Free MA Program with May 1st Deadline

The Center for Homeland Defense and Security's Naval Postgraduate School has a master's Degree program that is offered for no cost to qualifying individuals. Analysts who aspire to more of a leadership role in their field may be eligible. Check out the qualifications at this link. Hurry, though - the deadline for applications for the next cohort is May1st.

I have read a number of graduate papers from this program and the calibre of work is impressive.

"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA and the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) have pioneered graduate education programs for homeland security. Since 2003, CHDS has built a cadre of graduate education programs and resources used by universities and agencies across the country. The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree program is offered at no cost to eligible local, state, tribal, territorial, and federal officials. To accommodate participants’ time constraints, students are in residence just two weeks every quarter during the 18-month program. Students complete the remainder of their coursework via web-enabled instruction. The degree is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and is awarded by the Naval Postgraduate School. The degree provides leaders with the knowledge and skills to:

Develop policies, strategies, plans and programs to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, and reduce America’s vulnerability to the full range of other homeland security threats and potential catastrophic events.

Build the organizational and interagency arrangements needed to strengthen homeland security.

Help mayors, governors, other elected officials and federal leaders improve homeland security preparedness by developing actionable policies and strategies.

The degree program requires 18 months of continuous enrollment and coursework and a thesis. It involves a significant commitment on the part of the participants and their agencies. The courses are organized in quarters rather than semesters. Each quarter requires two weeks in residence at the NPS campus, located in Monterey, California or in the National Capital Region (at the Bolger Center outside of Washington, DC). The remainder of the coursework is completed via network-based learning. Participants spend an average of 15-20 hours per week during the network-based learning periods of study – reading assigned materials, participating in online discussions with faculty and other participants, and preparing papers and projects. Participants and their agencies must be cognizant of this commitment and should view it as an investment in enhancing the individual´s and the jurisdiction’s homeland security capabilities.

The internationally respected faculty guide discussions and focus the attention of the participants, establishing the predicate for continued study through network-based learning methodologies for the non-residential period. The thesis is a qualitative or quantitative research project on a significant homeland security topic. The thesis may, for example, have a strategic planning focus, a model-development perspective, or a threat-risk assessment concentration. The thesis should be of significant benefit to the participant’s agency or jurisdiction."