College of Social Sciences & Humanities

Security and Resilience Studies

Master's: Boston
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We live in a world of increasing transnational risks, systemic vulnerabilities, and environmental challenges. Our Master of Science in Security and Resilience Studies program provides skills in data analysis, leadership, and systemic thinking to help the next generation of leaders build organizations, communities, and societies that can withstand forthcoming challenges. We have seen great success in placing students in a number of security and resilience-related industries. Our alumni are now working at CyberSheath Services International, LLC, Massachusetts Port Authority, Volpe Center, and the UnitedHealth Group.
 

Boston
Location
Full-Time
Part-Time
Commitment
1 year
Duration of Program
Yes *
Meets F1 Visa Requirements
Overview

The Master of Science in Security and Resilience Studies is a first-of-its-kind graduate degree program that integrates traditional security studies with a focus on maximizing system and societal resilience. Resilience is defined as the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a community to survive, adapt, and grow despite what kind of environmental and societal threats, stresses, and shocks they may experience. 
 
In the 21st century, threats of all kinds are challenging communities, companies, and countries. These include terrorism, cyberattacks, natural disasters, migration, bioterrorism, climate change, and pandemics. Each one poses immediate and real social, economic, and physical challenges. There is an urgent need for professionals who can provide support to private and public organizations to better prepare for, withstand, rapidly recover from, and adapt to disruptive events.
 
Graduates of the program are able to deploy strategic systemic approaches to resilience and security, and are prepared for multiple career opportunities leading multiagency, multicommunity collaboration/planning and implementation efforts for private companies, nonprofits, and government organizations.

Learn more about the Master of Science in Security and Resilience Studies from the College of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Register for their next Welcome Day for prospective students here.

 

 

More Details

Unique Features

  • Gain hands-on experience: Participate in co-ops, individually tailored capstones with real-life client institutions like Logan Airport and the U.S. Marshal Service, and have the option to engage in extended research projects with faculty

    • Past student co-ops have included Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Climate XChange, the Global Resilience Institute, and Apex Systems

  • Breakthrough study of resilience: Unlike other programs this degree has a unique focus on the emerging study of resilience

    • A cutting-edge curriculum allows students to understand not only policy, but a wide variety of technical areas that must work with policy in order to build resilience: like civil and environmental engineering, cybersecurity, and building and system design 

  • Access to multiple research centers: Students have access to the Global Resilience Institute, The Social Impact Lab, and the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy

  • Learn from distinguished faculty:  Faculty are renowned security and resilience experts who have advised presidents, Congress, and key security organizations

  • Tailor your degree to your career goals and passions: Choose a mix of classes from one of five elective themes:

    • Administration Management and Policy

    • Counterterrorism and Conflict Studies

    • Cybersecurity Policy

    • Resilient Cities

    • Criminal Justice 

  • Select courses are offered online 

     

Career Outlook

The need to devise strategies to survive disruptive events, recover quickly, and rebuild stronger clearly applies not only to local and national governments and their agencies but also to private industry. Resilience focuses on identifying risk, understanding the systems involved in that risk assessment, and the determination of how to mitigate it, as well as how to bounce back and adapt after disruption. Opportunities for graduates with resilience knowledge and skills are sought within: 

  • Public safety and public health
  • Energy/power
  • Transportation
  • Communications
  • Supply chain management
  • Government entities, including DHS, FBI, Secret Service, and branches of the military (as a private contractor)

Recent graduates of the MS in Security and Resilience Studies degree have found employment in a wide variety of opportunities, including:

  • Data analyst: U.S. Marshal Service
  • Program analyst and emergency management: FEMA
  • Cybersecurity analyst: major health insurance corporation
  • Aviation security specialist: Massachusetts Port Authority
  • Security consultant for private industry customers
  • Homeland Security Professional for the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security
  • Program Manager for Response and Recovery Operations at the Boston Public Health Commission 
  • Investigator and Researcher at Summit Investigations
  • Resilience Managers
  • Risk Operations

 

Testimonials

"Nations around the world face a variety of threats, including climate change, pandemics, and terrorism, and no single policy response can defend against all of them. Our program gives students the tools they need to be able to build resilient communities, organizations and societies."

— Daniel P Aldrich, Director of MS SRS 


"The faculty and staff here are incredible. I have a personal relationship with my student coordinator and every single person I talk to at Northeastern is so passionate, knowledgeable and helpful."

