Military and Security Studies (AA)
College: College of Social Sciences & Professional Studies
The Associate of Arts (AA) degree in military and security studies is open to all students, without military obligation. Students who are active in the military or are currently enrolled in an ROTC program may be able to apply the credits earned in the AA to their advancement and promotion systems within their respective military services. Our veteran students may be able to demonstrate learning derived from their experiences that may transfer toward this degree through the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) process. Military experience in critical and analytical thinking, decision making, communication, intercultural competencies, history, etc. may be directly applied to specific AA courses, rather than general electives, which is how ACE credits typically transfer. Traditional students enrolling in the AA will learn these valuable professional skills and applications that they will be able to utilize whether they continue in higher education or choose to enter the professional world.
The AA in military and security studies degree provides historical, ethical, and foundational skills to advance careers as leaders in the public/private sector or military. The AA in military and security studies focuses on interdisciplinary fundamental skills found in our general education curriculum that support both the public/private sector and military based professions.
The AA degree enables students to earn a credential after approximately two years of study in general education, university skill requirements, program requirements, and a capstone course. Upon entering the program, a student will meet with an advisor to discuss educational and professional goals and plan the best selection of courses to meet those goals. Upon completion of the AA degree, students will have the option to continue on to complete a bachelor’s degree, with the completed Associate of Arts credential in hand. Students may pursue any UW‐Parkside bachelor’s degree program, noting however, that this AA has been created to lead into Bachelor’s degrees in the social and behavioral science disciplines, but does not preclude any student from pursuing the degree.
See the Associate Degree section of the catalog for more programmatic and curricular information.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Articulate foundational knowledge and possess a skill set through effective inter‐cultural written and oral communication. (Communication skills/Cultural competence)
- Utilize considerations of context in decision‐making (American and International historical foundations/spatial awareness)
- Develop the skills and awareness vital to the success of citizens of an advanced technological society, and habits of mind that promote lifelong learning, responsible actions, and independent thinking. (Physical fitness/physical science)
- Apply ethical perspectives/concepts to an ethical question, accurately, and consider full implications of the application. (Ethics and morals)
Requirements for the A.A. in Military and Security Studies
To complete this degree program students must complete all required courses and earn a minimum cumulative degree grade point average of 2.00.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | ||
| English/Writing Skills Course | ||
| ENGL 101 | Composition and Reading 1 | 3 |
| Computational and Quantitative Skills Courses | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning 2 | ||
| Elementary Statistics 2 | ||
| College Mathematics with Applications 2 | ||
| College Algebra I 2 | ||
| University Requirements Subtotal | 6-7 | |
| General Education Requirements | ||
| Humanities and the Arts Courses 3 | ||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Courses 4 | ||
| Natural Sciences Courses | ||
| Select two credits 5 | 2 | |
| Ethnic Diversity Course 6 | ||
| Fundamental Skills Requirements | ||
| American Historical Foundations | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Introduction to Criminal Justice 7 | ||
| The United States: Origins to Reconstruction 7 | ||
| The United States: Reconstruction to Recent Times 7 | ||
| American Politics 7 | ||
| Communication Skills | ||
| COMM 105 | Public Speaking for the 21st Century 7 | 3 |
| ENGL 101 | Composition and Reading 1 | 3 |
| Cultural Competence | ||
| COMM 107 | Communication and the Human Condition 7 | 3 |
| Spatial Awareness | ||
| GEOG 110 | Introduction to Geography: World Regions 7 | 3 |
| Ethics and Morals | ||
| PHIL 206 | Introduction to Ethics 7 | 3 |
| PHIL 215 | Contemporary Moral Problems 7 | 3 |
| International Historical Foundations | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| World History III: From 1800 to the Present 7 | ||
| Introduction to International Studies 7 | ||
| Introduction to Comparative Politics 7 | ||
| Introduction to International Relations 7 | ||
| Physical Fitness | ||
