Homeland Security Certificate Programs


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Homeland Security Certificate Programs January 18, 2006 Washington Post Express Sondra Mendelson didn't enjoy practicing telecommunications law. The job didn’t mean much to her, and she'd often spend her days wondering if her work was contributing to society. But it was the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 that finally convinced her that she needed to change careers, and she enrolled in an online certificate program in disaster management from the University of Richmond, hoping to find a job that would make a difference. Mendelson, 31, enjoyed the classes so much that as soon as she graduated, she enrolled in a master’s program in crisis management at George Washington University. "I wanted to make a change to my career that could actually help people and have a real impact," said Mendelson, who is now a strategic planning policy researcher at the Homeland Security Institute, a federally-funded think tank based in Arlington. Once the domain of former cops and retired fireman, homeland security is becoming one of the hottest careers around. The Department of Labor recently listed emergency management specialist as one of the country’s fastest growing occupations, and universities are racing to start new programs. “The demand for graduates is the result of a need at the local, state, and federal levels, not to mention the private sector,” said Todd Stewart, director of the National Academic Consortium for Homeland Security, a group of 320 schools with security programs, based in Columbus, Ohio. “They are all struggling to fill jobs.” Before the World Trade Center fell, homeland security was not recognized as a discipline—academic or otherwise. Now, the term is used to describe the various efforts to prevent and respond to acts of terrorism and natural disasters. “Homeland security and emergency management is a lot like the field of computer science was in the 1960's, which was just a collection of ideas," said Garth MacKenzie, an adjunct professor at the Security Studies Laboratory at University of Maryland University College in Adelphi. Many local schools are at the forefront of the effort to develop the field, starting research centers and new educational programs. Drawing on well-connected faculty, area schools such as Johns Hopkins University and Northern Virginia Community College have started one- year certificate and two-year master’s programs that train students in specific areas of homeland security such as information technology, public health, and basic disaster management. But students should be cautious about just enrolling anywhere. Some schools have not fully developed a homeland security curriculum, but just repackaged courses in criminal justice or public health. "Until there is a standardized curriculum, there is a danger that you'll find people with degrees from 'Al's Homeland Security and Screen Door Company' that don't mean anything," said Stewart. For now, Stewart and others recommend that students attend reputable, accredited schools. And if an applicant has a strong interest in a specialty area, they should be sure to attend a university that has a strong reputation in that field. As schools start degree and certificate programs, emergency response management is also developing into its own professional job track. "You can't just simply appoint former police and firemen to direct emergency management anymore, the job is too complicated," said George Haddow, a former official in the Federal Emergency Management Agency and adjunct professor at GWU. Certainly, the new graduates are in demand. The Department of Homeland Security plans to hire thousands over the next decade from Middle East analysts to border control agents and will soon become the government’s largest civilian agency. Cyber-security specialists are particularly sought after: A study by the Maryland Higher Education Commission found that 7,000 new grads are needed each year to help meet the state’s growing Internet security needs. New graduates can earn up to TK. For students, juggling different disciplines and learning to coordinate between agencies and jurisdictions is often the name of the emergency management game. At UMUC, students participate in computer-based disaster simulations in which they are put in charge of a small fictional village called San Luis Rey and provided maps, databases, and critical infrastructure information. The program then simulates a dirty bomb attack or a natural disaster, which the students must try to prevent. If they are unsuccessful in stopping the calamity, students must deal with the political consequences— scalding memos from the mayor—as well as the humanitarian fallout. As a public information officer for Fairfax County, Greg Licamele often participates in disaster simulations run by local county officials. Licamele, whose lifelong fascination with natural disasters will keep him glued to the weather channel during hurricanes, decided that he needed to learn more about the field of emergency management and enrolled in the GWU certificate program in homeland security last spring. "If I was going to be dealing with emergencies in my day job, I knew I would need a background that shows I understand the full palate of issues involved," said Licamele, 28, who will take a class this spring on public health issues like flu pandemics and health risks in the wake of natural disasters. Taking classes while working full-time comes at a cost to his social life, Licamele said, but he hopes the investment will pay off. "The threats that we are facing from natural disasters and terrorists are not going to go away and there is a need for qualified people to deal with them."
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January 18, 2006

Sondra Mendelson didn't enjoy practicing telecommunications law.
The job didn’t mean much to her, and she'd often spend her days
wondering if her work was contributing to society. But it was the
terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 that finally convinced her
that she needed to change careers, and she enrolled in an online
certificate program in disaster management from the University of
Richmond, hoping to find a job that would make a difference.

