Southwestern College Professional Studies

Is a Security Management Major for Me?

With the increasing need for security in a changing world, security professionals with expertise in all aspects of security management and operational administration will be in demand. Southwestern College Professional Studies offers a bachelor of science in Security Management that touches on a wide range of security issues, including homeland security, anti-terrorism, corporate security, and other venues.

Security professionals will enable private and public organizations to strengthen existing security measures and initiate policies and procedures to ensure a safe and secure working environment, as well as to prevent or limit organizational losses.

To see if this degree might be for you, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you want comprehensive security management, emergency management, and homeland security knowledge?
• Do you wish to gain a solid knowledge of security management, emergency management, and homeland security that will help you meet minimum requirements to compete for the ever increasing jobs in these fields?
• Do you wish to improve your current security management, emergency management and/or homeland security knowledge?
• Do you wish to be better prepared to make professional security management decisions?
• Do you wish to be a well-rounded security management professional?
• Do you wish to improve your chances for promotion in the security, emergency management and homeland security fields?
• Do you wish to prepare to take the ASIS CPP, PSP and/or the PCI certification examinations?

Security management is offered both in the classroom and online.

Program Outcomes

With the increasing need for security in a changing world, security professionals with expertise in all aspects of security management and operational administration will be in demand. Security professionals will enable private and public organizations to strengthen existing security measures and initiate policies and procedures to ensure a safe and secure working environment, as well as to prevent or limit organizational losses.

1. The learner demonstrates that s/he has gained breadth and depth of key security management concepts and generally accepted theories and practices.
2. Learners demonstrate the skills necessary for competency in physical, informational, and homeland security environments applicable to preparation for a career in security management.
3. The learner will demonstrate the ability to apply critical thinking to the completion of projects and case studies associated with the security management field.
4. The learner can demonstrate an understanding of how to effectively lead people and processes in complex business environments.
5. The learner can demonstrate the ability to craft documents which showcase their understanding of the use of technological tools.
6. The learner can demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of ethical reasoning in security management.
7. The learner can demonstrate the use of effective written communication skills.

Required and Core Courses

Required Major Courses

SMGT 311 Introduction to Security
SMGT 315 Physical Security
SMGT 320 Information Security
SMGT 321 Homeland Security Fundamentals
SMGT 411 Loss Prevention and Crime Prevention
SMGT 415 Legal Aspects of Security
SMGT 420 Emergency Planning
SMGT 424 Terrorism-Motivations and Adversaries
CAPS 494 Senior Capstone

Required Core Courses

HRD 210 Building Academic Success
CLO 320 Critical Thinking
CLO 340 Ethics in Today’s Organization
CLO 410 Decision Sciences
CLO 415 Professional Communication
CLO 499 Responsibility for the Future

Recommended Electives

SMGT 335 Security Investigation Techniques
CJUS 451 Computer Forensics and Cyber-Crime
HRD 325 Developing Workforce Talent
SOCS 320 Adults in Transition
BQM 320 Organizational Leadership
BUS 328 Organizational Behavior

All classes are 3 credit hours unless otherwise indicated.

Course Descriptions

SMGT 311 Introduction to Security

This course includes a detailed review of the representative duties of the professionals engaged in private and public security. It focuses on the latest trends, concerns, and issues in the security industry today. This includes specific threat analysis, countermeasures, the security function, and fundamentals of defense. The course will also provide an overview of the historical development of security.

SMGT 315 Physical Security

Examines physical design, risk assessment, security surveys, barriers, locks, lighting, alarms, entry control, closed circuit television and digital recording systems. The overall process of physical protection system design and integration is also extensively covered.

SMGT 320 Information Security

Provides a framework for analyzing current and projected data and information exposure within an organization. Includes the study of firewalls, virus prevention techniques, network security and common forms of cyber crime.

SMGT 321 Homeland Security Fundamentals:

Provides a diverse group of topics related to homeland security. Topics covered include, but are not limited to, critical infrastructure sectors and protection, weapons of mass destruction planning and response strategies, national security, and public management. There is also a review of the essential coordination and communication between government agencies and private entities.

