National Security Courses

NTS1102 Introduction to National Security

3 Credit Hours

Introduces students to the National Security program. Students completing this course will know the nature of the national security organizations and their responsibilities, be aware of the major strategic issues confronting the nation, and know the current national strategy for responding to national security threats.

NTS1110 Communications Skills for National Security                             

3 Credit Hours

Addresses communication perspectives informing national security, strategic intelligence, and the intelligence process. Students will examine U.S. national security history, policy, the development of the intelligence community, and intelligence as processes of communication.

NTS2215 Introduction to Emergency Management                                   

3 Credit Hours

Presents the basic principles of effective emergency management as they have developed over the past six decades, including the rapid evolution of the field in this century. Emergency Management related topics include critical infrastructure, public private partnerships, and information security.

Prerequisite: NTS1102

NTS2216 U.S. Policy and National Security                                              

3 Credit Hours

Probes the development and operation of U.S. military and national security policy from George Washington to the present, with major emphasis on the 20th century and post-World War II. Post World War 2, the Cold war, and the War on Terror.

Prerequisite: NTS1102

NTS2217 U.S. Ethics and Homeland Security                                           

3 Credit Hours

Presents classical ethical theories and explores the ethical implications of war and terrorism in the 21st century. Students analyze controversial issues including torture, bombing of civilians, assassination and targeted killing, and humanitarian intervention. Civil liberties and the Patriot Act will be examined.  

Prerequisite: NTS1102

NTS2250 Computer Applications and Technology in National Security

3 Credit Hours

Provides a conceptual overview of the role of computer applications and technology in National Security. Topics include technological stakeholders, technology development, the risk of technological proliferation, security and privacy issues in Cloud Computing, robotics, best practices, and available computer applications.

Prerequisite: NTS1102 

NTS3305 U.S. Domestic Terrorism and Violent Extremism                       

3 Credit Hours

Examines bigotry and hate and how they manifest in criminal behavior. Various groups who have been labeled as supporting or engaging in domestic terrorism are studied. Focus is placed on federal/state statutory laws and the dynamics of police, court, and corrections-based responses to hate crimes and domestic terrorism.  

Prerequisite: JUS3315

NTS3306 Cryptography and Data Security                                                 

3 Credit Hours

Surveys cryptographic concepts and logarithms and their application to data security. Techniques studied will include private key cryptosystems, public key cryptosystems, and hash functions. Commonly used algorithms will also be studied; these might include DES, 3DES, AES, IDEA, RSA, Diffie-Hellman, MD5, SHA, and DSS.  

Prerequisite: NTS2250

NTS3307 Threat and Risk Assessment                                                      

3 Credit Hours

Prepares the skills necessary for managers and leaders to conduct a comprehensive, capabilities-based threat and risk assessment for terrorism/all-hazards incidents under the National Response Framework (NRF), National Preparedness Guidelines, and Homeland Security Presidential Directives.

Prerequisite: NTS1102

NTS3308 Security Systems and Auditing                                                   

3 Credit Hours

Examines the strategies for deploying and auditing secure security systems. Security professionals primarily study security systems and design as well as networks from the point of view of examining the effectiveness of their technical, practical physical and procedural controls to minimize risks. Risk analysis and the implementation of best practice control objectives will be studied

NTS4400 Weapons of Mass Destruction                                                    

3 Credit Hours

Explores the threats that weapons of mass destruction pose to the U.S. and its interests, along with the strategies to meet those threats. This course examines the technical aspects, history, and contemporary threat of each weapon category: chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear.  

Prerequisites: NTS1102 or JUS3315

NTS4401 Emergency Planning                                                                   

3 Credit Hours

Provides the skills to develop a comprehensive plan for risk analysis, threat assessment, staffing an emergency operations center, coordinating with support agencies, and creating a continuing testing program. Case studies teach students how to plan for natural disasters and terrorism at the federal, state, local levels and within the construct of public private partnerships.  

Prerequisite: NTS2215

NTS4402 Digital Forensics                                                                          

3 Credit Hours

Focuses on identifying, preserving, and extracting electronic evidence. Students learn to examine and recover data from operating systems, core forensic procedures for any operating or file system, technical issues in acquiring computer evidence, and forensically sound examinations to preserve evidence for legal proceedings.  

Prerequisite: NTS3308

NTS4403 National Security Law                                                                 

3 Credit Hours

Introduces national security law. This course is intended for NTS majors. Topics include the nature of legal regulations governing national security organizations, the major statutory enactments and case decisions interpreting national security law, and the sources of legal authority for national security operations.  

Prerequisite: NTS1102

NTS4404 Counterterrorism and Intelligence Analysis                             

3 Credit Hours

Studies and analyzes counterterrorism, including the evolution of counterterrorism, and the specifics of the typology and anatomy of terrorist operations. This course provides an overview of the intelligence community, collection, analysis, requirements, dissemination, and information security.  

Prerequisite: JUS3315

NTS4410 Research Methods in National Security

3 Credit Hours

Teaches students to design and evaluate empirical research in all areas of national security. This course examines the philosophy of social science and several theoretical approaches used in national security. Students learn the details of social science research design, data collection, and data analysis.

Prerequisites: NTS1102 or MAT2215

 NTS4483 Internship                                                                                    

3 Credit Hours

Allows students to work in a position related to their course of study. Typical responsibilities include writing, researching, compiling data, and administrative projects. Students integrate skills and knowledge learned in their academic experiences and participate in focused online discussions and projects.

Prerequisite: Departmental permission