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department will work with you to establish a placement suited to your interests, if
possible. Additionally, the student is encouraged to explore and initiate a Practicum setting
specific to their own individual interests. If students find an appropriate site, the Practicum
Director will assist the student in calling the site and negotiating for a placement.
Additionally, the student will attend a Practicum class with course work and faculty
supervision. The student must receive contractual approval from both the Department and
the agency on-site supervisor before beginning the required Practicum hours. The student
is responsible for documenting Practicum hours and receiving supervisor approval.
The practice component of the student's Practicum is evaluated by the on-site supervisor
each term; this evaluation is combined with the classroom performance and course
requirements and converted into a final overall grade by the Practicum Faculty.
Graduate Certificate in National Security Affairs
This program is designed for professionals in the field seeking career advancement, those
who aspire to enter the field, individuals in related professions, and those retired from the
military and government seeking consulting and other positions. Examples of potential
students include personnel in the military, federal, state and local governments, law
enforcement, corporations, and academia, as well as recent college graduates. For
students with a graduate degree or pursuing a graduate degree in another field, this would
be a valuable complement to their existing program.
The program focuses on building the critical analytical skills graduates need to succeed
professionally in the field of National Security Affairs. The ability to critically analyze
intelligence information, historical and contemporary issues informing the field, and to
perform textual analyses, defines the program core’s most important learning outcomes.
The Graduate Certificate in NSA consists of five courses (15 credits). There are four
required courses and the fifth course is an elective selected from any of the four
concentrations in the MS in National Security Affairs. Students who are in good standing
in the NSA certificate program may speak with the department about the MS in NSA.
The program is designed to be completed entirely online; however, there are a few of the
courses are also offered in residential format and students may select those sections as
appropriate.
Degree Plan: 15 credit hours
Below is a sample degree plan for a student who begins their studies in the Fall term and
enrolls in 2 classes per term. Degree plans will be modified based on a student’s
enrollment date and pace of study.
Fall (August)
Winter (January)
Summer (May)
Year 1
NSAM 5001: Current &
Historical Issues
NSAM 5002: Terrorists &
Terrorism
NSAM 5003: National
Intelligence Collection
NSAM 5004: Border
Protection & Military
Issues
NSAM Elective
