In the past two decades, the number of institutions of higher education offering degrees in homeland security has increased exponentially. This rapid growth, brought on by external factors, has led to some discussion about the ability of programs to address the needs of the field. This article is an overview of the state of higher education (college and technical school) programs in the fields of homeland security and emergency management. The authors look at the rapid growth of these programs in the U. S. system, explain the state of a lack of shared learning outcomes and standards in the field and describe the evolution of these issues, and conclude by offering some criteria and guidelines based on recent studies and organizational needs for such programs.
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