Security and Resilience Studies
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.
Part-Time
Security and Resilience Studies is an emerging field of inquiry that focuses on how global, national, and subnational actors manage a range of chronic transnational challenges that can be destabilizing to societies such as terrorism, organized crime, weapons proliferation, cyber attacks, bio-terrorism, climate change and catastrophic disasters, migration, and radicalization.
This program integrates security studies with cutting-edge education to ensure that key systems promote societal resilience. Students can deepen their knowledge in fields such as cyberspace policy, counterterrorism, infrastructure protection, urban resilience, and risk management. The combination of a unique academic curriculum and experiential education—all taught by top academics and experts in the security industry—provides students with a multidisciplinary approach to addressing these important issues.
Learn more about the Master of Science in Security and Resilience Studies from the College of Social Sciences and Humanities.
More Details
Unique Features
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Students choose to conduct a capstone research or consulting project under the supervision of a faculty adviser or to participate in optional graduate co-op experiences.
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MS program provides students with both policy and technical skills.
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Elective themes include: Administration, Management and Policy; Counterterrorism and Conflict Studies; Cybersecurity Policy; Resilient Cities; and Criminal Justice
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Select courses 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: US Marshals Service
- Program analyst and emergency management: FEMA
- Cyber security analyst: major health insurance corporation
- Aviation security specialist: Massachusetts Port Authority
- Security consultant for private industry customers
Testimonials
Brad Belzak, Program Graduate
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Requirements
- Application
- Application fee – US $75.00
- Personal statement
- Unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended
- English proficiency for international applicants
- Three letters of recommendation
- Official GRE General Scores
- Resumé
Admissions Dates
Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis.
| Final deadline for international applicants: | June 15 |
| Final deadline for domestic applicants: | August 15 |
| Deadline for Special Student applicants (non-international only): | August 25 |
| Deadline for international applicants: | October 1 |
| Deadline for domestic applicants: | December 1 |
| Deadline for Special Student applicants (non-international only): | December 15 |
| Domestic applicants only: | April 15 |
General Requirements
Required Core
Core Elective Courses
Complete 8 semester hours from the following:
Note: Students may take either POLS 7346 or PPUA 7346
Research Methods
Complete 4 semester hours from the following:
Capstone
Choose one of the following options in consultation with faculty advisor and program director:
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
- Counterterrorism and Conflict Studies
- Cybersecurity Policy
- Resilient Cities
- Criminal Justice
Administration, Management, and Policy
Counterterrorism and Conflict Studies
Cybersecurity Policy
Resilient Cities
Note: Students may take POLS 7346 or PPUA 7346.
Criminal Justice
Optional Co-op Experience
Requires two consecutive semesters of Co-op Work Experience and Experiential Integration:
Northeastern's signature experiential learning model combines academics with professional practice to help students acquire relevant, real-world skills they can apply to their desired industry. Each program offers its own unique experiential learning opportunities, but they might include:
- Full-Time Co-op Opportunities — Students on co-op work in a paid and unpaid positions in their field of study for three to six months.
- In-Class Case Studies — Professors integrate case studies and exercises into the classroom to bring a real-world perspective and relevance to what they’re teaching.
- Research — Students collaborate with faculty in our more than 30 federally funded research centers, tackling some of the most pressing challenges in health, security, and sustainability.
Our Faculty
Our faculty represents a wide cross-section of professional practices and in 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.
By enrolling in Northeastern, you gain access to a network of more than 245,000 alumni and 3,200+ employer partners, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and global NGOs. Our current students and faculty across strategically located regional campuses further foster that 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.
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Where They Work
- CyberSheath Services International, LLC
- Massachusetts Port Authority
- Insurance Fraud Bureau of MA
- Fragomen Worldwide
- Volpe Center
- UnitedHealth Group
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What They Do
- Business Development
- Education
- Community and Social Services
- Legal
- Operations
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What They're Skilled At
- Public Speaking
- Research
- Leadership
- Microsoft Office
- Management
Learn more about Northeastern Alumni on Linkedin.