The online Master of Science Program in Security Management from John Jay College of Criminal Justice offers a dynamic online education taught by experts in the security industry. You will develop an understanding of security theory while acquiring the practical skills needed for a successful career. The online program is suitable for both security professionals and those seeking opportunities in the global security industry. Key components of the program are:
- 100% online courses - Flexible course schedule. No scheduled meeting times. You can study when and where you want.
- Small class size - Typically no more than 20 students per class. That means more one-on-one time with the instructor.
- Accelerated 8-week session format - Earn up to 6 credits every 8 weeks. Part-time and full-time options are available.
- Prominent faculty - Our faculty are global experts in security management.
- Affordable price - We offer one of the most affordable security management programs in the U.S.
- A prestigious degree - Online or on campus, you will earn a John Jay College degree that is recognized worldwide.
A senior college of The City University of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a preeminent national and international leader in justice education, accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
For more information about our program, please complete the Request Information form, or apply today for admission.
Courses in the online Master of Science in Security Management program are offered in various sequences to allow for individualized flexibility. Students complete the program typically within two years.
Plan of Study
All courses in the online M.S. in Security Management program are offered in six accelerated eight-week sessions each year, including two sessions in the Fall, one in the Summer, and two in the Spring. Students admitted to the program may enroll in up to six credit hours of courses during each eight-week session.
To complete the program, a student must earn a total of 36 credit hours, including:
- 12 credit hours in Core Courses
- 12 credit hours in Management Analytic
- 12 credit hours in Electives
(For credit transfers from another program, please visit the Admissions page for the details.)
Listed below are the courses offered by the program. All of them are three-credit courses, except the six-credit Thesis elective.
Course discusses how public policing functions are being “privatized” on a national and global scale. Course delivers specific instruction on how private security partners, develop and execute effective collaboration with the public police sector. Course also provides specific guidance on how private security professionals identify potential markets for privatized services, how those services are contracted and are assessed under traditional cost-benefit analysis. The course also deals with marketing challenges for private security entities and the various career tracks that have emerged from the privatization movement.
Comprehensive Examination
All students in the program must pass a Comprehensive Exam that measures knowledge essential to security management and is administered by the program. The exam is offered every six months. The Program Director will issue a list of readings and texts at least 30 days before the administration of each Exam. Students must complete 24 credits in the program in order to be eligible to complete the exam. Students who fail the exam have two additional opportunities to retake it, in accordance with normal academic calendar.
Faculty Name
Robert Till
Department of Security, Fire and Emergency Management
Program Director for Masters of Science in Security Management
MS, PHD, Worchester Polytechnic Institute
Biography
Robert Till, PhD, is the Deputy Chair for both the undergraduate Fire Science program and the graduate program in the Department of Protection Management. His field of study is fire protection engineering with an emphasis on firefighting and protection of transport infrastructure projects.
Faculty Name
Marie-Helen Maras
MA, University of New Haven
MSc, University of Oxford
MPhil, University of Oxford
DPhil, University of Oxford
Biography
Dr. Marie-Helen Maras is an Associate Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She has published a major work at CRC Press, titled CRC Press Reader on Terrorism, and three major works at Jones and Bartlett, books titled: Computer Forensics: Cybercriminals, Laws and Evidence; Exploring Criminal Justice: The Essentials; and Counterterrorism. She has also published articles on the economic, social and political consequences of mass surveillance in the European Journal of Law and Economics, the International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, and the Hamburg Review of Social Sciences. Moreover, she has provided chapters for edited volumes by Benjamin Goold and Daniel Neyland, titled New Directions in Privacy and Surveillance (Willan Publishing, 2009), and Justin Sinclair and Daniel Antonius, titled The Political Psychology of Terrorism Fears (Oxford University Press, 2013). In addition to her teaching and academic work, Dr. Maras’ background includes approximately seven years of service in the U.S. Navy with significant experience in security and law enforcement from her posts as a Navy Law Enforcement Specialist and Command Investigator. While in the Navy, she supervised her personnel in conducting over 130 counter-surveillance operations throughout Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. During the early stages of her military career, she worked as an Electronics and Calibration Technician.
Faculty Name
Robert McCrie
Department of Security, Fire and Emergency Management
MS, University of Toledo
MA, The City University of New York
MPhil, The City University of New York
PHD, The City University of New York
Biography
Robert McCrie began his career in protection as a security guard in his home town of Toledo, Ohio. Upon graduating with a bachelor’s degree, he began his teaching career in biology at the University of Toledo. He subsequently conducted research and studied in the US and Denmark. He next became an advertising copywriter on scientific and consumer accounts at a series of New York City advertising agencies. In 1970, he left advertising and started a newsletter concerned with protection of assets from loss. The next year he began consulting in a wide variety of issues concerning security. In the 1970’s McCrie joined the advisory board of John Jay’s Security Management Institute. In the following years, he became more involved at John Jay --planning programs, lecturing, and aiding students. In 1986, McCrie joined the faculty on a tenure-track line, eventually reaching full professor and serving as chair (1997-2003). En route he obtained a doctorate in urban history under Richard C. Wade. McCrie has written and edited widely in the field, including Security Operations Management, published by Butterworth-Heinemann. In recent years, he has become committed to the radical reform of prisons in the US and other countries.
