Best Online Master’s in Homeland Security Programs

Based in the nation's capital, George Washington University offers popular public affairs, public policy, international diplomacy, and law programs, including a master of professional studies in homeland security pathway.

This 36-credit program reviews best practices in intelligence analysis, counterterrorism, and understanding evolving threats to national security. The program favors applicants with backgrounds in public and private safety, law enforcement, emergency response, public policy, and the military.

Course instructors focus on applied knowledge and the practical applications of theory, preparing graduates for careers as homeland security professionals. Students can graduate in 16 months, and online learners begin taking classes in the fall, spring, and summer.

Regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Mississippi College is the state's oldest higher education institution. The college educates about 5,000 students a year, many of whom study online.

The college's master of social science in homeland security program can be completed by distance learners and provides advanced study in antiterrorism and border protection. The curriculum includes core courses like legal aspects of homeland security and grant writing for homeland security.

Graduates of this Christian university are prepared to work in numerous federal agencies. For example, degree-holders can pursue jobs in immigration and customs enforcement, emergency management, transportation security, and the private sector.

Pennsylvania State University offers a fully online master of professional studies in homeland security through its virtual World Campus. The program gives learners a comprehensive view of homeland security issues, preparing graduates to advance in the field or transition to a new career path.

The 33-credit curriculum examines homeland security issues through the lens of geopolitics. After completing a core set of required classes, students can declare a specialization in one of seven areas.

The generalist option focuses on government policy and operational organization. Learners can also pursue a highly focused concentration in cybersecurity, counterterrorism, public health, geospatial intelligence, information security and digital forensics, or agricultural biosecurity.

Tulane University's online master of professional studies in homeland security studies focuses on the practical applications of essential security and emergency management principles. Coursework covers domestic and international threats to homeland security. Learners also examine policies and actions that neutralize the harms these concerns can cause.

Core classes review major homeland security strategies and the policies that inform their design. Students engage in one-on-one consultations with the program director to create a degree completion pathway that reflects their individual interests.

Tulane holds regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Students local to Tulane's New Orleans-based campus can also pursue this master's in homeland security in a traditional campus-based or hybrid delivery format.

Based in Philadelphia, Saint Joseph's University offers an online master's in criminal justice with a homeland security concentration that prepares learners for front-line careers in emergency preparedness and disaster management. Students also explore homeland security and counterterrorism theories.

This 30-credit program examines the causes and effects of human-made threats. The curriculum covers issues in public policy, sociology, political science, and history. It helps guide students to advanced understandings of how and why threats evolve.

Degree-seekers are introduced to the organizational structures of homeland security agencies, as well as their various functions and roles. Graduates emerge with a comprehensive, professional understanding of homeland security best practices.

Offered through Nova Southeastern University's Department of History and Political Science, this master of science in national security affairs prepares students for both professional and academic careers in the emerging field of homeland security.

The 36-credit program includes 21 core credits and 15 elective credits. Required courses frame contemporary national security issues in their historical and cultural roots. Students also learn about essential aspects of policy, ethics, applied theory, and organizational structure.

Electives provide opportunities for participants to specialize their degree, and the program also offers a cybersecurity concentration for students interested in the digital aspects of the field. This degree culminates with a final examination or a six-credit directed thesis.

Maryland-based Towson University offers an online master of science in integrated homeland security management that expands its focus beyond terrorism to include natural disasters, environmental factors, and human error. The program teaches learners to respond to many types of threats.

To gain admission into the program, applicants must possess a bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0, as well as at least three years of professional experience in a health-related, security-related, IT, or emergency response field. Prospective students must also prepare a three-page assessment of a current homeland security issue and propose a policy-based response to address it.

Specialization options include security policy, information assurance, and health preparedness. Degree-seekers must take at least one elective in each concentration area.

Based in Huntsville, Texas, Sam Houston State University prepares graduates for careers at government agencies and private organizations. The school's 36-credit master of science in homeland security studies features coursework that covers topics like factual analysis, strategic decision-making, and public safety policy.

This master's in homeland security program accepts applications on a rolling basis, and learners can enroll in the fall or spring. Coursework applies theory to real-world practice through instructive examples and case studies. Faculty members possess the highest degrees in the field, as well as extensive first-hand experience.

SHSU is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and about three-quarters of its students continue to work while studying.

Drexel University — a leading provider of public safety education — offers an online master of science in national security management. This program features a project-based learning method that creates high levels of engagement with applied homeland security theory.

Courses include a trio of applied projects that review recent examples of crisis situations, as well as risk assessment techniques and integrated learning. Through these experiences, degree-seekers learn to evaluate and improve policy, enhance organizational emergency preparedness standards, and apply their knowledge to individual areas of interest.

A private research university, Drexel holds regional accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Boston's Northeastern University offers digital education through its Lifelong Learning Network, which was founded to deliver advanced study opportunities to a global student base. Distance learners can pursue an online master's degree in homeland security on a part-time or full-time basis, graduating in 2-3 years.

The program develops leadership skills that are applicable to crisis periods. Students receive an introduction to emergency planning and learn about disaster response tools that apply to a variety of scenarios arising from human-made and natural causes.

Program faculty are seasoned professionals who provide multiple perspectives on core issues. In addition to undergraduate academic transcripts, applicants must furnish two letters of recommendation, a current resume, and a 500-1,000-word statement of purpose.