Penn State | Online Master in Homeland Security | Agricultural Biosecurity and Food Defense | Course List

Course List - Master of Professional Studies in Homeland Security - Agricultural Biosecurity and Food Defense Option

Core Curriculum (9 credits)
HLS 801	Homeland Security Administration: Policies and Programs Foundation for understanding homeland security history, the development of homeland security policies and organizations, and current management approaches.	3 credits
HLS 803	Homeland Security: Social and Ethical Issues This course will examine the social, political, legal, and ethical issues that arise in the context of homeland security.	3 credits
HLS 805	Violence, Threats, Terror, and Insurgency Provides an overview of the domestic and global issues related to homeland security.	3 credits

Prescribed Courses (12 credits)
AGBIO 520	Agricultural Biosecurity: Protecting a Key Infrastructure This course will explore intentional and unintentional threats to the agriculture food system, history, and current approaches for safeguarding this key infrastructure. View course sample.	3 credits
AGBIO 521	Food Defense: Prevention Planning For Food Processors This course will focus on hazards associated with the food supply, explore risk analysis/assessment systems and exercises, examine prevention strategies for intentional contamination of the food supply, and develop a food defense plan and examine crises management systems. View course sample.	3 credits
AGBIO 801	Veterinary Infectious Disease Diagnostic and Surveillance Systems This course will examine a wide range of animal health topics as it relates to infectious diseases, diagnostic systems, surveillance systems, epidemiology of those diseases, and effective responses in the case of an outbreak either naturally or intentionally caused. View course sample.	3 credits
AGBIO 802	Plant Protection: Responding to Introductions of Threatening Pest and Pathogens This course provides knowledge of plant biosecurity, plant disease, regulations, and technologies using case study examples. View course sample.	3 credits

Electives (9 credits)
CAS 553	Disaster Communication This seminar provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted nature of disaster communication across phases of a disaster.	3 credits
GEOG 480	Exploring Imagery and Elevation Data in GIS Applications An introductory-level course focusing on the use of remotely sensed imagery and elevation data in GIS applications.	3 credits
GEOG 897A	Cultural Intelligence, Applied Geography, and Homeland Security This course will introduce you to the people and cultures of the world through the study of a series of geographic realms that exemplify the cultural diversity of the Earth.	3 credits
GEOSC 402Y	Natural Disasters Case studies of the causes and consequences of natural disasters; analysis of disaster impact in different economic, cultural, and social conditions.	3 credits
IST 554	Network Management and Security Essential skills and knowledge for effectively utilizing networks and Internet technologies to facilitate, manage and secure data communications and applications.	3 credits
IST 564	Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management This course examines the fundamental elements of crisis, disaster, risk, and emergency management.	3 credits
IST 885	Introduction to Multisensor Data Fusion Understanding the concepts, techniques, and issues surrounding the fusion of information from multiple sensors and sources of data.	3 credits
IST 868	Topics in Visual Analytics for Security Intelligence Introduces visual analytic techniques for security informatics and intelligence. Survey technical approaches for data analysis, threats and vulnerability, communicating risk. Prerequisites: IST 516 or IST 552 or IST 554 or IST 562	3 credits
MANGT 510	Project Management A problem-based, interdisciplinary course in project management skills and techniques needed to manage projects in a modern business environment.	3 credits
P ADM 401	Introduction to Homeland Security This course provides foundational knowledge about homeland security, including policy, organization, and legal issues in the American context.	3 credits
P ADM 597A	Homeland Security Law This course assesses the controlling authorities that pertain to homeland security from the U.S. Constitution to the major federal statutes, court decisions, and executive directives. Beyond an analysis of the universal relevance of law to homeland security, specific issues are considered in detail, based on their relationship to U.S. vital national interests. This course also emphasizes the compelling requirement that, not only government organizations, but also the professional practitioner perform competently, ethically, and legally in all situations.	3 credits
PHP 527	Public Health Evaluation of Disasters and Bioterrorism Introduces students to the design of exposure assessment and health effect studies applicable to disasters and terrorism.	3 credits
PL SC 439	The Politics of Terrorism Analysis of political terrorism as a violent alternative for peaceful change and traditional warfare in the nuclear age. Prerequisite: CRIMJ 100 or PL SC 014 or permission of program	3 credits
PSY 558	Disaster Psychology Explores psychological impact of disasters and terrorist attacks on victims, families, rescuers, and society and methods of reducing negative effects. Prerequisite: PHP 510 or permission of program	3 credits

Capstone Experience (3 credits)
AGBIO 594	Research Project Culminating course; application of your homeland security studies in the form of a graduate-level project relating to agricultural biosecurity.	3 credits