The number of both undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Safety, Health and Environmental (SH&E) has enjoyed strong growth for the past 30 years as evidenced by the growth in the number of academic degree programs. ASSE reports the number of academic programs in SH&E to be approximately 200. As an academic discipline, in contrast, homeland security (HS) is relatively new, with the "older" programs now in their fifth or sixth years. In 2006 the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, housed in the Naval Post Graduate School, reported approximately 22 academic programs in HS at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Today that count is reportedly in excess of 300 programs nationwide (CHDS, 2011). Such growth indicates that students and universities seem to be increasingly interested in developing and supporting academic HS programs.
Both programs share many interesting traits and characteristics such as: both are broad field applied social sciences; both utilize principles and concepts of risk management as the core of their intellectual underpinnings to detect and deter and to mitigate wherever possible; effectiveness for both is centered on continuous quality improvement processes; both are interested in public health and pandemic planning as well as emergency management; both are interested chemical process safety management, etc.
Based on the authors' recent experience in designing and implementing an outcomes-based undergraduate degree program, and 15 years experience in designing accreditation criteria in safety, this presentation will discuss the nature of homeland security as a growing academic enterprise; the outcomes that currently define most HS programs; and how safety academics may construct dual (or joint) degree program options that leverage the intellectual crossovers that exist between the two fields. and thereby positively impact enrollments, job and internship possibilities for students, and funding and research possibilities for faculty. Online delivery options for the joint program will also be explored.