Students of Homeland Security

Homeland Security is growing as an academic field, with the usual associated pains:

Homeland security as an academic discipline is gaining recognition, according to a new report by ... John Rollins, a specialist in national security at the Congressional Research Service, and Joseph Rowan, senior technical adviser for intelligence systems and architectures to the Marine Corps’ director of intelligence.

[T]he researchers found that 227 schools offer degree or certificate programs in homeland security, comprising about 1,800 courses.

However, the programs still lack standard coursework or core teaching areas, the researchers concluded.

"At this stage of the homeland security academic maturation process, it appears programs and accompanying courses will provide dissimilar and inconsistent learning opportunities for the foreseeable future," they said.

Student interest in homeland security programs is increasing; collaboration among academic institutions is becoming more frequent; student recruitment and retention numbers in the field are rising; and the first homeland security graduates have recently entered or returned to the workforce, they said.

Nothing surprising here. All academic disciplines undergo a period of uncertainty before they get their feet under them.