The curriculum is completed online. It aims to prepare participants for a variety of careers in the era of homeland security by teaching about:
- origins and organization of the Homeland Security Enterprise
- relevant Congressional acts, Presidential policies, and national strategies
- roles and shared responsibility of key agencies and partners at federal, state, and local levels, and from the private sector
- planning and organizational imperatives related to homeland security and emergency management
- impact of catastrophic events on society and the all-hazards and whole-community approach to national preparedness and resilience
The curriculum for the homeland security certificate comprises four courses: two prescribed courses and two courses chosen from a set of electives.
The two prescribed courses are:
- HLS 811 — Foundations of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
- HLS 812 — Homeland Security and Defense in Practice
Available electives include:
- HLS 475 — Critical Infrastructure Protection
- HLS 540 — Comparative Homeland Security and Related Methods
- HLS 558 — Whole-Community Disaster Preparedness
- HLS 804 — Strategic Planning and Organizational Imperatives in Homeland Defense and Security
- HLS 813 — Multifaceted Approaches to Homeland Security
- HLS 820 — Emerging Threats to Homeland Security
- HLS 821 — Transnational Criminal Organization and HLS
- HLS 832 — U.S. Military's Domestic Imperative: Homeland Defense and Defense Support of Civil Authorities
- HLS 875 — U.S. Homeland Security Law
In addition, students may choose one of the following courses as an elective:
- MBADM 571 — Global Strategic Management
- MBADM 816 — Managing and Leading People in Organizations
This page is not a part of the official Penn State University Bulletin.
