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MCCC Introduces Homeland Security Concentration, Certificate of Completion

Retired FBI agents, homeland security experts teach courses

Chosen by the Transportation Security Administration because of its reputation and curriculum, Montgomery County Community College has begun offering a homeland security concentration both at the Blue Bell site and at Philadelphia International Airport.

The college is one of 32 institutions to offer the curriculum nationwide.

“MCCC was selected by TSA on the strength of our existing programs in criminal justice studies and emergency management and planning and on the basis of our general reputation,” said Benn Prybutok, MCCC director, criminal justice studies, fire science, and emergency management and planning, in an e-mail.

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TSA required that the academic for-credit courses - "Introduction to homeland security," "Intelligence analysis and security management" and "Transportation and border security" — lead to recognized degree programs and be transferrable to other colleges and universities. Upon completion of all three courses, TSA employees will earn TSA’s own internal “Certificate of Achievement” Prybutok said.

In addition to offering the courses to TSA employees, MCCC is also providing a 12-credit certificate of completion for three TSA courses, plus the long-running MCCC "Terrorism and counterterrorism" course. 

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Prybutok said a proposal is before the board of trustees’ curriculum committee to enable criminal justice majors and emergency management and planning majors to declare and complete a formal concentration in homeland security within their programs. Criminal justice majors may also be required to take a fifth course, "Organized crime," in order to complete the concentration.

About 15 MCCC students, mostly criminal justice and emergency management majors, are enrolled in the "Intro to Homeland Security" course, offered for the first time this semester at Blue Bell, Prybutok said. The "Terrorism and Counterterrorism" course has 30 students enrolled.  The courses will be offered again in the fall, and the "Intelligence Analysis" course will be introduced in Blue Bell at that time, he said.  About 80 TSA students, mostly transportation safety officers, are enrolled in the program at Philadelphia International Airport.

“The faculty who teach these courses have specialized backgrounds and experience,” Prybutok said. “They include retired senior FBI and customs agents, homeland security experts and individuals with extensive investigative research and intelligence backgrounds.”

Students who complete the concentration may transfer to a baccalaureate degree in homeland security studies, or look for employment in emergency management, transportation and border security, immigration and customs enforcement, criminal and homeland security intelligence collection and analysis and homeland security investigation, according to an MCCC press release.

While the homeland security offerings are new, the college has a long-standing reputation for excellence in criminal justice studies, emergency management and planning and fire science, Prybutok said. The National Partnership for Careers in Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security designated the college a “Center of Excellence” in 2008.

“Our terrorism and counterterrorism course and our organized crime course have been running regularly for more than nine years,” he said. The college has for many years operated a state-certified Act 120 municipal police training academy and helps to administer the county’s fire academy, both in Conshohocken.    

For more information about the homeland security, criminal justice, or emergency management and planning degree programs, visit www.mc3.edu, or contact the program director at 215-641-6428.

 

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