Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

Program Description

The New England College Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (BAHSEP and AAHSEP) programs prepare students for opportunities in both the public and private sector for positions in and out of government, particularly in homeland security, crisis management, first response, or in any industry where an in-depth knowledge of the field is desired. Students who successfully complete the BAHSEP program are also well prepared for graduate level work. 

The BAHSEP major consists of 40 credits and focuses on the intersection between theory, policy and politics.  The AAHSEP major consists of 24 credits and provides an introduction and broad overview of the processes of homeland security and emergency preparedness. HSEP faculty are scholar practitioners in the in the world of homeland security and emergency preparedness, and bring their experience to bear in course design, instruction, and student interactions.

HSEP students will gain an understanding of the intellectual foundations for key homeland security discussions and how the outcomes affect and are changed by the political process. They will develop analytical and advocacy skills, and will be prepared to enter or continue careers in the public, private, and non-profit homeland security and emergency preparedness fields.

The program builds and integrates the student’s intellectual interest and experience, small group dialogue, and interaction with theoreticians and practitioners in the field. The value of this experience, opportunity to network and apply knowledge developed through asynchronous interaction in the online classroom, all while earning academic credit, is at the heart of this degree program.

The bachelor’s degree program may be completed in 4 years for students who carry a full course load of 30 credits per year.

The associate’s degree program may be completed in 2 years for students who carry a full course load of 30 credits per year.

Bachelor of Arts Learning Outcomes

Students who complete the programs will be able to:

• Collect, synthesize, and analyze information to better understand historical and contemporary issues in homeland security and emergency preparedness; 
• Apply negotiation tools to collaboratively reach consensus and identification of common objectives in diverse populations with diverging interests;
• Demonstrate an understanding of key governmental and non-governmental institutions that formulate and homeland security policy;
• Articulate the nuances of national level politics, and how they influence the formulation and implementation of public policy and disaster response;
• Formulate alternative theoretical perspectives to the analysis of homeland security and emergency preparedness;
• Use applied research to support writing and communicating effectively in the homeland security and emergency management realms.

Associate of Arts Learning Outcomes

• Collect, synthesize, and analyze information to better understand historical and contemporary issues in homeland security and emergency preparedness; 
• Demonstrate an understanding of key governmental and non-governmental institutions that formulate and homeland security policy;
• Use applied research to support writing and communicating effectively in the homeland security and emergency management realms.