• Security Policy Studies
  • » Curriculum
    • Specialized Fields
      • Transnational Security Issues
      • Intelligence
      • U.S. National Security Policy and Process
      • Political Psychology
      • Defense Policy and Defense Programs
      • Conflict and Conflict Resolution
      • Homeland Security Policy
      • Strategic Concepts and Military History
      • Science, Technology, and National Security Policy
      • Security and Development
      • Regional Security
    • Economics Requirement
    • Tool (Language/Statistics) Requirement
    • Capstone
  • » Faculty
  • » Careers
  • » Study Abroad
  • » Institute for Security and Conflict Studies
• Courses
• Academic Advising
• Forms & Applications

Paul Williams,
Program Director

Security Policy Studies (SPS) is a policy-oriented master's degree program focusing on international security issues, with a particular emphasis on the security challenges for the 21st century and how to respond to them. These challenges include but are not limited to: weapons of mass destruction proliferation, transnational threats, terrorism, changing regional power dynamics, weak and failing states, international crime, effectively linking security and development, and ensuring U.S. national security.

The curriculum provides strong grounding in the national security and defense policy-making process. Students choose two specific concentrations — which can range from transnational security issues to conflict resolution to U.S. national security and defense policy. Students also have the option of emphasizing a particular region, such as East Asia, the Middle East, or Latin America, by selecting a regional field as one of their two concentrations.

The program's faculty includes internationally recognized authorities in international security, defense policy, foreign policy, the national security policy process, and regional and transnational security issues. Through its academic and professional skills development courses this program can open doors to future employment in the security policy institutions of the federal government, in the private sector, in international organizations such as NATO, and in the many think tanks and non-profit institutions engaged in security policy work.

Event Video

Invisible Armies

April 22, 2013
Max Boot discusses his latest book, Invisible Armies, which assesses the impact of guerrilla uprisings throughout world history.

» More event videos related to Conflict and Security

» More events from the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies