Program Overview

Program Overview

The Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of homeland security issues, strategies, and policies at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as in the private sector.

Program Description

This 12-credit graduate certificate program helps shape future leaders by teaching a broad-based knowledge of homeland security issues and strategies. The program is offered in partnership with the Penn State Harrisburg School of Public Affairs and is taught by distinguished faculty with special training and experience teaching in an online environment.

Program Objectives

The program aims to provide students with the skills and knowledge to:

• Work within the parameters of Congressional acts, presidential directives, and national strategies that influence decision-making in homeland security.
• Identify the roles and shared responsibility of key agencies and partners at federal, state, and local levels, and of the private sector.
• Plan and organize imperatives related to homeland security and emergency management.
• Utilize the all-hazards and whole-community approach to national preparedness and emergency management.

Required Courses

The program consists of 6 credits of required courses:

• HLS 811: Fundamentals of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (3 credits)
• HLS 812: Homeland Security and Defense in Practice (3 credits)

Elective Courses

Students must choose 6 credits from the following elective courses:

• HLS 475: Critical Infrastructure Protection (3 credits)
• HLS 540: Comparative Homeland Security and Related Methods (3 credits)
• HLS 558: Whole-Community Disaster Preparedness (3 credits)
• HLS 804: Strategic Planning and Organizational Imperatives in Homeland Defense and Security (3 credits)
• HLS 813: Multifaceted Approaches to Homeland Security (3 credits)
• HLS 820: Emerging Threats to Homeland Security (3 credits)
• HLS 821: Transnational Criminal Organization and HLS (3 credits)
• HLS 832: U.S. Military's Domestic Imperative: Homeland Defense and Defense Support of Civil Authorities (3 credits)
• HLS 875: U.S. Homeland Security Law (3 credits)
• MBADM 571: Global Strategic Management (3 credits)
• MBADM 816: Managing and Leading People in Organizations (3 credits)

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the program, applicants must hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a tertiary degree that is deemed comparable to a four-year bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution.

Tuition and Fees

Graduate tuition is calculated based on the number of credits for which you register. Tuition is due shortly after each semester begins and rates are assessed every semester of enrollment.

Career Opportunities

The program can help create opportunities in various fields, including:

• Emergency management
• Facilities management
• Disaster recovery
• Education
• Administration/management
• Policy planning
• Community practice
• Research

Faculty

The program is taught by distinguished faculty with special training and experience teaching in an online environment, including:

• Emma Leonard Boyle, Ph.D.
• Nicholas Eftimiades

Program Format

The program is offered online, allowing students to study at their own pace and complete the program in less than a year, one year, or two years, depending on their course load.

Application Deadlines

The application deadlines are:

• December 1 to start January 12
• May 1 to start May 18
• August 1, 2026, to start August 24, 2026

Related Programs

The 12 credits earned for this certificate can be applied to the following Penn State World Campus degree program:

• Homeland Security Base Program (Master of Professional Studies)