Penn State's 33-credit online Master of Professional Studies in Homeland Security – CTAP option offers a core curriculum rooted in the homeland/civil security enterprise with a specialized set of prescribed courses and electives.
Course List - Master of Professional Studies in Homeland Security - Cyber Threat Analytics and Prevention Option
All students are required to complete the HLS Orientation (non-credit) as part of the HLS core curriculum before the end of their first semester. This orientation provides an overview of the HLS program and the field of homeland security.
Core Curriculum (9 credits)
Title
Abbreviation
Description
Credits
Homeland Security Administration: Policies and Programs
HLS 801
Foundation for understanding homeland security history, the development of homeland security policies and organizations, and current management approaches.
3 credits
Homeland Security: Social and Ethical Issues
HLS 803
This course will examine the social, political, legal, and ethical issues that arise in the context of homeland security.
3 credits
Violence, Threats, Terror, and Insurgency
HLS 805
Provides an overview of the domestic and global issues related to homeland security.
3 credits
Prescribed Courses (12 credits)
Title
Abbreviation
Description
Credits
Data Mining
SWENG 545
Practical benefits of data mining will be presented; data warehousing, data cubes, and underlying algorithms used by data mining software.
3 credits
Web Security and Privacy
IN SC 561
A web-centric look at the latest techniques and practices in computer security as they apply to the Internet.
3 credits
Network and Predictive Analytics for Socio-Technical Systems
IN SC 846
This course will study the interrelatedness of cyber-social and cyber-technical aspects of an organization or society as a whole.
3 credits
Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management
IST 564
This course examines the fundamental elements of crisis, disaster, risk and emergency management.
3 credits
Electives (9 credits)
Title
Abbreviation
Description
Credits
Data Collection and Cleaning
DAAN 822
This course focuses on the tools and techniques required for collecting data and preparing them for further analysis.
Prerequisites: STAT 500 and IN SC 521 or Program Permission
3 credits
Large-Scale Database and Warehouse
DAAN 825
Examination of large-scale data storage technologies including NoSQL database systems for looser structured data, and data warehouses for dimensional data.
Prerequisites: IN SC 521 or Program Permission
3 credits
Data Visualization
DAAN 871
This course provides a foundation in the principles, concepts, techniques, and tools for visualizing large data sets.
3 credits
Intelligence Analysis, Cultural Geography, and Homeland Security
GEOG 571
The application of cultural geography in the intelligence analysis and synthesis process by identifying prominent threats to civil security.
3 credits
U.S. Homeland Security Law
HLS 875
Analysis of Constitutional provisions, legislative enactments, executive directives and judicial decisions relating to homeland security.
3 credits
Computer and Cyber Forensics
IST 454
Fundamental issues and concepts of computer forensics; aspects of computer and cyber crime; methods to uncover, protect, exploit, and document digital evidence; tools, techniques, and procedures to perform computer and cyber crime investigation.
3 credits
Network Management and Security
IST 554
Essential skills and knowledge for effectively utilizing networks and Internet technologies to facilitate, manage, and secure data communications and applications.
3 credits
Cybersecurity Analytics
IST 820
This course provides theoretical and applied foundations of fundamentals of network security, data sources, data collection techniques and tools, cybersecurity analytics infrastructure, machine learning and data mining, network forensics, anomaly and malware detection, security data visualization, and security dashboard design and implementation.
3 credits
Introduction to Multisensor Data Fusion
IST 885
Understanding the concepts, techniques, and issues surrounding the fusion of information from multiple sensors and sources of data.
3 credits
The Politics of Terrorism
PL SC 439
Analysis of political terrorism as a violent alternative for peaceful change and traditional warfare in the nuclear age.
3 credits
Root Causes of Terrorism
PL SC 836
Investigates the role economic, political, and social factors play in determining patterns of international and domestic terrorism and terrorist activity.
3 credits
Capstone Experience (3 credits)
Title
Abbreviation
Description
Credits
Research Project
IN SC 594
Master Research Paper/Project - Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
For example, application of homeland security studies in the form of a graduate-level project relating to emerging cyber threat, analytical tools and methods, and security prevention and protection.