Academics

Academic Requirements   Concentrations   Class Time

Faculty   Full-time vs. Part-time   Joint Degrees   Languages

 

Academic Requirements

To earn the Master of Arts in Security Studies students must:

  • Complete thirty-six graduate credits (traditionally 12 classes of three credits each) in courses approved in advance by the SSP
  • Maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0
  • Fulfill core course, concentration, and distributional requirements 
  • Pass the comprehensive examination.

There is no language proficiency requirement for the SSP.

More information on specific course requirements and the course of study can be found here.


Concentrations

Students must choose one of the following academic concentrations:

  • Homeland Security
  • Intelligence
  • International Security
  • Military Operations
  • Science and Technology
  • Terrorism and Substate Violence
  • Unconventional Weapons and Non-Proliferation
  • U.S. National Security Policy

Additional information on each concentration can be found here.

Full-time versus Part-time

SSP students have the option of enrolling in the SSP either as full-time or part time students. Students are able to change from full-time status to part-time status on a semester by semester basis depending on their professional obligations. All students are expected to complete the SSP in at most 3 years from their matriculation.

Full-time
Students completing the program full-time are expected to enroll in 3 or 4 courses each semester. Typically, full-time students complete the SSP in 3 semesters.

Part-time
Students completeing the program on a part-time basis are expected to enroll in a minimum of 2 courses each semester. Part-time students are given up to 3 years to complete the program.
 

Faculty

SSP faculty members are the nation's leading scholars and analysts in domestic and international security affairs. They have many years of distinguished service consulting, shaping, and implementing security policy and thus enrich classroom instruction with practical experience. A complete list of the SSP faculty members can be found here.


When are classes held?

The SSP offers its classes at either 4:15 or 6:15 to accomodate our working students. Classes meet once a week. A list of current course offerings can be found here.

The SSP offers some classes over the summer.

All classes are held on Georgetown's campus in Washington, DC. The SSP does not offer any online courses or distance learning opportunities.


Joint Degree Programs

Two joint degree programs are offered in addition to the Master of Arts in Security Studies: 

  • M.A./Ph.D. program with the Department of Government

  • M.A./J.D. program with the Georgetown University Law Center

Both joint degrees are structured so that students can complete the course requirements for both programs in an accelerated fashion, saving students up to one year of course work compared to students who pursue the two degrees sequentially.  Joint degree students may also take advantage of opportunities provided by both programs such as access to financial aid, teaching fellowships, and alumni networks.

Please note the application and admissions processes for the M.A./Ph.D. and M.A./J.D.  programs handled separately; that is, there is no collaboration between the SSP and the Department of Governmen and the Law Center, respectively.  Applicants are required to follow application procedures for each program.

While joint degree applicants normally submit both applications in advance of initiating their studies at Georgetown, SSP candidates who become interested in these options during the first year of study are eligible to apply at the end of their first semester.

M.A./Ph.D.

Students accepted to the M.A./Ph.D. program must also attain proficiency in relevant languages and research methodologies and successfully complete and defend a dissertation to be awarded the Ph.D.

Students can only be admitted to the joint program in the Fall semester and must submit two separate and complete applications: one to the SSP and one to the Department of Government.  Admissions processes and decisions for the SSP and the Department of Government are made independent of one another. 

Admission to the joint degree program is conditional upon acceptance to both programs.  Admitted students are required to attend on a full-time basis.  Specific degree requirements vary by department.  Please refer to the SSP student handbook and the Department of Government's website for additional information.

M.A./J.D.

Students in the M.A./J.D. program spend their first year on the Main Campus completing the bulk of the requirements for the M.A. portion of their graduate study.  The next three years are spent primarily at the Georgetown University Law Center.  Students are required to take at least six hours of coursework on International Law, and are encouraged to draw heavily from course offerings on the use of force, humanitarian law, conflict resolution, and other relevant topics.

To apply for the joint M.A./J.D. program, students must apply independently to both the SSP and the Law Center and meet  admissions requirements for both. 
 

Language Study

The SSP has no language requirement.

Students interested in continuing or beginning language study may take beginning and intermediate language classes through Georgetown College. All classes must be taken pass/fail. Students who withdraw from or fail the course must reimburse the University for the course.

The Language Department offers the following languages:

Hebrew, Turkish, Persian, Arabic, Latin, Ancient Greek, Modern Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Ukranian, Spanish and Portuguese.