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Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
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2026-2027

Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

 
Program description

The L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs is a creative, interdisciplinary grouping of programs in the social sciences and professional arenas that provides students with the knowledge, skills and experience necessary for success in public service. The Wilder School brings together faculty from multiple disciplines that share a common interest in public affairs.


Emergency preparedness has always been a critical aspect of governmental policy at the federal, state and local levels. Response to natural disasters — floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, outbreak of infectious disease — requires predisaster planning, mid-disaster operations and postdisaster reconstruction that can only be carried out successfully through a partnership between all levels of government and between the public sector, private sector and civil society. The program in homeland security and emergency preparedness recognizes this dual nature and is designed to give students both theoretical and practical knowledge that will prepare them for the following:


  1. Private- or public-sector employment in the expanding area of homeland security as it relates specifically to international and domestic security, as well as emergency preparedness for both security and nonsecurity-related incidents.
  2. Further study in government, international affairs, law enforcement, policy planning or law.
Career opportunities

Launched as the nation’s first homeland security and emergency preparedness program in 2005, we prepare students to manage the complexities of disaster planning and response.


Alumni often work in private and public-sector jobs related to emergency management, security or crisis planning, or pursue graduate study in fields such as government, international affairs, law enforcement, policy planning and law. Students gain knowledge and skills in emergency planning/management principles and practicalities, the nature and effects of natural disasters, domestic and foreign terrorist threats to the U.S., and ethical and constitutional issues related to terrorist prevention tactics.

Change of major requirements

Students must first attend a mandatory meeting/advising appointment with a Wilder School advisor to discuss remaining requirements, time to graduation, and potential future plans. Students may make this appointment by using Navigate, by calling (804) 827-0790, or by emailing wsadvisor@vcu.edu to request a change of major/minor appointment.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Case Officer (CIA)
  • Critical Infrastructure Protection
  • Cyber Security Specialist
  • Defense Contractor
  • Disaster Relief Officer
  • Emergency Planner
  • Emergency Preparedness/Exercise Specialist
  • Federal Law Enforcement (Special Agent)
  • Hazardous Material Manager
  • Intelligence Analyst
  • Military Officer
  • Policy Analyst
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Emergency Management Director
  • Foreign Service Officer
  • Government Agency Administrator
  • Hospital Administrator
Professional associations and resources
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • STAT 208
Science required
  • Natural Sciences requirement only
Foreign language requirements
  • No
Additional tuition/fees
  • No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.0+ cumulative GPA, 2.0+ major GPA
Transfer Maps

Contact information

Department name:
Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
Building/room location:
923 West Franklin Street, Scherer Hall, Richmond, VA 23284
Phone:
(804) 828-2292
Email:
wilderschool@vcu.edu
https://wilder.vcu.edu/programs/homeland-security-and-emergency-preparedness/
Campus (where 75% of courses are taken):
Monroe Park
Major map compass icon
Major map

