MS in Security Management

Develops and integrates theory and principles common to the design and implementation of systems--broadly defined--for the protection of people and property in public, commercial and residential settings from loss associated with fire, casualty, disruption and crime. Reviews and integrates the historical, theoretical, managerial, and technological bases for the fields associated with protection management: security managementand fire protection management. Reviews security design issues and technologies applicable to structural and nonstructural environments. Examines alternative roles and structures for protection management in public, private, and independent sector organizations, and their relationships to law enforcement organizations.

Course discusses how public policing functions are being “privatized” on a national and global scale. Course delivers specific instruction on how private security partners, develop and execute effective collaboration with the public police sector. Course also provides specific guidance on how private security professionals identify potential markets for privatized services, how those services are contracted and are assessed under traditional cost-benefit analysis. The course also deals with marketing challenges for private security entities and the various career tracks that have emerged from the privatization movement.

The course delves into the legal ramifications and issues commonly witnessed in private security practice. The course weighs and scrutinizes the rules, regulations, and administrative legalities relevant to the typical roles and functions of private security Course examine how state and local authorities regulate the industry. Course evaluates relevant case law and authorities that set out the parameters of constitutional applicability. How the private security industry becomes liable for conduct in tort law, strict liability and other civil harms is also covered and with special emphasis on how the private security industry becomes legally entangled with public police agencies.

A broad overview of the concept of threat and risk is first provided in the course approach with a special emphasis on how the private security industry plays a critical role in the control and maintenance thereof. Next, the course targets specified Critical Infrastructure in light of risk and threat by cataloguing and defining specific targets. The class introduces the concept of CI as an industrial and enterprise risk conductor, highlighting the reality that a CI failure can propagate a crisis with cascading repercussions to other CI sectors and the entire economic ecosystem. The course then considers the new global forces behind threats and hazards facing the public and private sectors. What is needed to better cultivate, design, develop, and operate emerging management and preparedness thinking in the current environment is explored.

Surveys analytical tools of particular value to protection managers. Covers the use of computer programs to reveal basic descriptive statistics, trends and correlations in databases, including threats to the validity and reliability of findings. Examines the adaptation of methods from related disciplines, including operations research, surveys, systems safety and simple financial analyses.

Examines organizational structure using formal, informal, and systems models. Applies the models to the analysis of organizational processes and operations including decision making, communication, leadership, control, and change. Considers how size, technology, task, and other structural characteristics affect overall organizational performance.

Reviews concepts, processes and techniques of budget plarming, preparation, presentation, authorization, administration and control. Focuses on problems associated with the management of capital budgets.

An examination of the purpose, origin and enforcement of building codes in various sections of our country. Zoning regulations, appeal procedures, and local laws applicable to building codes and their impact on fire protection will be reviewed. This course is intended to enable a manager in a state or municipal agency to understand the process of code development and enforcement as well as estimate the cost and time required to develop, implement and enforce a building code. For those in the private sector, the course will provide an understanding of the background and purpose of codes necessary in the planning, construction, and management of commercial and industrial properties.

Examines the theory and practice of strategic and operational planning for emergency response. Reviews the principles associated with evaluation of risk and the formulation of prevention programs. Identifies the issues and policy responses necessary to achieve coordination of agencies and collaboration with appropriate private resources. Cases and scenarios will be examined to apply these concepts in practice.

Introduces the theory and design of fire protection systems in buildings, including systems that enable automatic fire suppression, the containment of fire and smoke, and the notification and movement of people to safe locations. Examines the interaction between such systems and building codes and construction technologies.

Course analyzes the interconnectedness of private security and homeland defense. Students study the interactions, conflicts and synergy between private sector security and government homeland security. Students review and analyze threats to private infrastructure and interests, as well planning for and responding to emergencies that affect the private and public sectors. Goal of the course is to provide students with homeland defense and anti-terrorism knowledge to evaluate and mitigate vulnerabilities and risks in the private sector.

Reviews the concepts and technologies associated with building systems, the requirements imposed on designs and systems by national, regional and local building codes. Introduces the principal technologies associated with alarm, detection and communication systems, and their applications to promote security and safety in buildings, and reviews the elements of operations plans to implement and maintain such Systems.

Examines the theory, research literature and professional practice associated with the design and implementation of security procedures, programs and systems. Reviews methods and techniques associated with communication and surveillance, supervision and control of movement, and operational surveillance and supervision of environments. Emphasizes the development of plans and operational programs based on the comprehensive assessment of risk, including the design of operational procedures and appropriate training of staff. Examines law enforcement implications of security systems.

Examines contemporary security risks and explores theoretical, technological and operational responses in public, commercial and residential settings. Emphasizes current research from situational crime prevention. Analyzes cases from a perspective that integrates security management with related managerial operations. Students will develop skills in risk assessment and problem identification, and in the formulation and analysis of appropriate responses.

Introduces the theory of business continuity planning; the course will discuss the development of plans and their essential components. Emphasis is on identification and implementation of the appropriate recovery organization, goals, objectives and strategies in the organizational environment. The course will include exercises on the development of business continuity plans, case studies of successful plans and coordination of plans with local government response organizations. Software resources will be considered to plan and manage the continuity process.

Introduces the theory and practice of risk management, as applied to the security and safety of persons and property. Examines the management of risk associated with a range of conditions and events including fire, building systems, crime and terrorism, security deficiencies, worker safety, hazardous and toxic materials, disasters and emergencies. Considers analytical software applications in the risk analysis process.

Explores the management of major one-time tasks-a special event, emergency response and large scale investigation of study. Examines the special managerial tools and studies as well as the challenges that apply to managing one-time assignments, particularly where teams are involved.