Next Start Date: Online Master's in Security Studies, International Security Concentration
Gain the knowledge and capabilities you need to tackle the most challenging global security issues today with UMass Lowell's Master of Arts in Security Studies: International Security Concentration. This 10-course online program will develop your understanding of worldwide organized criminal and terrorist networks, along with the various policies, strategies and mechanisms that are used to combat these threats.
Studying the theoretical concepts and the context of various aspects of terrorism, counterterrorism and other national and international security topics will provide in-depth knowledge of diplomatic and defense tactics used to resolve global conflicts.
No GRE/MAT Required
Earn Your Master's Degree in as Little as 18 Months
Earn a Top-Ranked Master's for Under $20k
Career Outlook
Key Takeaways
Deepen your professional knowledge of a diverse range of topics, including:
- Patterns and trends of political violence, and different policies and strategies adopted by governments in response to terrorist threats
- U.S. and global efforts to limit access to weapons of mass destruction and prohibit their production, proliferation and use
- The threat that global trafficking poses to a nation's security, political stability, economic development and social fabric
- Major issues in cybersecurity including criminal and state-sponsored hacking; data, intellectual property, and identity theft; financial and personal data security; and cyberterrorism
- The design of hypothetical operational responses and contingency planning surrounding the disruption or containment of terrorist networks
Our faculty is comprised of top academics in the area of security studies, as well as industry experts who hold security clearances with the U.S. military and have worked in law enforcement or for intelligence and justice agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; and the Department of Defense.
Our courses and programs of study enroll students from very diverse educational and professional backgrounds, and our alumni are employed in a wide variety of positions.
Learn from a Leader in Terrorism and Security Studies Research
The Center for Terrorism and Security Studies (CTSS) was established in 2013 to bring together faculty from several colleges at UMass Lowell and other institutions and organizations in the Commonwealth. The CTSS collaborates on research projects addressing the evolution, convergence and complexity of domestic and foreign security challenges such as terrorism, cyber security, transnational crime and weapons of mass destruction.
One Success Leads to Another
Apply credits from lower credentials to higher ones. Our programs are designed to build upon themselves:
Curriculum Outline
- Total Number of Courses: 10 (30 Credits)
Required Core Courses (5 Courses / 15 Credits)
- CRIM.5750 Contemporary Security Studies - Available Spring 2024!
- CRIM.5780 Intelligence Analysis Policy and Practice - Available Spring 2024!
- CRIM.6680 Scientific & Technological Dimensions of National Security - Available Spring 2024!
- CRIM.5910 Research Design - Available Spring 2024!
- CRIM.6990 Security Studies Capstone Research Paper - Available Spring 2024!
Concentration Elective Courses (Choose 5 Courses / 15 Credits)*
- CRIM.5720 Comparative Terrorism and Counterterrorism - Available Spring 2024!
- CRIM.6640 Weapons of Mass Destruction - Available Spring 2024!
- CRIM.6650 Global Trafficking and Criminal Networks
- CRIM.5900 Descriptive & Inferential Statistics - Available Spring 2024!
- CRIM.5730 Threat Assessment and Risk Management - Available Spring 2024!
- CRIM.6580 Issues in Computer Crime and Cyber Security - Available Spring 2024!
- CRIM.6660 Terrorism Networks
*Note: Additional elective courses may be available on-campus for students who are interested in taking a mix of on-campus and online courses. Call 978-934-4106 or send an email to CJGradAdvisor@uml.edu for more information.
Course Descriptions
CRIM.5720 Comparative Terrorism and Counterterrorism (3cr)
This course examines a broad spectrum of terrorist groups and counterterrorism responses in over a dozen countries, including Colombia, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Northern Ireland/UK, Pakistan, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Yemen. This comparative analysis will help students develop and understanding of patterns and trends within political violence (including radicalization, tactics, financing, targeting behavior, malevolent creativity, disengagement and de-radicalization) and the many different policies and strategies adopted by governments in response to terrorist threat.
Requirements:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
CRIM.5730 Threat Assessment and Risk Management (3cr)
The goal of this course is to enhance understanding and increase expertise regarding risk management and the impact of terrorism on economic and other critical infrastructures in the United States. The course will provide the tools (operational and statistical) and technology required to mitigate these risks. A second purpose of the course is to examine and critically discuss current and future methods to create best practices in security management.
CRIM.5750 Contemporary Security Studies (3cr)
This course examines the complex nature of key domestic and international security threats and responses. Topics include terrorism and insurgency, transnational organized crime, WMD proliferation, cyber-security, intelligence, national and homeland security strategies, critical infrastructure protection, and theories of international security.
CRIM.5780 Intelligence Analysis Policy and Practice (3cr)
Students will examine the tradecraft of intelligence collection and analysis from various perspectives. Topics will include strategies, tactics, legal and ethical implications, sources, means, methods, limitations, covert action, methods of analysis, and case studies of prominent intelligence successes and failures in the last half century.
Requirements:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
CRIM.5900 Descriptive & Inferential Statistics (3cr)
This course is a rigorous introduction to statistical inference: probability theory, confidence intervals, and hypothesis tests. The course also covers regression analysis, which is developed in a non-technical way, with an emphasis on interpretation of regression results, using examples from recent research.
CRIM.5910 Research Design (3cr)
Research design is a graduate-level introduction to methodology as used in criminology/criminal justice. The course surveys the research design enterprise and covers a host of issues on the measurement and collection of data, and other procedures that influence whether a research study will lead the investigator to scientifically rigorous information. This course explains various strategies for devising social science studies, compares the relative benefits of various designs, and identifies the tools necessary to conduct studies that will yield data worthy of analysis and interpretation. This material will be valuable for students who will conduct research and administrators who must evaluate the research of others.
Requirements:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
CRIM.6580 Issues in Computer Crime and Cyber Security (3cr)
This course will examine the history and evolving nature of the relationship between technology, crime, and security, with a particular focus on legitimate and illegitimate Internet commerce, and cyber criminal methodologies and techniques. We will study major issues in cyber security including criminal and state-sponsored hacking; data, intellectual property, and identity theft; financial and personal data security; cyber-terrorism; tools and methods used to exploit computer networks, and strategies to protect against them; and new and emerging technologies. This course will be taught specifically for non-computer science majors, although students with computer science backgrounds are welcome for the experiences that they can bring to the class discussions.
Requirements:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
CRIM.6640 Weapons of Mass Destruction (3cr)
This course explores the threats that weapons of mass destruction (WMD) pose to the U.S. and its interests along with the strategies to meet those threats. The course will examine the technical aspects, history, and contemporary threat of each category of weapon Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear followed by a critical analysis of U.S. and global efforts to limit access to these weapons and prohibit their production, proliferation and use. The course will also review some aspects of WMD attack response, recovery, and mitigation.
CRIM.6650 Global Trafficking and Criminal Networks (3cr)
Illicit economic activities are a global phenomenon with local impact. This course will examine the threat that global trafficking poses to a nation's security, political stability, economic development, and social fabric. The lessons in this advanced graduate-level seminar are organized around the trafficking activities of greatest concern to the United Nations, Interpol, IAEA and other international agencies as well as to the U.S. Departments of State, Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security.
Requirements:
Students with a CSCE or UGRD career need permission to take Graduate Level Courses.
CRIM.6660 Terrorism Networks (3cr)
This course will explore the dynamics of terrorist networks and will equip students with an understanding of the drivers of terrorist network formation, development and disintegration. The course will also provide students with knowledge and understanding of how, why and when networks expand, affiliate, and occasionally splinter. And finally, students will be guided through the applicability of network theory and analysis to the design of hypothetical operational responses and contingency planning surrounding the disruption or containment of terrorist networks.
Requirements:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
CRIM.6680 Scientific & Technological Dimensions of National Security (3cr)
In this required course for the MS in Security Studies program, students will take this course to learn all about the efforts in the public and private sector to design new sensors, scanner, and the general role of science and technology in homeland and national security.
