Minor in Defense and Strategic Studies
The minor in Defense and Strategic Studies is designed for those students who wish to acquire the knowledge and analytical skills that are critical for working in a career field related to national security. The minor is appropriate for students of almost any major, particularly political science, economics, history, geography, journalism, and engineering. The program is also well suited for students in Army, Navy, or Air Force ROTC, providing a solid background for officers encountering the changing strategic environment of the twenty-first century.
The program affords students a unique opportunity to gain a broad perspective on security issues, allowing focus on areas where they may have additional educational requirements not offered in their chosen major field of study. Following graduation, students may work for the defense department, national intelligence agencies, other federal agencies, or any number of jobs related to security in the private and non-profit sectors.
Requirements
Fifteen (15) credits are required for the minor in defense and strategic studies, selected from the list below. Of these, six hours must be from political science.
- A minimum of 9 credits must be taken in residence, 6 of which must be in courses numbered 2000 or above.
- A grade of C- or better is required for all courses taken for the minor, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in minor coursework.
- A minor must be completed and awarded at the same time as the MU undergraduate degree
A minor consists of at least 15 credits, including at least 6 credits numbered 2000 or above, 9 of the required credits must be taken in MU course work. This requirement can be reduced from 9 to 6 at the discretion of an individual department. Students must meet the minimum GPA requirements for a minor, which in no case can be lower than 2.0. In addition, a student cannot receive a grade lower than a C- in any course applied towards a minor in the College. For more information, please see Requirements for Optional Minor.
| Select from the courses below | ||
| POL_SC 2710 | Politics and the Military | 3 |
| POL_SC 4410 | Politics and War | 3 |
| POL_SC 4411 | Genocide, Terrorism and Civil War | 3 |
| POL_SC 4412 | Strategy and Warfare | 3 |
| POL_SC 4413 | Politics of Cyber-Security | 3 |
| POL_SC 4415 | Peacekeeping and Intervention | 3 |
| POL_SC 4430 | Global Human Rights | 3 |
| POL_SC 4540 | American Foreign Policies | 3 |
| POL_SC 4550 | Environmental Conflict | 3 |
| POL_SC 4680 | Chinese Politics and Foreign Policy | 3 |
| POL_SC 4690 | Korean Politics: North and South Korea | 3 |
| MIL_SC 3163 | U.S. Military History in the Western Tradition | 3 |
| HIST 2560 | Modern Military History | 3 |
| HIST 3545 | World War II | 3 |
| HIST 4260 | The Age of Ascendancy: U.S. Foreign Relations, 1945 - Present | 3 |
| HIST 4480 | The History of Genocide and Atrocity | 3 |
| GEOG 4130 | The Geospatial Sciences in National Security | 3 |
To declare a minor in Defense and Strategic Studies, fill out the online Minor Declaration form.
For general questions about the minor, contact:
Stephen Quackenbush, Program Director
(573) 882-2082
quackenbushs@missouri.edu
Truman School of Government and Public Affairs Advising
(573) 882-2580
truman@missouri.edu