Government & National Security

The government and national security major takes a global view of American national security policy and security issues. The program focuses on the workings of American political and governmental processes, national security and the intelligence community. The emphasis in the major is on career skills, research methods, critical thinking, scholarly writing and public speaking.

The first section of the major focuses on the workings of our governmental system in general, and our national security system in particular, at the federal, state and local levels.

The second section focuses on the historical context for current international security threats that the United States faces and the six major instruments of national power – diplomacy, information, military, economic, finance, intelligence and law enforcement – used to protect and promote our national security. The curriculum also applies these elements to the issues of international security and globalization that our majors will face upon graduation.

You Are the Next Generation

Our national security depends upon the creativity, energy and skills of young people serving with federal, state and local agencies and operating in our homeland at our borders and overseas. The next generation of diplomats, military officers and analysts with the CIA, FBI, Department of Homeland Security and state and local offices will help counter various threats to our national security that emerge in the coming years. Hiring at all levels of government reflects our urgent and continuing need for more and better-educated professionals to defend our nation and its interests.

Tiffin University has developed the B.A. in Government & National Security to help meet the growing and demanding needs of our governing agencies for motivated and well-educated graduates. Recruiters and other representatives from the CIA, FBI, Department of Defense, Department of State, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals and more have come to Tiffin University to encourage our graduating seniors to apply for permanent positions with their agencies. They look to us because they know our graduates have the kind of practical, real-world education necessary to meet the many security challenges in the coming years.

Our government and national security program reflects the real world of national security, because our faculty come from that world. Our faculty have served in combat, in CIA stations, in military installations, with international organizations, in FBI field offices, with U.S. Marshals and in the White House. Faculty also bring the real world of national security to our program through outside speakers, internships and, most of all, through practical instruction every day in the classroom.

Ours is a discipline that is continually in the news. By using these issues we are able to stay current in the field. You’ll discuss current concerns as they arise in the real world and unpack the implications. You’ll engage in written and oral briefings on both real and hypothetical security situations that require quick analysis and problem solving. You’ll address these challenges, using the same tools and methods that personnel in our national security agencies use.

A Practical, Professional Education

• Ours is a professional program led by faculty who have actual experience working in the national security field.
• We are able to combine theory with experience to better convey the phenomenon we study.
• We use current issues as they arise in the real world and case studies to apply the theoretical constructs you are learning.
• We intentionally address issues relating to race, ethnicity and cultural uniqueness in real-world case studies.
• Through a required internship, you’ll gain valuable real-world experience.

Our government and national security program is an active, immersive study. Lectures are designed to engage students in interactive discussions. You’ll present cases and lead discussions with your peers. You’ll participate in simulations using real-world issues that you are required to game out, and then do an extensive debrief and analysis.

You’ll be required to read several quality news sources and comment in a series of reaction papers. You’ll be taught to prepare briefings, work with senior personnel and use the same processes you’ll use when working in a government position.

Finally, you’ll complete a required internship, which enables you to take part in real-world experiences and cases. Our students have interned at federal agencies such as the FBI; Secret Service; DEA; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; National Defense University; 10th Mountain Division (U.S. Army); Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and more. Also, the Washington Center opens the door for access to many dozens of other federal agencies available in Washington, D.C.

Bringing Knowledge to Practice

• Faculty bring real-world experiences that are often used in class to unite theory and practice.
• We stress both oral and written communication, critical analysis, ethical decision-making and compassionate and ethnic sensitivity.
• You’ll often work with others in group situations, sharpening your collaboration, communication and leadership skills.
• We recognize the value that both interscholastic athletics and arts bring to a program of study and eventual employment.

CURRICULUM

CORE COURSES – 3 hours each

• POL101 Introduction to the American Political Process
• POL151 Introduction to National Security Studies
• POL201 Political Geography
• POL311 Federalism

Total = 12 hours

MAJOR COURSES – 3 hours each

• ENF245 Emergency Organization and Management
• ENF441 Counterintelligence/Counter-terrorism
• One of the following:
  • HIS225 United States Diplomatic History Since 1895 (w)
  • HIS226 United States Military History Since 1895 (w)
• POL205 The Presidency
• POL206 Congress
• POL207 The Courts
• POL310 Public Policy
• POL313 American National Security Policy
• POL345 Economic Instruments of Security Policy
• POL350 International Security
• POL391 Comparative Political Systems
• POL400 The Constitution, Liberty, and Order
• POL420 Transnational and Unconventional Threats
• POL491 Capstone Senior Seminar in Homeland and National Security (w) hours
• SCS300 Research Design (w) hours
• SCS470 Internship I

Total = 48 hours

This a sample course sequence to illustrate course offerings for this major. Consult the official Academic Bulletin for detailed registration and advising information.

SAMPLE COURSES

Counterintelligence/Counter-terrorism (ENF441) – This course addresses the issues of counterintelligence and counter-terrorism (covert information modification and planned preemptive responses). This course will provide an explanation of these two different tactical operational modalities. The interconnectivity of these two separate operational fields will be examined to determine their structural relationship in combating an enemy threat. Additionally, this course will examine the geopolitical utilization of these operational methodologies by U.S. domestic and foreign-based operatives providing security to U.S. domestic security interests. Lastly, this course will examine the use of technology and human intelligence in their application regarding counterintelligence.

American National Security Policy (POL313) – Students trace the development of national security in the United States from its conceptual birth during World War II to the present day, including the role that intelligence plays in national security policy. The course examines how national security policy has developed through succeeding presidential administrations. 

Transnational and Unconventional Threats (POL420) – Students will examine some of the unconventional security threats posed by transnational actors and organizations. Topics to be covered include globalization, WMD proliferation, drug cartels, energy security, information security, pandemics and border security. Students will also critically assess how best to organize America’s national security apparatus to respond to these wide-ranging unconventional threats.

FORMAT

On Campus – Offered in a 15-week semester format with start dates of January and August

In a post-9/11 world, our country is increasingly committed to security.  As a result, the field is growing and expanding in new and exciting ways. As security threats evolve, so will the way we approach security.  The employability of well-prepared students is assured.

CAREERS

• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
• Computer Systems Analyst
• Corporate Chief of Security
• Federal Air Marshal Service
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• Homeland Security
• Intelligence Analyst
• Lawyer
• National Security Agency (NSA)
• Peace Corps
• Secret Service
• U.S. Customs
• U.S. Department of Defense
• U.S. Marshals
• U.S. Military branches
• U.S. State Department

WHERE TU GRADS HAVE WORKED

While it is extremely competitive to obtain such appointments, TU alumni have gone on to careers in these agencies:

• Advocates, Inc.
• Baltimore Police Department
• Department of State
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.
• Law School
• Local, State, and Federal Government Agencies
• National Security Agency (NSA)
• Political Campaigns
• Public Office
• Public Official Staffs
• U.S. Department of the Air Force
• U.S. Marshals Service