Curriculum
The Master of Arts in Security Studies is a 36-credit degree program that provides you with a broad understanding of security and an opportunity to take specialized courses in thematic, topical and regional areas of interest.
This multidisciplinary degree prepares you for positions in security fields. The curriculum includes a broad array of course options addressing numerous areas of study.
Course sequence
You must complete 36 credits to earn your M.A. in Security Studies. You will complete both core and concentration courses in the first two semesters. To fulfill the remaining credits, you will take additional concentration and elective courses. Full-time students enroll in three courses each semester and typically complete the degree in two years. Part-time students enroll in two courses each semester and have up to three years to complete the degree. A range of courses offered in the summer term allows part-time students to complete the program in as little as two years.
Sample two-year schedule (full-time)
Please note, our M.A. in Security Studies curriculum allows you to tailor your course-plan to your individual needs, which may cause your schedule to differ from the sample below.
Year 1
| Semester | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Core course | 3 |
| Core course | 3 | |
| Core concentration course | 3 | |
| Spring | Concentration course | 3 |
| Concentration course | 3 | |
| Distributive area course | 3 |
Year 2
| Semester | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Concentration course | 3 |
| Distributive area course | 3 | |
| Distributive area course | 3 | |
| Spring | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 |
Required courses
Foundational courses (6 credits)
You must take both foundational courses in your first semester.
- SEST 5000: Theory and Practice of Security (3 credits)
- SEST 5001: Strategy, Policy, and Military Operations (3 credits)
Concentration courses (12 credits)
Full-time students select their concentration in their second semester, while part-time students select their concentration by the third semester.
Specific concentration requirements:
- One core course in your concentration during your first, or second semester (full-time) or by the third semester (part-time students)
- Three additional electives in your concentration
Distribution courses (9 credits)
You must take at least one course in each of the three distributive areas. Some classes may meet more than one concentration/or distribution requirement. You can double-count one course, and this needs to be coordinated with your academic advisor.
Area Security Studies
This course is an opportunity to approach security issues from a regional perspective. It includes issues of conflict and politics as well as economics, energy, finance, health, the regional arms trade and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. You’ll gain a thorough understanding of a major international region and the countries within it so that you can incorporate that knowledge into future analysis and policy-making.
Technology and Security
This requirement allows you to approach security issues from a technological perspective. As a future analyst, policy-maker or scholar, you’ll gain an appreciation of the range of technology issues affecting all concentrations. You can take classes ranging from energy and resource scarcity to health, biotechnology and environmental issues, or from cyber and information warfare to unconventional weapons and net assessment and emerging technologies.
Economics and Security
In this requirement, you’ll examine the economic instruments of national power and their relationship to strategy and policy so, as a future analyst, policymaker or scholar, you will be able to integrate economic considerations as you develop national security policies and strategies. You may take classes covering a range of topics, including defense resourcing and budgeting, terrorist financing, energy security, developmental issues in areas of conflict and more.
Free electives
You must complete three program-approved free electives for 9 credits total.
Concentrations
Concentrations are an opportunity to explore specific security areas that interest you in more depth. You will take four courses in your concentration: one core course and three electives. You can choose among:
- Intelligence
- International security
- Military operations
- Technology and security
- Terrorism and Substate violence
- U.S. national security policy
Comprehensive exams
During your final semester, you will take the three-hour, written comprehensive exam. It will test your broad, substantive knowledge of national and international security problems and your analytic abilities. The graduate Security Studies Program (SSP) offers the comprehensive exam in the fall (October) and spring (March). Summer graduates must take and pass the test during the spring examination in March.
Grade point average
You must achieve a 3.0 GPA to graduate.
Accelerated degree
The Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (BSFS)/M.A. in Security Studies five-year program is an accelerated degree program that allows you to gain admission to the Security Studies graduate program during your junior year at Georgetown. You should work closely with your undergraduate dean on all coursework requirements.
Degree framework
- Four of your Security Studies courses may count for your BSFS and M.A. degree.
- If you decide to take two additional Security Studies courses in your senior year (six total), those two additional courses will only be applied towards your M.A. degree.
- You may take a maximum of three graduate courses in your first semester of the accelerated program.
Joint degrees
As a student in the M.A. in Security Studies, you may choose to undertake a joint degree program. We offer a joint M.A. in Security Studies/J.D with Georgetown Law and a joint M.A. in Security Studies/Ph.D. with the Department of Government. In these programs, you simultaneously complete the required coursework to earn both degrees.
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