About HSMI

The need for highly qualified and highly competent professionals who are educated in homeland security management has increased dramatically since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. As the lead federal agency charged with the responsibility to protect the nation from acts of terrorism as well as natural and human-made disasters, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has described the compelling need for homeland security practitioners who are educated to understand the "strategy, operations and tactics needed to achieve objectives associated with prevention, protection, detection, disruption, response, economic stabilization and recovery." Homeland security professionals must be able "to continually adapt to the changing nature of the security environment and the strategies that arise to deal with emerging threats."

These principles and requirements apply equally to other homeland security agencies and entities at the federal, state, local, tribal and territorial levels of government, as well as to the private-sector entities involved in the complex homeland security enterprise.

The HSMI was established at LIU in 2004 in order to provide current and future homeland security professionals with the knowledge, the insight, and the organizational and leadership skills to formulate and execute strategies that will protect the nation and that are in harmony with federal, state, local, tribal and territorial homeland security strategic objectives.

The Master of Science degree and graduate-level Advanced Certificate in Homeland Security Management are rigorous and academically challenging programs of professional education, developed and delivered by Homeland Security professionals, for Homeland Security professionals. Our courses and curriculum have been carefully crafted to meet the unique and specific needs of managers and executives in homeland security-related professions, and they are continually revised and refined to reflect the most current information and the most effective strategies and practices. Our highly integrated curriculum is designed to meet the practical needs of busy professionals working in law enforcement fields, emergency management, private security, the intelligence community, the transportation industry, critical infrastructure, and a host of other public- and private-sector fields engaged in the complex homeland security enterprise.

Our renowned faculty are all highly experienced Homeland Security managers and executives, and as the nation’s leading practitioner-scholars in the homeland security field they combine outstanding academic credentials with exceptional professional expertise. These highly experienced practitioners are particularly sensitive to the needs and goals of practicing homeland security professionals as well as to the needs and goals of those aspiring to management careers in the homeland security field. They understand the array of practical difficulties active homeland security professionals face in pursuing higher education.

Our graduate programs combine classes with a highly interactive seminar format, and throughout our curriculum we utilize a highly effective ‘case study’ approach that resonates with experienced practitioners because it integrates theory with practice and practice with theory.

While our dynamic curriculum is designed to meet the needs of serving professionals, it also represents an outstanding educational opportunity for more traditional students aspiring to careers in diverse homeland security fields. We prepare these students for new careers in a way no other graduate course of study can: they learn cutting-edge concepts, strategies and practices alongside highly experienced practitioners in a collaborative and very collegial academic environment. Our curriculum, our faculty, and our collaborative approach to graduate education equip students with the knowledge and the practical insights that will enhance their opportunities for employment and advancement in the homeland security field.

Online Technology

The Master of Science degree and the Advanced Certificate in Homeland Security Management are delivered in an entirely online format designed to accommodate the busy schedules and complex professional lives of Homeland Security managers, executives, and practitioners. Our asynchronous program uses the powerful Blackboard learning platform, permitting students to log in to a secure class website and participate in threaded discussion board dialogues or complete other course requirements at any time of the day or night – regardless of their time zone or geographic location. Because our programs have no in-residence component, and because students are never required to be online at a particular time or to be physically present at any particular place, our programs are particularly attractive to military personnel deployed overseas and to other professionals with complex or changeable schedules.

Because our students are drawn from a diverse range of professional and occupational specialties and represent a variety of geographic regions, agencies and levels of government, our online discussions incorporate a broad array of perspectives and experiences. In turn, these varied perspectives and experiences provide a comprehensive and unsurpassed understanding of the breadth, depth and complexity of the nation's homeland security enterprise.

Questions about the Homeland Security Management Institute and its programs can be directed to:

Vincent E. Henry, CPP, PhD
Professor and Director
Homeland Security Management Institute
Vincent.Henry@liu.edu