NAU FOCUSED bachelor’s degrees are designed for working adults who want a more efficient, career-focused path to completion.
| Fully accredited. |
| Career-focused. |
| Designed for working adults. |
Earn a Bachelor of Science in Strategic Security and Protection Management through a streamlined 30-course pathway built for adults who want to develop specialized knowledge in security, intelligence, protection, threat management, and preparedness.
Request Information
Apply Now
Why Choose a FOCUSED Strategic Security and Protection Management Degree?
A more direct bachelor’s pathway built around security, intelligence, protection, preparedness, and professional relevance.
NAU’s FOCUSED degree structure is designed around efficiency rather than increased intensity. Its reduced-credit structure requires fewer total credits and courses rather than requiring students to complete a traditional 180-credit bachelor’s curriculum at a faster pace.
Fewer Courses
A streamlined 30-course structure designed to create a more efficient bachelor’s pathway.
Professional Field Focus Areas
Choose coursework connected to cognitive warfare and information operations, conflict and consequence management, counterterrorism, intelligence management, protection management, or strategic security.
Adult Flexibility
Fully online coursework designed for students balancing school, work, family, and life.
Traditional vs. FOCUSED
A bachelor’s pathway redesigned around the needs of modern adult learners.
| Traditional Bachelor’s Degree |
Modern FOCUSED Bachelor’s Degree |
| 180 quarter credits |
135 quarter credits |
| Approximately 40 courses |
30 courses |
| More opportunity to customize your degree through elective coursework |
Career-specific curriculum with fewer open elective requirements |
| More room to explore interests and develop complementary skills |
Coursework concentrated around your major and selected focus area |
| Designed based on a traditional “four year” college experience |
Designed for working adult learners |
Choose Your Strategic Security and Protection Management Focus Area
Build your degree around the area of security, intelligence, protection, or threat management that best fits your interests and professional goals. Explore the coursework in each focus area and examples of related career pathways.
Cognitive Warfare & Information Operations
Explore propaganda, disinformation, psychology, social media intelligence, and the ways information can influence people, organizations, and security environments.
Focus Area Courses
- CS2086 Career Management-Focused
- NUC350 Principles of Grand Strategy
- INT320 Propaganda and Disinformation
- TCT420 Psychology of Fear
- INT455 Social Media Intelligence (SOCMINT)
- SEC490 Focused Capstone
Explore Potential Career Pathways
Explore career areas involving intelligence, information environments, open-source research, influence, and security analysis.
Information Operations Support
Support the collection, analysis, and communication of information used to understand threats, actors, narratives, and complex operating environments.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Intelligence Analysis
Gather, evaluate, and analyze information from multiple sources to identify patterns, relationships, risks, and potential threats.
Explore this career → O*NET
Social Media Intelligence
Research and evaluate publicly available social and digital information to help identify trends, networks, narratives, and emerging risks.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Security Analysis
Analyze security information, incidents, vulnerabilities, and potential threats to support organizational decision-making and risk reduction.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Conflict and Consequence Management
Study conflict management, workplace security, executive protection, and approaches to preparing for and managing the consequences of security incidents.
Focus Area Courses
- CS2086 Career Management-Focused
- PRO494 Essentials of Executive Protection
- PRO380 Conflict Management
- PRO405 Consequence Management
- SEC375 Workplace Violence, Workplace Security
- SEC490 Focused Capstone
Explore Potential Career Pathways
Explore career areas involving organizational security, emergency preparedness, protective services, and incident response.
Corporate Security
Help organizations protect employees, facilities, operations, and assets through security programs, policies, and risk-management practices.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Security Operations
Support or coordinate security personnel, procedures, incident response, physical security, and organizational protection activities.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Consequence Management Support
Support planning and coordination intended to reduce the impact of emergencies, disruptions, security incidents, and other organizational crises.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Protective Services
Help protect people, property, facilities, or events through security procedures, monitoring, planning, and incident response.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Counterterrorism
Examine terrorism, terrorist techniques, counterterrorism concepts, and the strategic context surrounding modern security threats.
Focus Area Courses
- CS2086 Career Management-Focused
- NUC350 Principles of Grand Strategy
- TCT390 Foundations of Terrorism
- TCT395 Counterterrorism
- TCT396 Terrorist Techniques
- SEC450 Focused Capstone
Explore Potential Career Pathways
Explore career areas involving terrorism research, intelligence, threat analysis, homeland security, and prevention.
Counterterrorism Analysis
Analyze intelligence and other information to identify terrorist threats, actors, methods, patterns, and potential risks.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Intelligence Support
Collect, evaluate, organize, and communicate information used to support intelligence assessments and security decision-making.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Security Analysis
Evaluate threats, vulnerabilities, incidents, and security information to help organizations understand and manage risk.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Homeland Security Support
Support preparedness, intelligence, security, emergency planning, or coordination activities intended to protect communities and organizations.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Intelligence Management
Build knowledge in intelligence fundamentals, analytical methods, open-source intelligence, and the strategic context in which intelligence supports decision-making.
Focus Area Courses
- CS2086 Career Management-Focused
- NUC350 Principles of Grand Strategy
- INT300 Fundamentals of Intelligence
- INT310 Fundamentals of Analysis
- INT315 Open Source Intelligence
- SEC450 Focused Capstone
Explore Potential Career Pathways
Explore career areas involving intelligence collection, research, analysis, operations, and security decision-making.