Requirements:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
CRIM.6990 Security Studies Capstone Research Paper (3cr)
This course represents the culminating capstone experience for students in the MA in Security Studies program at UMass Lowell. Incorporating the tools learned in CRIM.5900, Research Design and Methods, students are required to design a research question, gather and analyze information, and write a Masters level research paper of at least 50 pages on a topic of their choosing related to security studies. Students will provide drafts of their paper to their faculty supervisor periodically during the semester, and the final version will be submitted for grading on the basis of quality research and writing.
Requirements:
CSCE Graduate Restrictions
Program Requirements
To be recommended for a University of Massachusetts Lowell master's degree, candidates must satisfy all of the general requirements below, plus any additional requirements that may be required by the department through which the program is offered. Any additional requirements for this program are either listed below or may be found in the University's Graduate Program Catalog.
General Requirements:
- Students must complete the program of study designed by the Department in which they are enrolled and approved by the University.
- Satisfactory grades in all subjects offered for the degree must be earned. See Academic Standing.
- All financial obligations, including tuition, fees and expenses, must be satisfied as evidenced by completion.
- Upon completion of all their courses, graduate degree candidates must submit a signed Declaration of Intent to Graduate (DIG) form to their coordinator. The coordinator will apply them in SIS, Graduation Tracking.
Graduate Program Policies
In applying for a degree program or registering for courses, each student assumes full responsibility for knowledge of and compliance with the definitions, regulations and procedures of UMass Lowell as set forth on our website. For additional information, please refer to the Graduate Program Policies found within the UMass Lowell Graduate Catalog.
Tuition & Fees
Tuition at UMass Lowell is typically half the cost of private colleges, and our online tuition is among the lowest in the nation. Tuition for online programs offered through the Division of Graduate, Online & Professional Studies is the same whether you live in-state, out-of-state or outside of the U.S.
Spring 2024 Tuition |
Cost Per Credit | Cost Per 3-Credit Course* |
|---|---|---|
Graduate |
||
| Online | $585 | $1,755 |
| Online Business** | $655 | $1,965 |
| Online IT and Engineering*** | $600 | $1,800 |
| Online Education | $470 | $1,410 |
| Online Education for Ed.D. and Ph.D. | $500 | $1,500 |
| On Campus | View Here | View Here |
Additional Costs |
|
|---|---|
| Term Registration Fee | $30 |
| Late Fee | $50 |
| Graduate Degree and Certificate Application | $50 |
Please note: Tuition and fees are subject to change.
Estimate the cost of this program with our online tuition calculator
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Applying into the Security Studies: International Security Concentration Program
Applications to the Graduate Program in Security Studies are accepted and processed year-round. Students accepted into the program can begin their courses in the Fall, Spring or Summer terms. To be considered for admission to this program, applicants must have earned an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution of higher education, with a final cumulative GPA of at least 3.000. A wide variety of undergraduate degree programs qualify as an appropriate foundation for this master's degree, particularly those in the behavioral and social sciences such as political science, sociology, criminal justice, psychology, history, international relations, and many others.
All applicants must submit the following:
- A completed application
- Official transcripts
- A statement of purpose
- Letters of recommendation (2)
- No GRE or MAT required.
- International students: Submit your official test results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. See Graduate Admissions International Graduate Application Requirements page for additional details.
- F1 student visas are not issued for this program since it is offered exclusively online.
Graduate Program Admissions Requirements
Admission to all graduate programs at UMass Lowell is contingent upon successful completion of a bachelor's degree. In many cases, applicants may register for a course before formally applying to the program; however, students requiring financial aid may want to wait until they have been formally accepted into the program to ensure that their course(s) will be covered. Contact UMass Lowell's Office of Graduate Admissions if you have questions about the application process.
Questions Regarding Your Graduate Application?
Email Graduate_Admissions@uml.edu or call 800-656-4723 (for U.S. students) or 978-934-2390 (for international students).
For General Assistance:
For general questions about registering for courses or to find out who the advisor is for your graduate program, call 800-480-3190. Our admissions and advising teams are here to help!
