Global Security

Global security today requires far more than military strength and savvy diplomacy. Threats to security come from cyberattacks; disinformation campaigns; supply chain disruptions; artificial intelligence, biological weapons, and other emerging technologies; and climate change. The Global Security minor prepares students to understand and respond to this expanded landscape of threats, whether they come from states, non-state actors, technology, or policy failures. This minor is well suited to students in a variety of majors. Engineering and IST students gain the geopolitical and policy context to apply their technical skills to cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection. Business students benefit from understanding geopolitical risk, sanctions regimes, and supply chain security. Health and human development students gain insight into how pandemics, bioterrorism, and humanitarian crises intersect with local, national, and global security planning. Science students see how AI, biotechnology, space systems, and climate change are reshaping both the tools and the stakes of global security. Coursework introduces students to the theoretical frameworks and technical skills used to analyze and respond to security challenges, along with the major causes of conflict between states and between states and non-state actors. Students also examine the legal, ethical, and regulatory dimensions of security. They confront questions such as how far surveillance can extend, who is accountable for cyberattacks, and how international law applies to emerging domains of conflict. Because the minor is jointly offered by the College of Information Sciences and Technology and the College of the Liberal Arts, it integrates technical and policy perspectives.