Date: July 21, 2004
The University of Southern California's Homeland Security Center will offer a new Master of Science degree in System Safety and Security to train students in homeland security-related subjects.
The program will be interdisciplinary, combining courses from the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Student enrollment will begin this fall.
The curriculum will be aligned with the research agenda of USC's newly created Homeland Security Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE).
Funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), CREATE is the first center of its kind in the nation. The new degree will serve educational needs for DHS, other federal, state and local agencies, as well as contractors serving government agencies.;
This program will train leaders in industry and government to evaluate proposed terrorist countermeasures with economic and risk models to identify the most economically effective ways to improve the nation's security, said Randolph W. Hall, co-director of CREATE.
In order to earn the Master of Science degree in System Safety and Security, the student is required to complete five core courses in the areas of risk management, economic analysis, decision analysis, program management and policy. Building upon that foundation, students will then choose a specialization from areas such as environmental threats, policy, and information security to complete the program.;
In addition to the graduate degree in this area, a certificate program is also offered to engineers with appropriate educational backgrounds.
The certificate program will be available via e-learning throughout the country by the USC Viterbi School of Engineering Distance Education Network (DEN), one of the largest of its kind in engineering higher education. Hundreds of students across the country, including some in the armed forces, are pursuing advanced degrees through DEN while working for corporations and other technology-oriented organizations. This particular program will target professional employees in the aerospace and defense industries.
Secretary Tom Ridge noted that the role of CREATE is to foster new thinking, new capabilities and new career paths that are so essential to the fight against terrorism. The USC Master's and Certificate programs in System Safety and Security are in line with the educational mission of DHS to develop innovative learning and research environments in areas critical to homeland security.
About CREATE: CREATE is the first university center of excellence funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Established in March 2004, it is an inter-disciplinary national research center based at the University of Southern California. The center was formed to assess the risk of terrorism, to develop tools for analyzing economic and societal consequences of terrorist attacks, and to provide guidance on investments to counter terrorism and make the nation safer. For more information, please visit www.usc.edu/create.
About USC Distance Education Network (DEN): Established in 1972, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering's Distance Education Network (DEN) was a pioneer in the distance learning arena. Now, more than 30 years later, DEN is still a pioneer, utilizing the most cutting-edge e-learning technology to provide a seamless experience for its students. The USC School of Engineering is rated one of the top 10 engineering graduate schools in the nation, and DEN has been rated one of the best e-learning programs by U.S. News & World Report.
DEN currently offers 25 Master of Science degrees and three graduate certificates in a variety of engineering disciplines, including aerospace engineering (astronautics), computer science, computational fluid & solid mechanics, dynamics & control, electrical engineering, engineering management, integrated media systems, product development engineering, and systems architecture & engineering. Please visit http://den.usc.edu or contact info@den.usc.edu for more information.
For additional information, go to:
http://www.usc.edu/dept/engineering/
http://www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/
http://www.usc.edu/dept/engineering/aviation_safety_program/index.html
Potential students or others seeking more information about the program should contact Evelyn Felina, USC Viterbi School's Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, at (213) 740-7549 (efelina@usc.edu) or Sean Elliot, USC Viterbi School's Distance Education Network, at (213) 740-0116 (studentaffairs@den.usc.edu).
