Since September 11, 2001, national security issues have become an increasingly salient aspect of our daily lives. The Undergraduate National Security Studies Certificate offers a means for better understanding this important subject in the 21st century and provides the necessary skillsets for students interested in national security-related careers. This certificate is an excellent complement to many undergraduate disciplines. It may be awarded to degree-seeking students with a bachelor's degree who complete the requirements.
The Course Catalog contains the FIU courses which count towards credit for the Undergraduate Certificate. Please check the FIU Public Class Search to verify which classes are offered during a specific semester. Students may submit other classes for approval by email to jgitalentdev@fiu.edu
- Program Requirements
A total of 18 credit hours of undergraduate course work with a grade of "C" or higher. Courses must come from the approved certificate course listing or be approved by the certificate advisor. Courses may include those in the student’s departmental major but must also be selected from at least two disciplines outside the student’s departmental major. With the approval of the Director, courses other than those listed herein may be substituted on a case-by-case basis.
A two-course introductory language sequence at FIU with a grade of "C" or higher. Exemption from this requirement may be obtained through a proficiency examination administered by the FIU Department of Modern Languages. Language courses may not be counted toward the fulfillment of requirement #1 above.
Note: Intermediate-high on the ACTFL exam (1-plus on the US government scale) can normally be attained by students with two undergraduate semesters of basic language instruction and at least one undergraduate semester of intermediate (3000/4000) instruction. Attainment of the required language proficiency is the responsibility of the student, and extra courses to achieve the required proficiency level must be taken outside the UCNSS curriculum.
- Certificate Skill Requirement (3 Credit Hours)
Certificate Students must complete at least 1 of the following courses with a minimum grade of a C or higher.
- POS 4784 - Analytic Writing in Political Science
- ISS 4385 - Effective Governmental Communication
- INR 3134 - Writing for Intelligence and National Security
- Certificate Core Requirements (6 Credit Hours)
Certificate students must complete at least 2 of the following courses with a minimum grade of a C or higher.
Core Requirement Part I: Research Methodology (3 Credit Hours)
- ISS 4364 - Introduction to Structured Analytic Methods
- GIS 3048 - Applications of Geographic Information Systems
- SYA 3300 - Research Methods
- CCJ 4700 - Research Methods and Analysis
Core Requirement Part II: Foreign Policy (3 Credit Hours)
- ISS 3222 - Special Topics in Foreign Policy
- INR 3061 - Conflict, Security and Peace Studies in INR
- INR 3081 - Contemporary International Problems
- INR 3102 - American Foreign Policy
- INR 3303 - Foreign Policymaking
- Certificate National Security Studies Requirement (3 Credit Hours)
Certificate Students must complete at least 1 of the following courses with a minimum grade of a C or higher.
- ISS 3130 - Fundamentals of National Security
- INR 3133 - Intelligence and National Security
- Certificate Elective Requirements (6 Credit Hours)
Certificate students must complete at least 2 of the following courses with a minimum grade of a C or higher. Students need to ONLY take 2 of the courses below to satisfy the certificate requirement.
Business, Finance & Management Eligible Certificate Elective Courses
- FIN 4651 - Latin American Financial Markets and Institutions
- MAN 4660 - Business in Latin America
- MAN 4930 - Special Topics in Management
- MAN 4613 - International Risk Assessment
- MAN 4702 - Emergency and Disaster Management
- MAN 4930 - Special Topics in Management
- TRA 4721 - Global Logistics
Criminal Justice Eligible Certificate Elective Courses
- CJE 3110 - Policing in Society
- CCJ 4641 - Organized Crime
- DSC 4012 - Terrorism and Homeland Security
- CJE 4174 - Comparative Criminal Justice Systems
- CJL 4064 - Criminal Justice and the Constitution
Economics Eligible Certificate Elective Courses
- ECO 3203 - Intermediate Macroeconomics
- ECO 4400 - Economics of Strategy and Information
- ECP 3123 - Economics of Poverty
- ECS 3013 - Introduction to Economic Development
- ECS 3200 - Economics of Asia
- ECS 3402 - The Political Economy of South America
- ECS 3403 - Economics of Latin America
- ECS 3704 - International Economics
- ECS 4011 - Development Economics I
- ECS 4014 - Development Economics II
- ECO 4701 - World Economy
- ECO 4703 - International Trade Theory and Policy
Global and Sociocultural Studies Eligible Certificate Elective Courses
- GEO 3001 - Geographies of Global Change
- GIS 3048 - Applications of Geographic Information Systems
- GEO 3421 - Cultural Geography
- GEO 3471 - Political Geography
- GEO 3502 - Economic Geography
