Naval Postgraduate School – University of Colorado

Joint PhD Program in Homeland Defense/Security

Joint NPS – CU PhD with Concentration in Homeland Defense/Security.  This degree program is a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs with a concentration in Homeland Security.  The first cohort will begin in early 2007 through the Graduate School of Public Affairs (GSPA) at the University of Colorado at Denver in collaboration with the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), and supported by the Center for Homeland Security (CHS) at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

The Joint NPS – CU PhD is fully funded by the Department of Defense as an operational requirement by the program sponsor, United States Northern Command, and is the first HLD/HLS doctoral program in the nation. 

The program is designed to accommodate working professionals.  Students will remain in their jobs and travel to Denver, Colorado for intensive class sessions and then return to their home communities to complete their courses online.  All travel, course, materials (books/laptop) and related research expenses will be covered by program funding.  Coursework from the NPS Masters in Homeland Security and the CHS Graduate Certificate in Homeland Defense may be transferred into the PhD program.  Additional HLD/HLS-related graduate work may be considered, with candidate transcripts and requests for advance standing to be evaluated as part of the application process.

With the hybrid format, the program is structured for candidates to complete doctoral coursework (12 classes) in 18-36 months, depending on transfer credit accepted by the admissions committee.  GSPA and the program sponsor have agreed to allow candidates the option of beginning dissertation research and writing immediately upon program start.  The standard expected completion time for PhD candidates will be 36-40 months for degree award including comprehensive exams and dissertation defense.  Exceptional PhD candidates with advance standing would be able to complete the program within three years.

GSPA will continue to accept applications for the first cohort through early October 2006.  The application deadline for the Fall 2007 cohort will be March 30.  Please note that materials must be sent to GSPA in Denver.  The following website describes the Public Affairs PhD program and its admission requirements (including guidelines for the Joint NPS – CU PhD Program):  http://www.cudenver.edu/Academics/Colleges/GSPA/ProspectiveStudents/  admissions.htm.

If you have specific questions about the program, please contact GSPA Doctoral Program Director Dr. Paul Teske (paul.teske@cudenver.edu) or Steve Recca, CHS Deputy Director (srecca@uccs.edu). 

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