Homeland security educationBellevue University: A comprehensive offering of security courses
With more than 9,000 students worldwide, Bellevue University, the largest private university in Nebraska, offers open-enrollment for both online or in-class settings at their main campus or satellite locations; the university offers degrees in business and management, health and human services, as well as public safety which branches off into corrections administration and management, criminal justice administration, investigations, and security management
The growing awareness in both the government and private sector of the risks of terrorism, natural disasters, cybercrime, and certain aspects of globalization guarantees that we will continue to see acceleration of three trends: more colleges and universities will be offering homeland security degrees; more universities will begin to offer higher homeland security degrees; and there will be more precise definition of the discipline of homeland security and its components.
With more than 9,000 students worldwide, Bellevue University is the largest private university in Nebraska. The school offers open-enrollment for both online or in-class settings at their main campus or satellite locations. They have accelerated degree completion programs available and often combine their accelerated bachelor’s degree programs with career work experiences. Founded in 1966 and established in 1994, Bellevue was one of the first accredited institutions to offer online degree programs in 1996, and the first to offer a Master of Business Administration degree online. The university has since extended its institution to twelve locations in five states.
The institution’s “Midwestern values” come through in their exclusive Kirkpatrick signature series, a required 9-credit hour series of courses that examines America as a model of success, the Western social and philosophical tradition, and freedom and responsibility in your society. Every bachelor’s degree requires 127 total credit hours. The university offers degrees in business and management, health and human services, as well as public safety which branches off into corrections administration and management, criminal justice administration, investigations, and security management. The public safety courses were spotlighted at the ASIS convention in Dallas. According to a Security Magazine 2007 survey in conjunction with Maddry Associates, Bellevue was listed as having the largest security management program in the United States. The university was also hailed last year as the fourth-most “military friendly” school in the country by allmilitary.com, since it serves more than 1,800 active military personnel and offers the country’s only certification completion program in Strategic Deterrence.
Greg Allen, professor and program director of the security management program at BU, spoke with Homeland Security NewsWire at the convention about the growing need for domestic and global security professionals. “DHS and FBI have been reaching out to Bellevue a great deal — and we really take this into consideration. We assemble courses based on what the employers want, although our master’s program is the key to the institution’s success. Real learning for real life is our motto.”
The institution does not offer a career services program, but Bellevue participates in and hosts job fairs that encourage their students to network and narrow in on their career paths. Allen pointed out that the average student is aged 35-40, but there is no age limit. Allen told us a story of a 65-year old man who wished for nothing more than to enroll in one of their security management courses, and with the help of Bellevue, he graduated and found a job shortly after. Bellevue hosted an informational session event in April that focused on the Intelligence Community (IC) Scholar Program. Five analysts from the CIA were invited to speak on North Korea’s economy, foreign policy, White House briefings, counterterrorism analysis, and agency training. The goal of the program is to develop knowledge of international and cultural issues, foreign languages, analysis, and critical thinking skills sought out by the sixteen federal agencies that comprise the U.S. IC. Bellevue is also a partner in the Great Plains National Security Education Consortium, which provides colleges and universities with the opportunity to implement curricula focusing on the critical IC skill sets needed to prepare the nation’s IC workforce.
Bellevue’s one-year plan will focus on establishing a center of excellence as well as introducing a master’s degree in cyber security, and an undergrad degree in emergency management which is currently being developed.
Details regarding Bellevue’s new Cyber security major will be available on the school’s Web site in the beginning of December. The admissions office recommends that prospective students considering enrollment possess one or more of the following: a bachelor’s in an IT, security, or criminal justice field, three years of career experience in an IT, security, or criminal justice field, or Security+ (a CompTIA security certification), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), or Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP) certification. Classes will begin in the middle of March 2011.