- GEA 3212 - People, Place, and Environment of North America
- GEA 3320 - People, Place, and Environment of the Caribbean
- GEA 3400 - People, Place, and Environment of Latin America
- GEA 3500 - People, Place, and Environment of Europe
- GEA 3554 - People, Place, and Environment of Russia and Central Eurasia
- GEA 3635 - People, Place, and Environment of the Middle East
History Eligible Certificate Elective Courses
- AFH 4100 - History of Africa I
- AFH 4200 - History of Africa II
- AFH 4450 - History of South Africa
- AMH 4170 - Civil War and Reconstruction
- AMH 3270 - Contemporary U.S. History
- AMH 4375 - Technology and American Society
- AMH 4540 - US Military History from the Colonial Era to the Present
- AMH 4544 - The United States and the Vietnam War
- AMH 4930 - Topics in U.S. History
- ASH 3440 - History of Japan
- ASH 4300 - East Asian Civilization and Culture
- ASH 4384 - History of Women in Asia
- ASH 4404 - History of China
- EUH 2030 - Western Civilization: Europe in the Modern Era
- EUH 3282 - European History, 1945 to Present
- EUH 3570 - Russian History
- EUH 3576 - The Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union
- EUH 4033 - Nazism and the Holocaust
- EUH 4286 - Topics in European History
- EUH 4462 - History of Modern Germany, 1815-1945
- HIS 3308 - War and Society
- LAH 3132 - The Formation of Latin America
- LAH 3200 - Latin America: The National Period
- LAH 3718 - History of U.S.-Latin American Relations
- LAH 4932 - Topics in Latin American History
- WOH 3281 - Jewish History to 1750
Politics and International Relations Eligible Certificate Elective Courses
- CPO 3055 - Authoritarians and Democrats
- CPO 3204 - African Politics
- CPO 3304 - Politics of Latin America
- CPO 3403 - Politics of the Middle East
- CPO 3502 - Politics of the Far East
- CPO 3643 - Russian Politics
- CPO 4034 - The Politics of Development and Underdevelopment
- CPO 4053 - Political Repression and Human Rights
- CPO 4057 - Political Violence and Revolution
- CPO 4303 - Politics of South America
- CPO 4323 - Politics of the Caribbean
- CPO 4333 - Politics of Central America
- CPO 4340 - Politics of Mexico
- CPO 4360 - Cuban Politics
- CPO 4401 - The Arab – Israeli Conflict
- CPO 4614 - Politics of Eastern Europe
- CPO 4541 - Politics of China
- CPO 4725 - Comparative Genocide
- CPO 4726 - Ethnicity and Nationalism
- INR 3214 - International Relations of Europe
- INR 3223 - Japan and the United States
- INR 3224 - International Relations of East Asia
- INR 3226 - International Relations of Central Asia and the Caucasus
- INR 3243 - International Relations of Latin America
- INR 3246 - International Relations of the Caribbean
- INR 3252 - International Relations of North Africa
- INR 3253 - International Relations of Sub-Saharan Africa
- INR 3262 - International Relations of Russia and the Former USSR
- INR 3274 - International Relations of the Middle East
- INR 3331 - European Foreign and Security Policy
- INR 3403 - International Law
- INR 3502 - International Organizations
- INR 4075 - International Protection of Human Rights
- INR 4077 - Gender Equality and Human Rights in Global Perspectives
- INR 4082 - Islam in International Relations
- INR 4084 - Ethnicity in World Politics
- INR 4085 - Gender Hierarchies in International Relations
- INR 4091 - Ethical Problems in International Relations
- INR 4232 - International Relations of China
- INR 4204 - Comparative Foreign Policy
- INR 4273 - The International Relations of Iran and the Persian Gulf
- INR 4411 - International Humanitarian Law
Religious Studies Eligible Certificate Elective Courses
- ASN 4510 - Dynamics of Asia
- ASN 5315 - Topics in Modern Asia
- REL 3148 - Religion and Violence
- REL 3170 - Ethics in World Religion
- REL 3308 - Studies in World Religions
- REL 3310 - Introduction to Asian Religions
- REL 3367 - Islamic Faith and Society
- REL 3443 - Liberation Theology
- REL 3672 - Religion and Society in Israel/Palestine
- REL 4351 - Religion and Japanese Culture
- REL 4370 - African Religions
Forensics Eligible Certificate Elective Courses
- CHS 3501 - Survey of Forensic Science
- CHS 4503C - Forensic Science
Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Eligible Certificate Elective Courses
- ISS 3280 - Canadian Government, Politics and Policy
- ISS 3940 - Interdisciplinary Social Sciences - Public Policy Internship
- ISS 3214 - Fundamentals of Globalization
- ISS 4930 - Topics in Globalization
Global and Sociocultural Studies Eligible Certificate Elective Courses
- ANT 3212 - World Ethnographies
- ANT 3451 - Anthropology of Race and Ethnicity
- ANT 4332 - Latin America
- ANT 4340 - Caribbean Cultures
- ANT 4352 - African Peoples and Cultures
- ANT 4343 - Cuban Culture and Society
- ANT 4477 - Area Studies
- SYD 4237 - Immigration and Refugees
- SYD 4630 - Latin American and Caribbean Societies
- SYO4300 - Political Sociology
- SYO 4530 - Social Inequalities
- SYP 3300 - Social Movements and Collective Action
- SYP 3456 - Societies in the World
- SYP 3520 - Crime & Society