning , Belmont, CA, 2011.
CJ101 The Criminal Justice System Course Description:
The Criminal Justice System is an undergraduate course designed to enable students to identify and explain the philosophical and historical background of criminal justice. The course content focuses on the principles underlying social organization and control devices with emphasis upon legal systems.
Required Text:
Introduction to Criminal Justice, 11th Edition, by Larry Seigel, Cengage Learning, 2007.
CJ201 Criminal Law Course Description:
Criminal Law is an undergraduate course designed to enable students to identify and explain the origin, development, and classification of the substantive criminal law, defense and criminal responsibility.
Required Text:
