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Global and domestic threats to the United States can take many forms and vary in their impact, and Norwich University’s online Bachelor of Science in National Security Studies program is designed to help you meet such challenges head-on. Develop your critical thinking skills, tackle advanced problem solving, and learn how to anticipate and plan for all manner of hazards with a faculty of seasoned experts who are here to provide you with personalized support throughout your education.
The national security studies curriculum builds upon the education and experience of Combat Arms and Combat support personnel in the military, as well as members of the intelligence and law enforcement communities. The program strikes a balance between core courses and electives, encouraging you to sharpen your skills in research and analysis, decision making, leadership and communication.
Transfer up to 90 semester credits and complete your degree in fewer than two years.
Coursework is rigorous, relevant, and immediately applicable to your career.
Several start dates per year offer you the ability to enroll when it fits your schedule.
Take advantage of a wide array of electives, including American Foreign Policy in the Twentieth Century, and Homeland Security and Intelligence.
Our experienced faculty of working experts provides insight into professional communication, leadership, utilization of technology and organizational structure.
All classes taken online
Transfer up to 90 credits
Typical time to program completion
Next Start Date
Application Deadline
Norwich University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.).
The program strikes a balance between core courses and electives, encouraging you to sharpen your skills in research and analysis, decision making, leadership and communication. Whether you are looking to advance in your current career, or planning to transition to another role entirely, Norwich’s flexible virtual classroom allows you to focus on issues of national security and intelligence that are most relevant to the United States. For a Norwich bachelor's degree, you must earn at least 120 semester credits, including transfer credits.
The program consists of five curriculum areas:
Students are required to complete the following core curriculum coursework:
This course is a study of men and women in war and the military service: their ideals, experiences, and strategies as seen in foreign and American military literature of the 19th and 20th centuries. Prerequisite: EN102 or equivalency.
In this course students will gain an understanding of America's rise as a global power in the twentieth century. Topics include the strategic elements of American foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere, American neutrality and subsequent involvement in World War I and II, and challenges faced by the United States during and after the Cold War. Students will examine the diplomatic, political and military aspects that determined the foreign policy of the United States as it has participated in and shaped world history. Through discussions, readings and research assignments, students will have the opportunity to think critically about the major foreign policy issues of the time period.
This course covers the study of frequency distributions, averages and standard deviations, normal curve, probability, decision-making, sampling techniques, testing hypotheses, chi-square, students-t and F-distributions, correlation, and linear regression. Prerequisite: A college level mathematics course or equivalent as determined by departmental placement testing.
Based upon myth and built upon ritual, religious thought affects politics, economics, international relations, and security. In this course, you will explore and analyze the similarities and differences among world religions to better understand the impact of belief systems and religious themes on culture, human history, and current affairs. Prerequisites: none.
Most of the world’s crucial environmental issues and many regional conflicts are related to the degradation and/or overuse of the Earth’s basic resources, including air, water, soil, and energy. This course focuses on the physical and chemical processes associated with the degradation of these resources, as well as an examination of potential solutions. The course addresses and integrates into scientific studies two themes that underlie all environmental issues: sustainability and human population dynamics.
In this course students compare and contrast selected insurgencies and counter-insurgencies from across the globe. Students acquire both broad knowledge and in-depth understanding of the practice of insurgency in various regions and nations.
A study of the law of armed conflict and the legal use of force. Students review international law theory, including the primary sources of international law, and then evaluate the impact of international law on past, present and future operations. Topics include: international law formulation; rules of engagement; issues surrounding detainees, internees and prisoners of war; air, land and sea laws; and the application of international law as it pertains to military operations. Prerequisites: none.
Students will choose to complete 18 credits from the degree electives listed in this section.
In this course, you will explore tenets and characteristics of various economics systems, analyze economic indicators, conceptualize problems, and recommend possible solutions. Economic factors are explored in the context of the U.S. Army’s Political-Military-Economics-Social Infrastructure-Information Systems framework.
A unique feature of the course is its attention to diversity within both the Israeli and Palestinian political communities. This course provides an engrossing exposure to the themes and complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Its focus is historical and conceptual, and requires students to apply their learning through critical evaluation of contemporary events and conditions. Participants learn the conflict’s history and grapple with recurring obstacles to peace, including practical issues of security as well as abstract issues of culture, identity, and religion. Students are required to view the conflict from both national communities’ perspectives and to critically analyze different models for resolving the conflict.
This course explores the background and evolution of homeland security in the post- 9/11 era. Students learn about the public and private infrastructure and functioning of homeland security operations, technology used to explore threats and enhance safety, innovative solutions to threats, risk prevention and management, and critical incident management of terrorism threats, natural disasters, and other threats to homeland security. Pre-requisites: none.
This course examines a range of contemporary international issues – from questions of realism versus idealism in foreign affairs to changes in the nation-state, the rise and influence of member states in the Pacific Rim, and overall global security objectives. It will explore the uses of strategic intelligence by world leaders in shaping policy and the effects of strategic intelligence on world events. Students will be required to closely follow international developments and learn how to discuss them objectively and analytically. Areas of emphasis include science, technology, and globalization as the environment in which concepts of international security evolve and change over time. Pre-requisites: none.
This course is designed to enhance the critical and creative thinking skills needed to solve complex and ill-defined problems. Key themes are problem framing, operational art, leadership, and the outcomes for human security. You will examine historical and contemporary examples of strategic-level planning in highly complex operations and use this learning as a framework for problem solving within and across agencies. You will complete a major team project on a complex problem vignette that requires creating a course of action a leader must follow to meet the desired end state.