Jack Giordano MS SRS '19, College of Social Sciences and Humanities

"I would 100% recommend this program. It takes a holistic approach to analyzing security from a social perspective, technology perspective, and a public sector angle. I was able to leverage the Northeastern network a lot, especially throughout my job search"

— Kandyl Kotta, MS SRS '19, College of Social Sciences and Humanities


"The program proved to be unique because of the exposure to world-class practitioners in the classroom."

Brad Belzak, Program Graduate

Looking for something different?

View more Political Science & Security programs
Admissions

A graduate degree or certificate from Northeastern—a top-50 university—can accelerate your career through rigorous academic coursework and hands-on professional experience in the area of your interest. Apply now—and take your career to the next level.

Requirements

  • Application
  • Application fee – U.S. $75.00
  • Personal statement
  • Unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended
  • English proficiency for international applicants
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • GRE not required
  • Resumé

Are You an International Student? Find out what additional documents are required to apply.

Admissions Details Learn more about the College of Social Sciences and Humanities admissions process, policies, and required materials.

Admissions Dates

Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis.

Fall Term
Spring Term
Final deadline for international applicants: June 15
Final deadline for domestic applicants: August 15
Deadline for Special Student applicants (non-international only): August 15
Deadline for international applicants: October 1
Deadline for domestic applicants: December 15
Deadline for Special Student applicants (non-international only): December 15
Curriculum

Master of Science in Security and Resilience Studies General Requirements

Core Requirements

Required Core 

POLS 7341 - Security and Resilience Policy 
4.00 

Research Method

Select one of the following:

INSH 6300 - Research Methods in the Social Sciences 
4.00 
INSH 6500 - Statistical Analysis 
4.00 
PPUA 5263 - Geographic Information Systems for Urban and Regional Policy 
4.00 

Core Elective Courses

Complete 8 semester hours from the following:

Note: Students may take POLS 7346 or PPUA 7346, but not both. Students may select POLS 7369 or POLS 5408, but not both.

CRIM 6200 - Criminology 
4.00 
CY 5010 - Foundations of Information Assurance 
4.00 
POLS 7343 - Counterterrorism 
4.00 
POLS 7346 - Resilient Cities 
4.00 
PPUA 7346 - Resilient Cities 
4.00 
POLS 7369 - International Security 
4.00 
POLS 5408 - International Security 
4.00 
POLS 7441 - Cyberconflict 
4.00 
PPUA 5390 - Special Topics in Public Policy and Urban Affairs 
4.00 

Capstone

Choose one of the following options in consultation with faculty advisor and program director: 

POLS 7980 - Capstone Project 
4.00 - 6.00 
PPUA 7673 - Capstone in Public Policy and Urban Affairs 
4.00 

Electives

Electives are organized by themes to allow students to think thematically.

Complete 12 credits from any combination of the following elective themes: 

Administration, Management, and Policy

CRIM 6202 - The Criminal Justice Process 
4.00 
POLS 7387 - Global Governance 
4.00 
POLS 7704 - Critical Infrastructure Resilience 
4.00 
PPUA 6502 - Economic Analysis for Policy and Planning 
4.00 
PPUA 6503 - Managing People in Public and Nonprofit Sectors 
4.00 
PPUA 6505 - Public Budgeting and Financial Management 
4.00 
PPUA 6506 - Techniques of Policy Analysis 
4.00 
PPUA 6507 - Institutional Leadership and the Public Manager 
4.00 

Counterterrorism and Conflict Studies

Note: Students may select either CRIM 7201 or CRIM 5201, but not both. Students may select either POLS 7369 or POLS 5408, but not both.

CRIM 7201 - Global Criminology 
4.00 
CRIM 5201 - Global Criminology 
4.00 
POLS 7343 - Counterterrorism 
4.00 
POLS 7344 - Hard Power, Soft Power, and Smart Power 
4.00 
POLS 7366 - Genocide in a Comparative Perspective 
4.00 
POLS 7369 - International Security 
4.00 
POLS 5408 - International Security 
4.00 

Cybersecurity Policy

CY 5001 - Cyberspace Technology and Applications 
4.00 
CY 5010 - Foundations of Information Assurance 
4.00 
CY 5200 - Security Risk Management and Assessment 
4.00 
CY 5210 - Information System Forensics 
4.00 
CY 5240 - Cyberlaw: Privacy, Ethics, and Digital Rights 
4.00 
CY 5250 - Decision Making for Critical Infrastructure 
4.00 
PHIL 5005 - Information Ethics 
4.00 
PHIL 5010 - AI Ethics 
4.00 
POLS 7441 - Cyberconflict 
4.00 
 

Resilient Cities

Note: Students may take POLS 7346 or PPUA 7346, but not both.

