MS in Homeland Security and Disaster Management Help Protect Those In Need
36
Credit Hours
100% online, 8-week courses
Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Defend the Nation from Crises Large and Small with Liberty’s MS in Homeland Security and Disaster Management
Are you interested in a fast-paced career where you can help to mitigate and guard against hazards or emergencies that threaten our country? Become a highly skilled homeland security or disaster management leader with Liberty’s Master of Science (MS) in Homeland Security and Disaster Management degree. Learn how to protect people and property from natural or man-made threats to public safety and security.
A master’s in homeland security degree can help you qualify for a wide range of positions within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal agencies that aim to protect the United States. Earning this degree could help prepare you for a position as a homeland security director, emergency management director, security management consultant, or public safety training officer. You might also pursue a career as an investigator or secret service member, or you could secure a position working with disaster relief efforts when American citizens face hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, or other natural disasters.
Our country needs someone like you who is committed to a life of service protecting its welfare and its people. When you pursue your degree through Liberty, you can receive training to help you excel in many homeland security positions.
Why Choose Liberty’s Emergency Management Master’s Degree?
Choosing where you’ll pursue your master’s degree is an important decision. By choosing Liberty, you’re choosing a well-respected, globally recognized, accredited university. You’re also choosing flexible course scheduling and academics grounded in Christian principles and values.
Liberty University’s mission of Training Champions for Christ is central to all we do. Every professor is committed to teaching from a biblical perspective. We understand that while you pursue your degree, you’ll still have family, work, and extracurricular responsibilities. This degree can be completed 100% online with 8-week courses and no set login times. You can stay committed to both your family and your career success at the same time.
What Will You Study in Our Master’s in Homeland Security Degree?
Our master’s degree in homeland security offers a broad, up-to-date, multidisciplinary overview of homeland security. You can learn about issues relating to public policy, public administration, law, criminal justice, and the social impacts of terrorism and homeland security.
Through this disaster response degree, you will also study national security strategies, homeland security directives, and theoretical and practical applications of disaster management activities, including human behavior in emergency situations. When we think of disasters, we often think of natural occurrences such as earthquakes and floods — but you will also learn about terrorism and the overarching goals of homeland security as it relates to emergency management.
Of course, learning how to mitigate a hazard is better than being caught unaware and unprepared. Therefore, you can learn how to determine best practices for risk assessment by studying hazard identification, vulnerability assessment, and impact analysis as an integrated process. Learning how to mitigate danger and create redundant systems is an important part of protecting your community from various hazards.
In addition, you will have the opportunity to complete an optional thesis project that will allow you to make an academic contribution to the body of knowledge in homeland security and disaster management.
Potential Career Opportunities
- Emergency management director
- First responder/crisis response officer
- Homeland security director
- Law enforcement officer
- Public safety compliance officer
- Public safety training officer
- Security director
- Security management consultant
Featured Courses
Degree Information
- This program falls under the Helms School of Government.
- View this online program’s Graduate Government Course Guides (login required).
Degree Completion Plan (PDF)
Not sure what to choose?
Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.
Tuition & Aid
Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for the majority of our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years – and counting.
Graduate Full Time | $565/Credit |
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Graduate Part Time | $615/Credit |
Military Graduate | $275/Credit |
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
All Tuition & Fees
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Admission Information for the MS in Homeland Security and Emergency Management Degree
Admission Requirements
- Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
- Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA is required for admission in good standing. Applicants who have earned a master’s degree or at least 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s-level degree work.
- Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form.
- Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.
Preliminary Acceptance
If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:
- Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
- Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
- Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
- If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application.
- Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.
Dual Enrollment
Please see the Online Dual Enrollment page for information about starting graduate courses while finishing your bachelor’s degree.
Transcript Policies
Unofficial College Transcript Policy
Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.
Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:
- Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
- Cumulative GPA
- A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
- Degree and date conferred (if applicable)
Official College Transcript Policy
An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.
If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.
Admissions Office Contact Information
Liberty University Online Admissions Verification
1971 University Blvd.
Lynchburg, VA 24515
Ready to Apply?
Submit your application online or over the phone.
Military
Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.
Who May Qualify?
- Active Duty
- Reserve/National Guard
- Veterans/Retirees
- Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
- Current Department of Defense Employees
Available Benefits:
- Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for graduate courses
- Additional discount for veterans who service in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course)*
- 8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)
*Not applicable to certificates.
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is emergency management?
Emergency management — or “disaster management” as it is sometimes called — is a process that involves creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Helping communities prepare for disasters is only part of the mission. Stopping the disaster before it occurs and taking measures to lessen the severity of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters are all part of this process.
Our emergency management degree is intended for both current and aspiring managers and administrators in homeland security, emergency response teams, or emergency management organizations. We believe this degree will be attractive to you whether you are looking to enhance your knowledge or advance in your career.
Who is Liberty University accredited through?
Liberty University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), so you can rest assured that your degree program has met rigorous accreditation standards.
Why is the thesis worth doing in this degree?
Use your thesis to contribute to the body of knowledge in the field of emergency management, prepare for future doctoral studies, and increase your marketability among Homeland Security organizations.
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