Director's Message

The Masters Degree program in National Security Studies prepares our graduates for civilian federal service working with security and foreign policy issues. This includes not only Defense Department agencies, but also the intelligence community, the State and Commerce Departments, congressional staffs, national-level law enforcements such as the FBI, Secret Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and numerous other agencies and departments. It also includes private research organizations and international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Individuals already in federal service working in these areas, such as military officers or civilian GS employees, should find our program useful for promotion and other career advancement!

The Masters Degree program also prepares individuals interested in doctoral work in international affairs or security studies. There are a number of program alumni studying in various doctoral programs around the United States.

Some graduate students will enroll in the program simply because they want the benefits of a rigorous social science degree and enjoy the subject matter. This includes a number of elementary and especially secondary-level teachers. A number of students go through our program as preparation for law school and other professional programs. Several years ago a journalist from Germany studied with us to get her English up to the highest professional level as much as for the subject matter we cover. Students from China, Israel, Jordan, Korea, Nigeria, Russia, Taiwan and Thailand have studied with us as well.

Finally, some students enroll in the program for enjoyment and personal development. In particular, some older students take NSS classes and work towards the degree with no particular career objective in mind. "National Security" encompasses many issues of utmost importance for any informed citizen, and no graduate student in the program need feel pressured to have a direct professional reason for studying towards the degree.

Despite this diversity of student backgrounds and goals, the National Security Studies program is firmly orientated to its primary purpose: giving graduate students a solid understanding of U.S. and international security policy and the institutions that carry them out, and a demanding introduction to the research, analysis, presentation, and writing skills necessary to a successful career in this area.