CRIM 6200 - Criminology 
4.00 
CRIM 6262 - Evidence-Based Crime Policy 
4.00 
CRIM 6270 - Crime and Community Context 
4.00 
CRIM 7316 - Advanced Topics in Methods 
4.00 
LPSC 7312 - Cities, Sustainability, and Climate Change 
4.00 
POLS 7346 - Resilient Cities 
4.00 
PPUA 7346 - Resilient Cities 
4.00 
POLS 7704 - Critical Infrastructure Resilience 
4.00 
PPUA 5261 - Dynamic Modeling for Environmental Decision Making 
4.00 
PPUA 5262 - Big Data for Cities 
4.00 
PPUA 5263 - Geographic Information Systems for Urban and Regional Policy 
4.00 
PPUA 5266 - Urban Theory and Science 
4.00 
PPUA 6201 - The 21st-Century City: Urban Opportunities and Challenges in a Global Context 
4.00 
PPUA 7237 - Advanced Spatial Analysis of Urban Systems 
4.00 

Criminal Justice

Note: Students may take CRIM 7201 or CRIM 5201, but not both.

CRIM 6200 - Criminology 
4.00 
CRIM 6202 - The Criminal Justice Process 
4.00 
CRIM 6262 - Evidence-Based Crime Policy 
4.00 
CRIM 7201 - Global Criminology 
4.00 
CRIM 5201 - Global Criminology 
4.00 
CRIM 7316 - Advanced Topics in Methods 
4.00 

Optional Co-op Experience

Requires two consecutive semesters of Co-op Work Experience and Experiential Integration: 

POLS 6964 - Co-op Work Experience 
0.00 
INSH 6864 - Experiential Integration 
1.00 
 

Please note: This curriculum is for marketing purposes only and is subject to change. Official curriculum can be found within the course catalog.



Experiential Learning

Northeastern's signature experience-powered learning model has been at the heart of the university for more than a century. It combines world-class academics with professional practice, allowing you to acquire relevant, real-world skills you can immediately put into action in your current workplace. This makes a Northeastern education a dynamic, transformative experience, giving you countless opportunities to grow as a professional and person.

 

Faculty

Our Faculty

Our faculty represents a wide cross-section of professional practices and fields ranging from finance to education to biomedical science to management to the U.S. military. They serve as mentors and advisors and collaborate alongside students to solve the most pressing global challenges facing established and emerging markets.

View Security and Resilience Studies Faculty...

Stephen Flynn

Stephen Flynn

Founding Director, Global Resilience Institute/Professor of Political Science, Northeastern University
Max Abrahms

Max Abrahms

Associate Professor of Political Science
Mai'a Cross

Mai'a Cross

Edward W. Brooke Professor of Political Science; Associate Professor of Political Science & International Affairs
Daniel P. Aldrich

Daniel P. Aldrich

Professor of Political Science, Public Policy and Urban Affairs; Director, Security and Resilience Studies Program
Students

By enrolling in Northeastern, you gain access to a network of more than 275,000 alumni and 3,350+ employer partners, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and global nongovernmental organizations. Our current students and faculty across strategically located regional locations further foster a lifelong, global community of learning and mentoring.

Below is a look at where our Political Science and Security alumni work, the positions they hold, and the skills they bring to their organization.

 

  • Where They Work

    • CyberSheath Services International, LLC
    • Massachusetts Port Authority
    • Insurance Fraud Bureau of MA
    • Fragomen Worldwide
    • Volpe Center
    • UnitedHealth Group

  • What They Do

    • Business Development
    • Education
    • Community and Social Services
    • Legal
    • Operations

  • What They're Skilled At

    • Public Speaking
    • Research
    • Leadership
    • Microsoft Office
    • Management

 

Learn more about Northeastern Alumni on Linkedin.

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