Program Description
A graduate of the Professional Science Master’s Degree Program in Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction (GWM) will have developed a broad-based technical knowledge of all aspects of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).They will have demonstrated the ability to conduct independent research in a specialized area of combating WMD matters.
Professional Science Master’s Degrees:
Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degrees are recognized by the American Council of Graduate Schools. There are nearly 100 PSM degree programs currently being offered in Graduate Schools throughout the country. There is a wide variation with curriculum and structure among PSM programs but some common themes applicable to this program are:
- Inter- or multi-disciplinary.
- Multiple areas of “focusing” or “specialization” with the last portion of the program.
- Use of case studies in courses and “teamwork” approaches to projects, often with written/oral presentations to industry clients.
- A certificate program, within or as an addition to the standard PSM.
- Placement of graduates in traditional industries and government as opposed to academics.
Program Educational Objectives
- Our graduates will be called upon to perform some or all of the following tasks. The educational objectives of the GWM program are that they be able to perform these tasks successfully.
- Perform, direct, and coordinate technical work involving the military applications of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) technologies.
- Learn the details of programs and technologies in their new areas of responsibility and apply the skills and tools learned at AFIT to these tasks.
- Apply their knowledge and skills to solve problems that arise in the technical work they conduct or supervise.
- Study an issue, identify and evaluate alternative actions, propose appropriate courses of action, and identify optimal choices.
- Develop and implement programs, working within their organizations, to implement the chosen solutions.
- Write, edit, and/or supervise the preparation by contractors or subordinates, of written reports, journal articles, military briefings, and professional presentations that clearly communicate their work and that support the needs of decision makers; present their ideas effectively and defend them appropriately.
- Develop and implement, or sustain and improve, programs that entail multidisciplinary research, simulation, modeling, engineering design, production, and/or fielding of engineered systems.
Curriculum
Developing a student that is an expert at the postgraduate level in all three areas of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons is not feasible. No student will have the necessary prerequisites to successfully take sufficiently advanced courses in all three fundamental areas. Instead, the approach of this program is two-fold. One is to develop a graduate who has developed a basic knowledge and comprehension level (as in Bloom’s hierarchy of learning) understanding of each area. The second is to develop a graduate who is an expert in a specific area of WMD technology. They will demonstrate the full spectrum of cognitive learning of application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation through a Master’s research project.
The GWM program is conducted over 6 academic quarters. All students will take a series of broadening courses designed to develop a broad understanding of combating weapons of mass destruction. These will primarily be taken in the first quarter of the program. This first quarter is the same as the AFIT Graduate Certificate program in Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction. The certificate program consists of the following courses:
- NENG 597 Nuclear Weapon Technology
- CHEM 597 Chemical Weapon Technology
- BIOL 597 Biological Weapon Technology
- CWMD 597 Combating WMD Engineering Practicum