Georgian Court University is launching a new Master of Science degree in the rapidly growing field of Homeland Security. GCU will provide students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to succeed in homeland security or advance professionally in public or private organizations as a protective services professional. Georgian Court curriculum includes courses on hostage negotiation, emergency preparedness and response, and the informal and formal money transfer system that funds terrorism. At GCU, you’ll learn from Robert J. Louden, Ph.D., former chief hostage negotiator for the New York City Police Department (NYPD), as well as other internationally known faculty with insight into the global war on terror. Whether you are considering a career in homeland security for the first time or are currently a law enforcement professional looking for new challenges, GCU offers a learning experience you just can’t find anywhere else. Classes are forming now for the Spring 2011 semester. Register now!
Career Opportunities
Featured Mission Areas
The Department of Homeland Security has unique career opportunities that will challenge your mind and reward your skills and talents. As a homeland security employee, you will help secure our borders, airports, seaports, and waterways; research and develop the latest security technologies; respond to natural disasters or terrorists assaults; and analyze intelligence reports.
From general mission support and law enforcement to immigration and travel security and prevention and response, exciting professional growth opportunities exist throughout the field.
Mission Support Careers
Mission support careers involve the following fields: medical, human resources, facilities, budget, procurement, science and technology, training, intelligence, planning and coordination, detection, civil rights, fraud detection, and more.
Law Enforcement Careers
Law enforcement careers offer positions protecting the president, vice president, their families, heads of state, and other designated individuals; securing the nation’s borders; interagency law enforcement training; and enforcing economic, transportation, and infrastructure security. Employment opportunities include:
Immigration and Travel Security Careers
Immigration and travel security careers involve protecting the nation’s transportation systems, as well as overseeing lawful immigration to the United States. Employment opportunities include:
Prevention and Response Careers
Prevention and response careers protect the public, environment, and U.S. economic and security interests in any maritime region, as well as provide preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation to reduce loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards are what these careers are all about. Employment opportunities include:
Internationally Known Faculty
Robert J. Louden, Ph.D.
Professor of Criminal Justice & Homeland Security/Program Director
Dr. Robert J. Louden accepted his appointment as professor and program director at GCU in September 2005. Immediately prior to joining the GCU faculty, he was a professor in the Department of Public Management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in criminal justice and in protection management. He also served as the director of the Criminal Justice Center and Security Management Institute at John Jay. Dr. Louden is retired from the NYPD; his last assignment was as the detective lieutenant in charge of the department's renowned Hostage Negotiation Team. Among the 400+ incidents in which he was involved, he negotiated inside three foreign missions to the United Nations in New York City.
Dr. Louden has traveled throughout the United States and internationally to present at academic conferences, conduct training, and engage in research and public policy reviews. He has appeared on network, local, and cable television; radio; and has been quoted in local and national news publications.
As program director, Dr. Louden serves as an academic advisor for criminal justice and homeland security students and coordinates the activities of the criminal justice and homeland security faculty. He teaches a variety of criminal justice and homeland security courses in the classroom and online. His research interests include terrorism and hostage negotiation; the role of religion; and the intersection of criminal justice and emergency management.
Divya Sharma, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security
Divya Sharma holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Panjab University in India. Her thesis research involved extensive fieldwork in Nairobi. She has a master's degree in sociology (Panjab University), and a second master's degree in criminal justice (Temple University, Philadelphia). She has also completed coursework toward a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice (Temple University). From 2003 to 2004, she worked as an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Temple. From Fall 2004 to 2009, she worked at Utica College, where she served as chair of the criminal justice program from 2008 to 2009 and received tenure in the spring of 2009. During the 2009-2010 academic year, Dr. Sharma served as a visiting associate professor of criminal justice at the State University of New York Institute of Technology. She joined Georgian Court University in Fall 2010. Her teaching and research interests include informal banking systems, terrorism funding, economic and white collar crimes, and immigration and cultural identity
