SUNY Empire State College is implementing its first fully online, accredited bachelor of science degree program in security studies to help meet the growing need for modern security experts in high-demand positions in homeland security, emergency management, disaster relief, and law enforcement in the U.S. and around the world.
Officials said the program can be completed entirely online, providing students with flexibility and convenience to earn their degree around the demands of their busy lives, as well as face to face at SUNY Empire campuses and learning hubs across the state.
The program was approved by the state Education Department earlier this month.
SUNY Empire’s program will prepare students for careers in security policy, emergency management, and criminal justice in the private and public sectors, examining complex global security issues through the perspectives of the social sciences, legal studies, and international relations. It will examine issues of homeland security, terrorism, privacy, and law enforcement policy and practice to prepare well-rounded leaders in these fields.
SUNY Empire established the program to meet student and workforce demand and to curb the pending shortage of experts in a host of security-related fields. The need for security professionals in supervisory roles, including police and fire, is expected to increase by approximately nine percent in the next six years in New York state, and by five percent throughout the U.S., officials said.
“Around the world, people and communities are facing more and more complex security issues as the world becomes smaller, technology advances at a rapid pace, and we face increasingly severe natural disasters,” said SUNY Empire State College President Jim Malatras. “SUNY Empire’s new online security studies program will prepare graduates for the challenges of understanding and combatting today’s complex and constantly evolving security threats in a field with growing job demand. This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to enter into or advance in this field.”
Frank Vander Valk, dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and interim dean of Digital Learning, Innovation, and Strategy, said the college developed the program “in response to student interest, workforce needs, and an institutional commitment to provide a venue to study and discuss some of the most important issues we face today.”
He noted that, “Over the years, we’ve welcomed many students from all branches of law enforcement and the military, non-governmental organizations, emergency services and various security fields, and we designed this degree as an option for them.”
Enrollment in security studies is open for the fall semester.
In addition to accepting transfer credits from other institutions, SUNY Empire also awards students with additional credit for life experiences through its prior learning assessment process, which evaluates learning acquired outside of the traditional classroom.