| HLTH 280 | Nutrition for Wellness | 3 |
| Physical Science | ||
| GEOG 100 | Physical Geography and the Environment 7 | 3 |
| PHYS 101 | Principles of Physics 7 | 4 |
| Fundamental Skills Requirements Subtotal | 39 | |
| Core Program Requirements | ||
| Analytical Skills | ||
| Select one of the following according to Advanced Professional Skill Path: | 3-4 | |
| Criminal Justice Research Methods | ||
| Sources and Methods in History | ||
| Research Methods and Sources | ||
| Conflict Analysis | ||
| COMM 285 | Introduction to Conflict Analysis and Resolution | 3 |
| Decision Making | ||
| POLS 217 | Tactical Decision Making | 3 |
| POLS 317 | Strategic Decision Making | 3 |
| Core Program Requirements Subtotal | 12-13 | |
| Advanced Professional Skills | ||
| Select two courses from one area of the following: | 6 | |
| Geographical Inquiry | ||
| Map Use and Analysis | ||
| Leadership Development | ||
| Introduction to Leadership 7 | ||
| Military History | ||
| International Conflict | ||
| Special Topics in History (Civil War History Topic) | ||
| Arab-Israeli Conflict | ||
| History of American Politics | ||
| America in Power and Peril 1917-1953 | ||
| Homeland Security | ||
Select two courses with advisor consultation: | ||
| Police and Society | ||
| Terrorism and Security | ||
| Basic Information Security | ||
| American Foreign Policy | ||
| Theories of International Relations | ||
| Total Credits | 63-65 | |
- 1
This course fulfills the university writing skills requirements.
- 2
This course fulfills the university computational skills requirements.
- 3
0 additional credits needed – all 12 credits fulfilled by program requirements.
Required program courses that also fulfill this requirement: COMM 107 Communication and the Human Condition, PHIL 206 Introduction to Ethics, PHIL 215 Contemporary Moral Problems, COMM 105 Public Speaking for the 21st Century.
- 4
0 additional credits needed – all 12 credits fulfilled by program requirements.
Required program courses that also fulfill this requirement: GEOG 110 Introduction to Geography: World Regions; choice of two American Historical Foundations courses from CRMJ 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice, HIST 101 The United States: Origins to Reconstruction, HIST 102 The United States: Reconstruction to Recent Times, POLS 100 American Politics; and choice of one International Historical Foundations courses from HIST 128 World History III: From 1800 to the Present, INTS 100 Introduction to International Studies, POLS 103 Introduction to Comparative Politics, POLS 104 Introduction to International Relations.
- 5
2 additional credits needed - 10 credits fulfilled by program requirements.
Required program courses that also fulfill this requirement: GEOG 100 Physical Geography and the Environment, HLTH 280 Nutrition for Wellness, PHYS 101 Principles of Physics.
- 6
0 additional credits needed – 3 credits fulfilled by program requirements.
Required program course that also fulfills this requirement: COMM 107 Communication and the Human Condition.
- 7
These courses count toward general education requirements for UW-Parkside.
Check the course schedule and work with your advisor to find courses that fulfill your general education and/or ethnic diversity requirements.
How credits count:
Courses can count for multiple requirements such as a program requirement and a general education requirement but, the credits only count once. Therefore, depending on how many courses are chosen that fulfill both program and general education requirements, students may be required to take additional elective courses (from those not already taken in areas above) to reach the required minimum of 60 credits for an associate degree.
Depth, two-course sequence requirement:
The University of Wisconsin system has a requirement that each associate degree program must contain at least one two-course sequence in which the first course provides the foundation for the second course. Examples of requirements that would fulfill this requirement:
CRMJ 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice & CRMJ 200 Criminal Justice Research Methods or CRMJ 235 Police and Society or CRMJ 387 Terrorism and Security; HIST 101 The United States: Origins to Reconstruction or HIST 102 The United States: Reconstruction to Recent Times or HIST 128 World History III: From 1800 to the Present & HIST 250 Sources and Methods in History; HIST 250 Sources and Methods in History & HIST 319 Arab-Israeli Conflict or HIST 324 History of American Politics or HIST 345 America in Power and Peril 1917-1953; POLS 100 American Politics or POLS 103 Introduction to Comparative Politics or POLS 104 Introduction to International Relations & POLS 200 Research Methods and Sources or POLS 224 American Foreign Policy; POLS 200 Research Methods and Sources & POLS 304 Theories of International Relations; POLS 217 Tactical Decision Making & POLS 317 Strategic Decision Making.