The Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in Civil Security Leadership, Management and Policy (CSLMP) program is one of the first of its kind in the world. This is a scholar-practitioner degree, with a strong research component that is ultimately demonstrated by a successful doctoral -level dissertation.

Since 2009, NJCU has been a National Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) by the National Security Agency (NSA). NSA’s CAE designations are considered reciprocal with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – authorizing various research projects, grants and scholarships for security professionals that are participating in the D.Sc. program. In 2019, the NJCU Professional Security Studies program became a part of a selection of schools in the country to be designated as a center of academic excellence (CAE) in both cybersecurity and intelligence. The program is based on the scholar-practitioner structure of this degree, which consists of all full-time and adjunct professors holding appropriate doctoral degrees, professional certification(s) and over 25 years of professional security experience.

The D.Sc. program also draws on research to develop best practices and improve policies in various areas of civil security, including but not limited to national security and defense, homeland security, public safety, corporate security, cyber security, and global security. Completion of this degree prepares students to assume executive-level responsibilities within government, business, or nonprofit. This terminal degree also prepares students to become post-secondary teachers in the professional security field at institutions of higher education that require or expect graduation from an accredited doctoral program.

Students in the LC may experience critical life-events (medical, family, work, etc.) In such cases, the impacted doctoral student may ask for a leave of absence. Students can be reinstated only at the same point in a subsequent LC.

Program Structure: 

Duration: Three-year program, 16 courses, 48 credits in total.

Application Deadline:  Complete applications must be received by May 15 (Classes start in July).

This is a cohort-based program.
Each year, new students enter the program in July as a Learning Community (LC). Members of each LC take the same courses each semester throughout the degree completion period. The program combines a mandatory in-person residency format with asynchronous distance-learning.

Mandatory in-person residencies:

• July (2 weeks) – Main Campus Jersey City Residency for two weeks
• September – Main Campus Jersey City Residency for one weekend
• October – Main Campus Jersey City Residency for one weekend  
• January – Main Campus Jersey City Residency for one weekend
• March – Main Campus Jersey City Residency for one weekend

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the Doctor of Science in CSLMP program, applicants must:

1. Have completed a master’s degree conferred by an accredited institution.
2. Have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher during graduate study.
3. Have a minimum of four years of relevant work experience in Security within any of the civil security areas, including but not limited to national security and defense, homeland security, public safety, corporate security, cyber security, and global security.
4. Demonstrate, through a 1,000-word essay, a strong interest in conducting research h on a specific real-world security issue/problem/trending topic.
5. International Students; Meet English language proficiency requirements (TOEFL).

Policies and Procedures for Doctoral Students

Students are required to follow the policies and procedures outlined in the Handbook for Doctoral Programs, posted on the Academic Affairs Web site at https://issuu.com/njcu/docs/2020_doctoral_handbook_online

All courses are completed with pre-on-campus session readings (books and course materials are mailed to students, six weeks prior to the start of classes), rigorous academic research, extensive class participation, student presentations and final research projects.

Comprehensive Examination           (No Credits)

All doctoral students must successfully pass the comprehensive examination before moving on to candidacy for the Doctor of Science degree.  The exams will be placed on the transcript and will be graded - Pass or Fail. Each candidate will have two opportunities to receive a grade of Pass.  Those students that fail will be academically dropped from the program.

Emergent Path Candidate

Students in the LC may experience critical life-events (medical, family, work, etc.). In such cases, the impacted doctoral student may ask for a leave of absence and can be reinstated at the same appropriate point of a subsequent LC, once all is resolved. Candidates are thereby re-introduced into the program to assist with potential attrition that would otherwise occur in traditional doctoral programs.

Dissertation (18 credits)

All doctoral students are expected to complete an original dissertation, in collaboration with their assigned mentor and dissertation committee. Exceptions to the scheduled three-year cycle are anticipated only for those instances that are consistent with New Jersey City University's policies on absences. Under circumstances where candidates do not meet the three-year cycle for the Doctor of Science degree, the candidates are then required to complete this dissertation within seven years of the initial coursework. Candidates failing to complete their dissertation within the scheduled three-year cycle of their assigned learning community are required to repeat separately SECU 970 until completion and this is referred to as matriculated status. Failure to maintain matriculated status will result in termination from the program. SECU 970 Maintenance of Matriculation for Doctorate in Civil Security Leadership, Management and Policy (Repeatable until seven-year degree time limit)

The following courses comprise the dissertation component of the Doctor of Science Degree:

Primary Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Civil Security Leadership, Management and Policy Doctoral program, students will be able to:

1. Use the skills of applied research to conduct original research and analysis on contemporary national security issues (Research).
2. Understand the importance of developing sound policy measures within governmental, non-governmental and private sector organizations in a developing a national security strategy (Policy).
3. Apply scholarly research to develop and implement executive level communication plans in strategic communication, crisis communication, and media relations (Communication).
4. Identify seamless integration strategies proactive critical incident planning and response, that will incorporate the best practices regarding national, corporate, and cyber security in an urban setting (Emergency Management).
5. Demonstrate the capacity to use quantitative and qualitative analysis with the integration of current research and data involved in national security initiative (Data Analysis).

Policies and Procedures for Doctoral Students

Students are required to follow the policies and procedures outlined in the Handbook for Doctoral Programs, posted on the Academic Affairs Web site at https://issuu.com/njcu/docs/2020_doctoral_handbook_online