Certificates of Advanced Study

A Certificate of Advanced Study is a comprehensive curriculum program that combines coursework, research, capstone projects, and internships to help J.D. students build skills and expertise in a particular specialty.

Through the interdisciplinary Institute for Security Policy and Law (SPL), the College of Law offers three certificates of advanced study that are approved by the New York State Education Department:

Certificate of Advanced Study in National Security & Counterterrorism Law

Developed by a senior law faculty member who literally “wrote the book” on national security and counterterrorism law, the Certificate of Advanced Study in National Security and Counterterrorism Law is a highly interdisciplinary, 15-credit program of study for students looking to specialize in national security, counterterrorism, homeland security, cybersecurity, and related fields. Students benefit from multiple faculty perspectives, from College of Law professors and others in public policy, international affairs, information studies, computer science, engineering, and elsewhere. Academic opportunities include group research projects, simulations, field trips, and study abroad opportunities.

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Certificate of Advanced Study in Security Studies

The Certificate of Advanced Study in Security Studies is a 12-credit, interdisciplinary program for law and graduate students preparing for careers in national security, homeland security, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism. Certificate students collaborate across range of subjects, benefitting from faculty expertise in national and homeland security; international and atrocity law; military operations and defense strategy; counterterrorism law and policy; counter-proliferation policy; diplomacy and international relations; mass communication; cybersecurity law, policy, and engineering; conflict and postconflict studies; and more. Alumni form an extended, active, and influential network, boosting INSCT’s reputation as a “go to” organization for shaping discourse on security challenges.

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Certificate of Advanced Study in Postconflict Reconstruction

The Certificate of Advanced Study in Postconflict Reconstruction (PCR) is a 12-credit, multidisciplinary program for law and graduate students preparing for careers in PCR, peace building, humanitarian relief, and international development. Topics include international law and the rule of law, human rights and human security, conflict studies, diplomacy and international relations, humanitarian relief, economics of development, and capacity-building. A sequence of specialized coursework is coordinated across SU’s campus, at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, College of Law, Martin J. Whitman School of Management, and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. All students take the core course, Fundamentals of Post-conflict Reconstruction, and complete a capstone project related to PCR.

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