National Security and Public Safety

Director: William L. Tafoya, Ph.D., University of Maryland

The National Security and Public Safety program is the result of the collaborative efforts of the Criminal Justice and Political Science departments at the University of New Haven. The program is administered by the Dean’s Office of the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences and operates at our main campus in West Haven, Connecticut, as well as being hosted by Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Students applying to the program should designate the campus to which they are applying. Only employees of Sandia are eligible to matriculate at that campus.

This program provides students with an understanding of the fundamental principles of National Security. This includes the legal charter, presidential executive orders, and the framework that guides the operation of national security agencies.

Specifically, the role and function of the U.S. agencies that make up the intelligence community are analyzed, emphasizing information protection and security.

The concentration in information protection and Security provides a unique approach to the study of both cybersecurity and the protection of information systems within the intelligence community. Research issues in public safety, emergency management, and homeland security are emphasized.

Finally, corporate security and its new relationship to the role of homeland and national security compose a rich element of research inquiry.