Since the fall of the Soviet Union, it was widely recognized within the Intelligence Community that international terrorism posed a threat to United States (U.S.) national security. Since the Reagan administration, terrorism had been the subject of numerous presidential and Defense Department directives as well as executive orders. The State Department, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), as well as Congressional bodies, that include the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Congressional Research Service, wrote numerous reports prior to the attacks on September 11, 2001, that focused on terrorist groups and terrorist acts. Even the General Accounting Office (GAO), had produced several dozen reports evaluating the U.S. government's preparedness and ability to prevent or mitigate terrorist attacks. However, during that time-period prior to September 11, 2001, the threat of terrorism was not the center of attention for any administration. That was to change.
After the attacks of September 11, 2001, terrorism was the centerpiece of the United States' global strategy. As the new centerpiece of U.S. global strategy, additional government funding went towards terrorism studies, to provide increased training to personnel within the military and intelligence community to combat this threat. With the subsequent increase in government funding, there has been explosion of terrorism studies in academia, think tanks, and federal institutions. Universities in the United States, such as Georgetown University, University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, and George Washington University began developing robust terrorism studies curriculums in response to the surge in government spending in this area. This focus on terrorism studies is, at times, a delineating factor for individuals within, and seeking entry into, the national security community, as completion of one of these programs differentiates those individuals from individuals lacking a focused education in this area. Individuals that have completed a terrorism studies curriculum are able to market themselves as individuals with superior preparation, in comparison to those lacking completion of a terrorism studies curriculum, in being able to, at the onset, aid their agency in its effort to combat the threat of terrorism.
Market interest, coupled with an increase of government funding, has sparked the creation of new terrorism courses and curriculum at not only traditional U.S. 'brick and mortar' universities, but at institutions offering online terrorism studies courses. These institutions include training centers and for-profit universities whose online terrorism studies programs culminate in certificates, and bachelor, master, and even doctorate degrees. Degree programs are in many cases nationally accredited by institutions such as the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), and in some cases, regionally accredited. Furthermore, the growth of online terrorism studies has led to creation of additional opportunities for individuals within, and seeking entry into the national security community, offering the flexibility to persons who are either deployed, working full-time, or who do not have access to a traditional 'brick and mortar' university. Individuals with degrees in terrorism studies from accredited online or traditional schools stand out among their peers from those who do not have the same or similar educational background.
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Dan Sommer works for Henley-Putnam University, a leading educational institution in the field of Strategic Security. For more info on Henley-Putnam University, online terrorism studies, terrorism studies, call 888-852-8746 or visit us online at http://www.Henley-Putnam.edu
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