The doctoral program in biodefense is designed to prepare students to serve as scholars and professionals in the fields of biodefense and biosecurity. The program integrates knowledge of natural and man-made biological threats with the skills to develop and analyze policies and strategies for enhancing biosecurity. Other areas of biodefense including nonproliferation, intelligence and threat assessment, and medical and public health preparedness are integral parts of the program.

1903-12-30

2009

Rana FitzGerald, Academic Program Coordinator Robinson Hall A 201, MSN 3F4 703-993-9626 <a href="mailto:biodefense@gmu.edu">biodefense@gmu.edu</a>

2007-10-24T12:14:56Z

true

PhD

Public and International Affairs

PUAF

http://pia.gmu.edu/grad/biod/

Biodefense Frances Harbour, Interim Director 703-993-1406 Greg Koblenz, Deputy Director 703-993-9626 LA

1903-12-30

Doctor of Philosophy

<a href="../../system/file_attachments/320/original/biodefenseMSPhD.pdf">Information sheet</a> (.pdf)

LA-PHD-BIOD

Graduate

Students receiving this degree must successfully complete a minimum of 72 graduate credits distributed as follows: <ul> <li>Seven required courses (19 credits): BIOD 604, 605, 609, 702 (1 credit); PUAD 630; GOVT 500, 540</li> <li>One course (3 credits) of an additional approved advanced research course (qualitative or quantitative)</li> <li>Four courses (12 credit) in a concentration: <ul> <li>Concentration in International Security - This concentration provides students with a foundation in the international dimensions of biodefense and biosecurity and the international security implications of proliferation, terrorism, and health crises. Students will learn to apply theories of international relations and security studies to the conduct of U.S. foreign policy, the development of international laws and norms, and the role of international organizations in fostering international cooperation to combat shared threats. Students will also have the opportunity to develop an in-depth knowledge of the theory and practice of intelligence and the role of intelligence in national security decision-making. <ul> <li>Four courses (12 credits) chosen from: BIOD 620, 621, 622, 705, 706, 709, 722, 725, 760, 761; GOVT 641, 741, 843; PUAD 504, 701, 727</li> </ul> </li> <li>Concentration in Homeland Security - This concentration provides students with a background in the principles and policies of homeland security with an emphasis on medical and public health preparedness for man-made and naturally occurring disasters. Students will learn about the art and practice of the full spectrum of emergency preparedness activities including prevention, planning, detection, response and recovery. Students will also become familiar with methodologies for assessing threats posed by terrorists, weapons of mass destruction, and naturally occurring epidemics. <ul> <li> Four courses (12 credits) chosen from: BIOD 710, 722, 723, 725, 726, 751, 752, 760, 761, 762, 766; GOVT 510, 706, 755; PUAD 631, 635, 727, 731, 750; PHIL 642 </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li>Two courses (6 credits) from the field outside of the student's concentration</li> <li>6 to 9 credits of BIOD 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal</li> <li>15 to 18 credits of BIOD 999 Doctoral Dissertation Research</li> </ul> Reduction of Credit Students entering the doctoral program with a master's degree or other graduate credit may be able to apply up to 30 credits toward the Ph.D. requirements. The number of credits that will be accepted will be approved by the Director of the Biodefense Program. Students and their advisor will make a recommendation to the director as to how many credits should be accepted and toward which requirements they will be counted. At minimum, the last 42 of the 72 hours for the Ph.D. must be earned in the program. University standards for prior course credits are described in the University Catalog.

2009-10-12T21:05:05Z