SMGT 411 Loss Prevention and Crime Prevention

Examines the security function and issues from a loss prevention and crime prevention perspective. It specifically shows how to avoid or minimize losses with a wealth of practical information. This includes, but is not limited to, community-oriented policing, workplace violence, internal theft controls, executive protection, awareness, retail security, high-rise security and fire life safety, personal safety and self defense, designing crime risk management systems, financial institution security, telecommunications fraud, and counterespionage strategies.

SMGT 415 Legal Aspects of Security:

Provides a thorough overview of the legal issues and concepts that security professionals must be familiar with while operating in public or private organizations. A review of legal rights available to security officers, corporations, partnerships, and individually owned businesses for the protection of their property from theft by employees, customers and others is covered. The law of arrest, search and seizure, detention, surveillance and legal consequences are also examined.

SMGT 420 Emergency Planning

Provides a practical process of disaster response planning and mitigation for security professionals working in both public and private organizations. A review of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is covered as well as an examination of the roles, responsibilities, and interrelationship between FEMA, state and local emergency management systems and other critical partners. The government’s emergency resources available before, during and after crises are also explained. The fundamental disciplines of emergency management are covered as well.

SMGT 424 Terrorism-Motivations and Adversaries

Reviews the events, ideas, motivations and histories that result in terrorist acts, as well as an examination of the theories that help explain this volatile behavior surrounding international and domestic terrorism as well as domestic extremist groups in the United States. A conceptual overview of terrorism, progresses to a focused discussion of the terrorists, investigates the nuances of the terrorist trade, and concludes with a final analysis of modern terrorism.

HRD210 Building Academic Success

Introduces academic success topics and tools that are intended to establish and strengthen understanding of the learner and academic success coach relationship, critical thinking and reading, institutional policies and procedures, and the basics of online research and academic writing while experiencing the Southwestern College Professional Studies course format on the way to becoming a Southwestern College Moundbuilder.

CLO 320 Critical Thinking

This course prepares learners to critically interpret, synthesize, analyze and evaluate information. It is designed to introduce learners to complex problems and help them come to well reasoned conclusions and solutions.

CLO 340 Ethics in Today’s Organizations

This course will utilize the expertise of professionals working in the various disciplines as well as the moral reasoning of ethicists. An approach to the ethical challenges of a modern society is developed.

CLO 410 Decision Sciences

This course introduces the learner to utilizing and applying both quantitative and qualitative methods for individual, organizational, and societal decision making. A variety of tools and techniques will be examined as the foundation for the development and interpretation of attributes and variables in addition to the use of data sources for the purpose of improving processes and organizational environments.

CLO 415 Professional Communication

A study of the communication processes in situations encountered in organizations and professional environments. Analysis of simulated and real life situations will include the creation of professional documents and various functions of written, oral, and interpersonal communications.

CLO 499 Responsibility for the Future

Seniors with various majors will share learning and approaches from their different disciplines toward dealing holistically with issues that shape the future, seeking to integrate disciplines and to synthesize knowing, caring, and doing.

CAPS 494 Senior Capstone

Learners will be required to develop a portfolio project that demonstrates their knowledge, skills, and abilities in their major discipline. Particular attention will be given to the presentation of evidence and artifacts from their major courses as well as recent research relevant to their specific program outcomes. The purpose of the final portfolio project is to document learner achievement and to ensure learning outcomes are met.

All classes are 3 credit hours unless otherwise indicated.

Admission Requirements

Entering students must have earned at least 30 college credits from previous college coursework or ACE evaluated military training, a GPA of 2.0, and have three years of work experience. Transfer hours accepted for Professional Studies admittance should include English Composition I and II, and mathematics (college algebra preferred). These courses may be considered in transfer or completed at Southwestern College.

Contact a program representative to evaluate your options.

Graduation Requirements

A total of 124 credit hours must be earned to graduate. You must have at least 60 credit hours from a four-year university or college and at least 30 hours from Southwestern College (does not include prior learning experience credits). Of the 30 hours required from Southwestern, 15 of the last 30 hours earned toward your degree must be at Southwestern College. Contact your Academic Success Coach for more information.

Meta

Southwestern College Professional Studies offers a bachelor of science in security management that touches on a wide range of security issues, including homeland security, anti-terrorism, corporate security, and other venues.