This course introduces students to the issues and institutions of national security policy. Successful students will have an appreciation of strategic thought and strategy formulation, the ability to assess national security issues and threats, and an understanding of the political and military institutions involved in the making and execution of national security policy. Pre-requisites: none.
This course addresses the effects of a variety of forms of sub-state violence on world affairs. Topics include sources of terrorism, its major characteristics, the problems it poses for global peace and stability, responses to terrorism by countries and international organizations, and the problem of balancing public safety and personal freedom in dealing with terrorism.
This course presents key concepts in the study of cultures and explores how culture and cultural contexts and language influence values, expectations, behavior, communication styles, and conflict resolution.
This course examines how emergency managers respond to national, state, or local disasters. Students gain a broad understanding of the functions, challenges, key concepts and organizing principles of U.S. emergency management. Emphasis is placed on how emergency management is structured and organized by examining the National Response Framework (NRF), the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and the Incident Command System (ICS) as well as other standards that govern emergency management in the United States. Students will apply their learning to develop an emergency plan capable of addressing identified threats. This course requires broad knowledge, in-depth understanding, analysis, synthesis, and creativity in regard to the topics addressed. Pre-requisites: none.
This course introduces the overall concept of Information Warfare (IW) and Information Operations (IO), particularly with regard to the U.S. federal government and the Department of Defense. Pre-requisites: none.
This course provides students with a comprehensive overview and analysis of diplomacy and international relations from 1648 to 1914. The course focuses on the historical foundations of the modern state system and on the effects of globalization and its influence on decision-making in diplomacy. The course is offered three times per year and is eight weeks in length.
This course provides students with a comprehensive overview and analysis of diplomacy and international relations from 1914 to the present. The course builds on the material covered in HIST 411 – History of Diplomacy I and focuses on the historical foundations of the modern state system and on the effects of globalization and its influence on decision-making in diplomacy. The course is offered three times per year and is eight weeks in length. Prerequisite: HIST 411.
Students must complete two of the following courses to complete their field studies requirement.
Currently under course development.
In this course, you will complete a study of a country or region in relation to a key aspect of its culture. Within this broad framework, you will explore an issue related to an aspect of cultural conflict or cross-cultural communication by addressing the region’s cultural competence: the ability to navigate complex cultural environments in pursuit of mutually satisfactory outcomes. The course culminates in a substantive research paper or academic project that reflects broad knowledge, in-depth understanding, analysis, synthesis, and creativity in regard to the topics addressed. Prerequisites: SOCI 335 Introduction to Cultural Competence, or permission of the department chair.
In this course, you will study the geography of a region of interest and how geography relates to implementation of a project or to the cause of or resolution to a problem in the region. You will examine natural resources and resource challenges, paying particular attention to mineral, oil, water, and other highly valued assets in the region. Your study will address future geographical or resource challenges of the region and include recommendations for infrastructure changes that would help maximize effective use of resources. The course culminates in a substantive research paper or academic project that reflects broad knowledge, in-depth understanding, analysis, synthesis, and creativity in regard to the topics addressed.
The culminating academic activity for BS National Security Studies (NSS) students. Under the supervision of the instructor, students create a portfolio of work from previous courses to demonstrate achievement of the program outcomes. Students also analyze and synthesize program learning with a particular focus on ethics and leadership. Students analyze ethical scenarios and a tactical ethics text and present an in-depth ethical analysis. Students demonstrate how their work will contribute to the security of national objectives as they pertain to the topics under discussion throughout the program. Prerequisites: Completion of all NSS courses or permission of the program manager.
An increasingly complex geopolitical landscape demands competent leaders with the critical thinking skills and tact to make difficult decisions for the greater good. The Bachelor of Science in National Security Studies program is backed by Norwich’s near 200-year history of developing leaders in the military, public sector, and private industry.
Norwich’s online national security studies program is ideal for those who wish to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the global and national security issues affecting the United States—as well as develop the skills necessary to combat any and all threats to the nation. The program can assist you in moving forward with your current job, forging a new career path, or going on to earn your master’s degree in a related field of study.
Example career paths for graduates:
James Dalton is an experienced educator, with a focus on graduate and undergraduate military college program development and instruction. Earning the rank of commander with 27 years of active duty military experience in the U.S. Navy, Dalton has served as a naval flight officer and a professor at the Naval War College. As a military professor, he developed and managed military education programs for advanced warfare studies related to conventional and unconventional warfare across all phases. During his assignment as a joint experimentation officer, he designed and coordinated test programs for new systems to benefit all branches of the U.S. Special Forces and developed curriculum dedicated to unconventional warfare education. He has his master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College, as well as a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Missouri.
Programs
Bachelor of Science in Strategic Studies and Defense Analysis
Bachelor of Science in National Security Studies
Master of Arts in Strategic Studies
Meet graduates from our bachelor's programs.
From the very beginning of submitting my application to graduation day, the one-on-one interaction with the faculty and staff made me feel a part of the Norwich family.
The way the SSDA program was tailored to the Special Operations community appealed to me because the courses were all applicable. I could use the first-hand knowledge I gained from working in the Special Operations community and apply it directly to my studies and class discussions.
One of the key things to me for having a Norwich education is the name that comes with it; there’s pride and tradition that comes with having a Norwich University diploma. It’s finishing what I started here many years ago and I wanted something I can be proud to hang in my office.