Intelligence Analyst
Gather and analyze information from multiple sources to identify patterns, relationships, threats, and information relevant to decision-making.
Explore this career → O*NET
Open-Source Intelligence Analysis
Research and evaluate publicly available information to develop insights about individuals, organizations, events, trends, and potential threats.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Intelligence Operations Support
Support intelligence activities through information collection, research, analysis, reporting, coordination, and information sharing.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Security Intelligence
Use intelligence and security information to identify threats, assess risk, and support organizational protection and decision-making.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Protection Management
Explore executive protection, physical security, advance work, and planning for the protection of people, facilities, and environments.
Focus Area Courses
- CS2086 Career Management-Focused
- PRO494 Essentials of Executive Protection
- PRO422 Building Security
- PRO432 Principal’s Office and Residence
- PRO466 Advance Work
- SEC450 Focused Capstone
Explore Potential Career Pathways
Explore career areas involving executive protection, physical security, protective services, and security operations.
Executive Protection
Support the protection of individuals through security planning, advance preparation, threat awareness, movement coordination, and protective procedures.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Corporate Security
Help organizations protect people, facilities, assets, and operations through physical-security programs, procedures, and risk management.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Protective Services
Help protect people, property, facilities, or events through security procedures, monitoring, access control, and incident response.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Security Operations
Support the personnel, procedures, facilities, technology, and response activities used to protect an organization and its people.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Strategic Security
Study grand strategy, offensive and defensive security, infiltration, and the convergence of cyber and physical security environments.
Focus Area Courses
- CS2086 Career Management-Focused
- NUC350 Principles of Grand Strategy
- SEC305 Offensive v. Defensive Security: Understanding the Broader Security Field
- SEC452 Infiltration Techniques
- SEC480 Converged Security: Cyber-Physical Systems
- SEC450 Focused Capstone
Explore Potential Career Pathways
Explore career areas involving security strategy, organizational risk, physical security, and integrated security operations.
Strategic Security
Support security planning and decision-making by examining threats, vulnerabilities, organizational priorities, and approaches to protecting people and assets.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Security Analysis
Analyze security operations, incidents, vulnerabilities, and threats to identify risks and opportunities to strengthen protection.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Risk Analysis
Identify and evaluate potential threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences to help organizations make informed security and preparedness decisions.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Security Operations
Support or coordinate the policies, personnel, technologies, facilities, and response activities used to protect organizations.
Explore related careers → O*NET
Career pathways are examples of occupations or occupational areas that may relate to program coursework. Career outcomes vary based on experience, location, employer requirements, and other factors. External career information is provided by O*NET OnLine, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Course availability may vary. See the university catalog for current course descriptions, prerequisites, and program requirements.
Built for the Next Generation of Security Professionals
Earn a fully accredited Bachelor of Science in Strategic Security and Protection Management through a more efficient, career-focused pathway designed for working adults.
Frequently Asked Questions About the BS Strategic Security and Protection Management – FOCUSED
Learn more about NAU’s reduced-credit Strategic Security and Protection Management bachelor’s degree and how the FOCUSED pathway is designed for adult learners.
Is the BS Strategic Security and Protection Management – FOCUSED a bachelor’s degree?
Yes. The program awards a Bachelor of Science in Strategic Security and Protection Management from National American University. NAU is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Is the BS Strategic Security and Protection Management – FOCUSED a three-year bachelor’s degree?
The BS Strategic Security and Protection Management – FOCUSED is a 135-quarter-credit, 30-course bachelor’s degree pathway intended to allow a full-time student to complete the program in approximately three years. Actual completion time may vary based on course load, transfer credits, and other factors.
How is the BS Strategic Security and Protection Management – FOCUSED different from NAU’s traditional bachelor’s degree structure?
NAU’s traditional bachelor’s structure generally requires 180 quarter credits and approximately 40 courses. The BS Strategic Security and Protection Management – FOCUSED requires 135 quarter credits and 30 courses, with reduced open electives and greater emphasis on career-connected security, intelligence, protection, and threat-management coursework.
Is the BS Strategic Security and Protection Management – FOCUSED an accelerated degree?
The program is designed around efficiency rather than increased intensity. Its reduced-credit structure requires fewer total credits and courses rather than requiring students to complete a traditional 180-credit bachelor’s curriculum at a faster pace.
What focus areas are available in the Strategic Security and Protection Management FOCUSED program?
Students may choose from Cognitive Warfare & Information Operations, Conflict and Consequence Management, Counterterrorism, Intelligence Management, Protection Management, and Strategic Security.
What kinds of subjects can I study in the program?
Depending on the focus area selected, coursework may include subjects such as propaganda and disinformation, social media intelligence, conflict management, workplace security, counterterrorism, intelligence analysis, open-source intelligence, executive protection, building security, infiltration techniques, and cyber-physical security.
What is cognitive warfare and information operations?
The Cognitive Warfare & Information Operations focus area examines how information, communication, psychology, propaganda, disinformation, and social media intelligence can shape perceptions and influence security environments.
How is Strategic Security and Protection Management different from Criminal Justice?
Criminal justice commonly focuses on areas such as law enforcement, courts, corrections, investigations, and the justice system. Strategic Security and Protection Management places greater emphasis on anticipating threats, analyzing risk, intelligence, preparedness, protection, and security operations.
Is the BS Strategic Security and Protection Management – FOCUSED online?
Yes. The BS Strategic Security and Protection Management – FOCUSED is offered 100% online and is designed for adults balancing education with work, family, and other responsibilities.
