By Michael, on September 7th, 2012 
In this ever more frightening and dangerous world, many are stepping up to pursue careers that will help keep them and those around them safe. It’s not only the right thing to do, it’s a good skill set that will serve you well financially, besides making you more capable of dealing with life’s emergencies. In this young century that has seen 9/11, hurricanes, tsunamis, and political turmoil, many academic institutions have begun to offer specialized degrees to those who wish to make a career for themselves in this exciting and vital field.
I say “field,” but really it’s “fields” -- there are many specializations within the security world, and many types of education that correspond to them. Here are just a smattering of the possibilities open to you if you want to earn a diploma that will make you eligible to work in the security industry:
This cutting-edge degree seems to only be offered by Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, which is part of the Texas Tech University system. In fact they have five different degree programs: the Bachelor of Border Security or B.B.S., Bachelor of Security Studies in Border and Homeland Security or B.S.S., an M.S. or Master of Science in Border Security, the Bachelor of Cultural Competence and Security Studies or B.C.C.S.S., and the Bachelor of Cultural Fluency and Security Studies or B.C.F.S.S.
Picture Credit- 4G War
2. Cybersecurity
This is definitely the way to go if you’re skilled with computers. The University of Maryland University College (not a typo, that’s their real name and they have a whole page explaining it on their website) was the first school to offer degrees in cybersecurity specifically, in 2010. Many more have followed. There’s been some controversy over whether such a specialized degree makes sense as a bachelors, or if it might make more sense to only offer it as a postgraduate degree following a general comp-sci college education, but one thing’s clear: we do not have as many experts in this field as we need. There are huge vulnerabilities left addressed in our brave new world of information technology.
Texas Border Security From Captains Journal
3. Homeland Security
This designation was famously created to christen a new Cabinet department in the wake of the September 11th attacks, and while the moniker may be a rather loathsome and fascist-sounding neologism (Who ever referred to America as “the homeland” before this? As opposed to what, our colonies? We’re not supposed to have any...), the reorganization itself was widely applauded for improving coordination between different federal agencies, coordination that was seen to be lacking in the months before 9/11.
Faced with a grave national threat, our country’s diploma industry rose to the challenge with a host of Homeland Security degrees. Educational entities where you can pursue a Homeland Security degree include American Public University, Penn State World Campus, California University of Pennsylvania, American Military University, the Homeland Security Management Institute of Long Island University, and many more totally reputable schools!
Mariana Ashley writes about educational topics for www.onlinecolleges.net and she can be reached at mariana.ashley031 (at) gmail.com.