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Review your Career Works 4 year career planning tool and start working on your milestones.
  • Complete and activate your Handshake profile and opt-in to industry email lists.
  • Consider applying for a federal work-study job on- or off-campus in Handshake.
  • Attend one career event sponsored by Career Services.
  • Seek research opportunities by checking out the Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry webpage.
  • Learn more about potential careers by using Forage in the Navigate 360 app.
  • Apply to be a Division of Student Affairs peer leader.
  • Create a draft resume and meet with a career advisor in VCU Career Services to discuss it.
  • Attend the SOVO fair during Welcome Week and pick one thing to get involved with. 
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Explore What Can I Do With This Major? to learn about career paths, employers, and strategies for building experience related to your field of study.
  • Build a resume and LinkedIn profile with help from VCU Career Services, make at least 10 connections, and check out the VCU alumni career programs page.
  • Access your free credit report and begin making responsible credit choices to prepare for your future.
  • Make a 4-year affordability plan with your financial counselor.
  • Connect with the Student Alumni Council to connect to VCU alumni.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Schedule an appointment with your major advisor to explore minors, certificates, and plan your required REAL experience.
  • Get familiar with the research process with the VCU Libraries Research Basics Guide.
  • Complete STAT 208 to get positioned for academic success in your upper-level major classes.
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Discuss personal and professional interests with faculty.
  • Take a service-learning class to get involved with local organizations while earning credit.
  • Volunteer to address a social issue and check out Hands on Greater Richmond for opportunities.
  • Investigate globally-focused courses in your major by pursuing language coursework or setting language proficiency goals with advisors and faculty and apply for the Critical Languages Scholarship. Register for the VCU Globe Program and begin tracking your global leadership growth!
  • Join or create a club on campus about a particular issue you care about.  
  • Volunteer in the community to address a social issue.
  • Understand how public policy issues affect cultural groups.
  • Attend workshops and forums related to cultural engagement/intercultural dialogue. 
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Complete a gap analysis with your career advisor to identify key skills required for your professional field.
  • Seek out practical experience through independent skill-building, internships, shadowing, or part-time work.
  • Build a professional resume and upload it to Handshake.
  • Attend career and internship fairs and other professional development events.
  • Pursue a digital badge to highlight the knowledge, skills, and experiences employers and graduate schools value.
  • Enroll in service learning coursework within and outside of your major.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Connect with alumni on VCULink for career advice, industry contacts, and meaningful professional relationships.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of professional interest.
  • Ask a faculty or staff member to be your academic and professional mentor and to provide future letters of recommendation.
  • Meet with a coach at the Financial Success Center to set financial goals, understand student loans, and create spending plans.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Meet with your academic and career advisors to discuss graduation progress and career planning.
  • Enhance your business, software, technology, and creative skills using LinkedIn Learning.
  • Enroll in GVPA 391 Preparing for Public Service Careers and start planning your next steps towards your professional goals.
  • Complete HSEP 490 Prerequisites
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Design a community-engaged research project.
  • Attend civic meetings, such as school board, neighborhood association, city council, or state legislative sessions.
  • Make an appointment with the National Scholarship Office to explore post-graduate scholarship and fellowship opportunities.
  • Motivate your peers by presenting at Leaders Unleashed: Student Leadership Conference or at TEDxVCU.
  • Build language proficiency and cultural competence by carrying out your plans for study abroad, internships, and service-learning.
  • Explore new cultures at one of Richmond’s wide array of festivals.
  • Update your resume to include how you have developed your communication and interpersonal skills for future work on multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
  • Participate in VCU Arts Qatar Day and apply for the Qatar Leadership Exchange.
  • Attend a Wellness Resource Center program.
  • Take on a leadership role in a cultural organization.
  • Take relevant elective coursework
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Take advantage of mock interview opportunities through Big Interview or meeting with a career advisor.
  • Update your ePortfolio.
  • Apply for the Graduate School Mentorship Program to learn more about graduate school and the graduate student experience.
  • Consider participating in the Virginia Capitol Semester Internship program.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Make a plan with your academic, career, and faculty advisors for applying to graduate school or land a micro-internship.
  • Have a personal statement or cover letter reviewed by Career Services or the Writing Center.
  • Study for and complete any standardized exams required for graduate school the summer before senior year. 
  • Prepare for job offer negotiation by researching salaries, benefits, and other opportunities for flexibility.
  • Talk to advisors, faculty, and VCU Career Services about graduate school versus a job.
  • Make a list of your skills and prepare to articulate them to employers on a resume and in an interview.    

Excel
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor the semester before you graduate to ensure that all graduation requirements will be met.
  • Apply to graduate for your undergraduate degree.
  • Choose REAL electives to diversify your skillset and round out your degree.
  • Consider utilizing elective space by earning up to 6 credits for an internship by taking GVPA 493 Government & Public Affairs Internship.
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Prepare for graduation by making a plan to complete licensing exams, applications, and self-marketing activities.
  • Single out prospective employers and create a job or graduate school search strategy at least 8 months before graduation.
  • Connect with the Office of VCU Alumni Relations at Grad Fair, Grad Bash, and the VCULink Industry Network or alumni chapter.
  • Fill out VCU’s First Destination Survey.
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2026-2027

Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness

L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Review your Career Works 4 year career planning tool and start working on your milestones.
  • Complete and activate your Handshake profile and opt-in to industry email lists.
  • Consider applying for a federal work-study job on- or off-campus in Handshake.
  • Attend one career event sponsored by Career Services.
  • Seek research opportunities by checking out the Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry webpage.
  • Learn more about potential careers by using Forage in the Navigate 360 app.
  • Apply to be a Division of Student Affairs peer leader.
  • Create a draft resume and meet with a career advisor in VCU Career Services to discuss it.
  • Attend the SOVO fair during Welcome Week and pick one thing to get involved with. 
  • Explore What Can I Do With This Major? to learn about career paths, employers, and strategies for building experience related to your field of study.
  • Build a resume and LinkedIn profile with help from VCU Career Services, make at least 10 connections, and check out the VCU alumni career programs page.
  • Access your free credit report and begin making responsible credit choices to prepare for your future.
  • Make a 4-year affordability plan with your financial counselor.
  • Connect with the Student Alumni Council to connect to VCU alumni.
Experience Year 2
  • Schedule an appointment with your major advisor to explore minors, certificates, and plan your required REAL experience.
  • Get familiar with the research process with the VCU Libraries Research Basics Guide.
  • Complete STAT 208 to get positioned for academic success in your upper-level major classes.
  • Discuss personal and professional interests with faculty.
  • Take a service-learning class to get involved with local organizations while earning credit.
  • Volunteer to address a social issue and check out Hands on Greater Richmond for opportunities.
  • Investigate globally-focused courses in your major by pursuing language coursework or setting language proficiency goals with advisors and faculty and apply for the Critical Languages Scholarship. Register for the VCU Globe Program and begin tracking your global leadership growth!
  • Join or create a club on campus about a particular issue you care about.  
  • Volunteer in the community to address a social issue.
  • Understand how public policy issues affect cultural groups.
  • Attend workshops and forums related to cultural engagement/intercultural dialogue. 
  • Complete a gap analysis with your career advisor to identify key skills required for your professional field.
  • Seek out practical experience through independent skill-building, internships, shadowing, or part-time work.
  • Build a professional resume and upload it to Handshake.
  • Attend career and internship fairs and other professional development events.
  • Pursue a digital badge to highlight the knowledge, skills, and experiences employers and graduate schools value.
  • Enroll in service learning coursework within and outside of your major.
  • Connect with alumni on VCULink for career advice, industry contacts, and meaningful professional relationships.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of professional interest.
  • Ask a faculty or staff member to be your academic and professional mentor and to provide future letters of recommendation.
  • Meet with a coach at the Financial Success Center to set financial goals, understand student loans, and create spending plans.
Year 3
  • Meet with your academic and career advisors to discuss graduation progress and career planning.
  • Enhance your business, software, technology, and creative skills using LinkedIn Learning.
  • Enroll in GVPA 391 Preparing for Public Service Careers and start planning your next steps towards your professional goals.
  • Complete HSEP 490 Prerequisites
  • Design a community-engaged research project.
  • Attend civic meetings, such as school board, neighborhood association, city council, or state legislative sessions.
  • Make an appointment with the National Scholarship Office to explore post-graduate scholarship and fellowship opportunities.
  • Motivate your peers by presenting at Leaders Unleashed: Student Leadership Conference or at TEDxVCU.
  • Build language proficiency and cultural competence by carrying out your plans for study abroad, internships, and service-learning.
  • Explore new cultures at one of Richmond’s wide array of festivals.
  • Update your resume to include how you have developed your communication and interpersonal skills for future work on multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
  • Participate in VCU Arts Qatar Day and apply for the Qatar Leadership Exchange.
  • Attend a Wellness Resource Center program.
  • Take on a leadership role in a cultural organization.
  • Take relevant elective coursework
  • Take advantage of mock interview opportunities through Big Interview or meeting with a career advisor.
  • Update your ePortfolio.
  • Apply for the Graduate School Mentorship Program to learn more about graduate school and the graduate student experience.
  • Consider participating in the Virginia Capitol Semester Internship program.
  • Make a plan with your academic, career, and faculty advisors for applying to graduate school or land a micro-internship.
  • Have a personal statement or cover letter reviewed by Career Services or the Writing Center.
  • Study for and complete any standardized exams required for graduate school the summer before senior year. 
  • Prepare for job offer negotiation by researching salaries, benefits, and other opportunities for flexibility.
  • Talk to advisors, faculty, and VCU Career Services about graduate school versus a job.
  • Make a list of your skills and prepare to articulate them to employers on a resume and in an interview.    
Excel Year 4
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor the semester before you graduate to ensure that all graduation requirements will be met.
  • Apply to graduate for your undergraduate degree.
  • Choose REAL electives to diversify your skillset and round out your degree.
  • Consider utilizing elective space by earning up to 6 credits for an internship by taking GVPA 493 Government & Public Affairs Internship.
  • Prepare for graduation by making a plan to complete licensing exams, applications, and self-marketing activities.
  • Single out prospective employers and create a job or graduate school search strategy at least 8 months before graduation.
  • Connect with the Office of VCU Alumni Relations at Grad Fair, Grad Bash, and the VCULink Industry Network or alumni chapter.
  • Fill out VCU’s First Destination Survey.