Faculty Name
Kevin Cassidy
Department of Security, Fire and Emergency Management
MA, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Biography
Kevin Cassidy is Vice President of Global Security for Thomson Reuters. He is responsible for the security and safety of one of the largest information and financial news service providers throughout the world. His extensive knowledge of security, safety and business continuity allows him to interact with building owners and facility managers worldwide. Kevin currently oversees security as well as health and safety issues for over 600 offices, totaling over 18 million square feet and over fifty-five thousand employees.
Mr. Cassidy has an MA and a BS in Criminal Justice Administration from John Jay College. He is a licensed private investigator in both New York and New Jersey. In addition to his book, Loss Prevention and Fire Safety , he has written several articles on security, investigations and fire safety. Kevin has taught at the graduate level and regularly lectures regarding security and business continuity for various professional organizations. He has taught at John Jay College and, for the past fifteen years, he has lectured in John Jay’s Security Management Institute.
Faculty Name
Charles Jennings
Department of Security, Fire and Emergency Management
Director, Christian Rosengard Center for Emergency Response Studies
BS, University of Maryland at College Park
MS, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY
MRP, Cornell University
PHD, Cornell University
Biography
Charles Jennings, PhD, MIFireE, CFO, recently rejoined the faculty after serving as the deputy commissioner for public safety for the City of White Plains, NY. He has conducted research on numerous topics, many related to public policy issues and the fire service. He also serves as Director of the College's Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies. He earned his doctoral degree in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University.
Faculty Name
Randall Nason
Department of Security, Fire and Emergency Management
Faculty Name
Timothy J. Flannery
Department of Security, Fire and Emergency Management
MS, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Biography
Timothy J. Flannery, MS, is a member of the Training and Education Advisory Council for the New Jersey Fire Safety Commission. He has authored articles on fire training for Fire Engineering Magazine and The Voice podcast (publications of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors). In addition to teaching at John Jay College, he has also been an instructor of fire science programs at Passaic County Community College and Warren County Community College in New Jersey.
Faculty Name
Joseph J. Gulinello
Department of Security, Fire and Emergency Management
MPA, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Biography
Joseph J. Gulinello has held executive and senior security management positions with the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation, Integrated Security Solutions Inc., Securitas USA, Interfaith Health, and Loews Corporation. He is a retired NYPD detective, having served in the Emergency Service and Crime Scene units. He is also a retired USAR lieutenant colonel, having served in command and staff positions, including the military police command. He was an instructor, then regional faculty director, for the Army Command and General Staff College. As an adjunct professor, he has taught in the criminal justice or security management programs at: St. John's University; Fairleigh Dickinson University; New York Institute of Technology; Adelphi University; LaGuardia Community College; and Interboro Institute. He is currently a council vice president for ASIS International.
Faculty Name
John Friedlander
Department of Security, Fire and Emergency Management
MS, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Biography
John Friedlander is currently Director of Security at Cushman & Wakefield, assigned to a financial institution's Northeast and Midwest high-rise portfolio. Responsible for security management, protection of corporate assets, business continuity and crisis management, fire/life safety. Private sector liaison to local, state and federal agency partners across multiple regions / jurisdictions. Graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a Master of Science in Protection Management.
Faculty Name
Jeanne-Marie Col
MA, University of California, Davis
PhD, University of South Carolina, Columbia
Biography
Jeanne-Marie is Associate Professor of Public Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York. She served as United Nations Senior Interregional Adviser in Governance and Public Administration from 1990-2003. Previously Dr. Col served as professor at University of Illinois at Springfield, State University of New York at Albany, and Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. Dr. Col researches, teaches and consults in organization development, program evaluation, re-establishing governance in post-conflict countries, re-structuring government operations to support private sector development, civil service reform, management training, public policy analysis, human resources management, justice administration, parliamentary administration and emergency management. She has worked in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. In the American Society for Public Administration, Dr. Col has served on National Council, and as Chair National Conference Program, Chair Regional Conference (VI), Chair Commission on Organization and Structure, Chair Section of Women in Public Administration, Chair Section on Emergency and Crisis Management, Member Editorial Board of the Public Administration Review, Chair of National Strategic Initiative Group for Chapters and Sections, and President of the New York Metro Chapter. She has also served as Board Member, Pi Alpha Alpha National Public Administration Honor Society / NASPAA. Currently, she is serving as Chair Section on International and Comparative Administration and Chair of the second annual Northeast Conference on Public Administration (NECoPA), to be held at John Jay College in October 2011. Jeanne-Marie recently published "Managing Disasters: The role of local governments" in the Public Administration Review (2007) and "Successful Earthquake Mitigation in Qinglong County during the Great Tangshan Earthquake: Lessons for Hurricane Katrina" in the Chinese Public Administration Review (2007).
Faculty Name
Norman Groner
Department of Security, Fire and Emergency Management
MS, University of Washington
PHD, University of Washington
Biography
Norman Groner, PhD, is a well-known expert on human and organizational factors that pertain to fire safety and emergency planning. He recently served as an expert advisor to the National Institute of Standards and Technology investigation of building evacuations during the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
Apply Online
Students may ask for approval from the Program Director to complete the program through the Thesis Track, which allows eligible students to earn six credits in Electives for completing a Thesis prospectus and Thesis document. This option is available only to students with a 3.5 GPA or higher.