National Security Studies

Program Manager: James Dalton

The National Security Studies program is designed to build on the military education and experience of Combat Arms and Combat support personnel in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marine Corps. The BSNSS program fulfills general education competencies needed to complete the bachelor’s degree while developing a service member’s knowledge in vital areas such as geography, cultural awareness, regional politics, international conflict, and other social science disciplines.

Instruction in National Security Studies is highly experiential through an integration of the operational and international experiences of servicemen and women into the curriculum. A service member will apply course work and study to initiatives and field exercises related to his or her deployment area. Students conduct research concerning a region’s conflicts and opportunities and incorporate both their research and field experiences into their program of study, thus potentially enhancing the U.S. Department of Defense’s body of knowledge of that region. Principles of critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and leadership interweave throughout the curriculum.

Program outcomes

• Evaluate classic and contemporary theories, strategies, doctrines, and procedures related to the causes, conduct, prevention and termination of armed conflict and the maintenance of peace;

• Assess and predict traditional and non-traditional threats to national security;

• Conduct research and create professional and academic analyses on issues critical to national security;

• Identify, understand, and analyze critical national and international security issues.

The program is open to those who are active duty or retired from the U.S. Department of Defense, including reserve and National Guard components. Members of the military or civilian intelligence community and federal law enforcement personnel are eligible.