Mendelson, 31, enjoyed the classes so much that as soon as she
graduated, she enrolled in a master’s program in crisis management at
George Washington University. "I wanted to make a change to my career
that could actually help people and have a real impact," said
Mendelson, who is now a strategic planning policy researcher at the
Homeland Security Institute, a federally-funded think tank based in
Arlington.

Once the domain of former cops and retired fireman, homeland
security is becoming one of the hottest careers around. The
Department of Labor recently listed emergency management specialist
as one of the country’s fastest growing occupations, and universities
are racing to start new programs. “The demand for graduates is the
result of a need at the local, state, and federal levels, not to
mention the private sector,” said Todd Stewart, director of the
National Academic Consortium for Homeland Security, a group of 320
schools with security programs, based in Columbus, Ohio. “They are
all struggling to fill jobs.”

Before the World Trade Center fell, homeland security was not
recognized as a discipline—academic or otherwise. Now, the term is
used to describe the various efforts to prevent and respond to acts
of terrorism and natural disasters. “Homeland security and emergency
management is a lot like the field of computer science was in the
1960's, which was just a collection of ideas," said Garth MacKenzie,
an adjunct professor at the Security Studies Laboratory at University
of Maryland University College in Adelphi.

Many local schools are at the forefront of the effort to develop
the field, starting research centers and new educational programs.
Drawing on well-connected faculty, area schools such as Johns Hopkins
University and Northern Virginia Community College have started one-
year certificate and two-year master’s programs that train students
in specific areas of homeland security such as information
technology, public health, and basic disaster management.

But students should be cautious about just enrolling anywhere.
Some schools have not fully developed a homeland security curriculum,
but just repackaged courses in criminal justice or public health.
"Until there is a standardized curriculum, there is a danger that
you'll find people with degrees from 'Al's Homeland Security and
Screen Door Company' that don't mean anything," said Stewart. For
now, Stewart and others recommend that students attend reputable,
accredited schools. And if an applicant has a strong interest in a
specialty area, they should be sure to attend a university that has a
strong reputation in that field.

As schools start degree and certificate programs, emergency
response management is also developing into its own professional job
track. "You can't just simply appoint former police and firemen to
direct emergency management anymore, the job is too complicated,"
said George Haddow, a former official in the Federal Emergency
Management Agency and adjunct professor at GWU.

Certainly, the new graduates are in demand. The Department of

Homeland Security plans to hire thousands over the next decade from
Middle East analysts to border control agents and will soon become
the government’s largest civilian agency. Cyber-security specialists
are particularly sought after: A study by the Maryland Higher
Education Commission found that 7,000 new grads are needed each year
to help meet the state’s growing Internet security needs. New
graduates can earn up to TK.

For students, juggling different disciplines and learning to
coordinate between agencies and jurisdictions is often the name of
the emergency management game. At UMUC, students participate in
computer-based disaster simulations in which they are put in charge
of a small fictional village called San Luis Rey and provided maps,
databases, and critical infrastructure information. The program then
simulates a dirty bomb attack or a natural disaster, which the
students must try to prevent. If they are unsuccessful in stopping
the calamity, students must deal with the political consequences—
scalding memos from the mayor—as well as the humanitarian fallout.

As a public information officer for Fairfax County, Greg Licamele
often participates in disaster simulations run by local county
officials. Licamele, whose lifelong fascination with natural
disasters will keep him glued to the weather channel during
hurricanes, decided that he needed to learn more about the field of
emergency management and enrolled in the GWU certificate program in
homeland security last spring. "If I was going to be dealing with
emergencies in my day job, I knew I would need a background that
shows I understand the full palate of issues involved," said
Licamele, 28, who will take a class this spring on public health
issues like flu pandemics and health risks in the wake of natural
disasters.

Taking classes while working full-time comes at a cost to his
social life, Licamele said, but he hopes the investment will pay off.
"The threats that we are facing from natural disasters and terrorists
are not going to go away and there is a need for qualified people to
deal with them."

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