Program Overview
The War, Peace, and Security Certificate is an interdisciplinary program that equips students to understand national and international security challenges. It offers two tracks: social sciences and humanities, and prepares graduates for careers in government, private businesses, the non-profit sector, and academia. The certificate includes experiential learning opportunities such as internships, study abroad, and extracurricular activities.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
The War, Peace, and Security (WPS) Certificate is an interdisciplinary program anchored in the social sciences and humanities. It aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand national and international security challenges, the sources and outcomes of war and peace, and the changing nature of war and peace. The certificate offers two distinct tracks: a social sciences track and a humanities track. Students are required to complete a minimum of two courses in each track.
Careers:
Students with a certificate in War, Peace, and Society may pursue careers in:
- Federal, state, and local government: This includes agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, FBI, CIA, and local governments.
- Private businesses: This includes private contractors operating in national security, companies with global outreach, and businesses that require understanding of international security.
- Non-governmental sector: This includes advocacy groups like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and other organizations working on peace and security issues.
- Academic and policy research centers: Graduates can join research teams, think-tanks, and academia.
- Foreign Service: Jobs with governmental bureaucracies dealing with war, peace, and security.
Other:
- The certificate is geared toward students majoring in political science, international affairs, history, criminal justice, and sociology, but is also highly recommended for those majoring in geography, communications, economics, business, and other fields.
- Knowledge of cultures and languages of world regions (e.g. Arabic, Pashto, Farsi, Dari, Hindi, Mandarin-Chinese, Spanish, etc.) is considered especially valuable for those who plan to work in the field.
- Technical and research skills such as data processing and programming are important for successful careers in homeland security and cybersecurity.
- The certificate can be customized to students’ individual interests and career goals.
- The Departments of Political Science and History specialize in topics of war, peace, and security and partner closely to offer this interdisciplinary certificate.
- The WPS Certificates partner with other departments and programs in the social sciences and humanities (e.g. sociology, criminal justice, Judaic studies, Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, etc.) to expand the breadth and depth of security studies at UC.
- The Departments of History and Political Science, in partnership with the University of Cincinnati’s Experience-Based Learning and Career Education (ELCE) Division, offer experiential learning opportunities through internships for academic credit and a semester-long course of study in Washington, D.C.
- The departments offer short-term faculty led and semester-long study abroad opportunities in partnership with UC International.
- Students participate actively in the Model United Nations student club, the History Club, UC Mock Trial Team, Students for International Security, and Amnesty International.
- Model UN and Mock Trial delegates compete nationally and often win competitive awards.
