Admission and Program Requirements

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Apply to this program through a central application: GradCAS. Review the sections below before you begin.

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Certificate in Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD)

This program operates in Fairfax, Virginia, and is certified by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).

Program description

The School of Defense and Strategic Studies offers a Graduate Certificate in Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) is intended for those who have a defined but compressed period of time for their education, yet desire advanced study of major defense and strategic issues to further their career. Prospective students may enroll in the fall, spring, or summer semester. Once admitted, they must complete 15 credit hours selected from the list below in order to receive the Certificate. Students may attend full-time (3 seminars per semester) or part-time (1 or 2 seminars per semester).

Entrance requirements

The candidate must have a bachelor's degree and be admitted to the Missouri State University Graduate CWMD Certificate Program.

Coursework to total 15 hours

  • DSS 601 Seminar on Nuclear Strategy and Arms Control
  • DSS 723 Counterproliferation
  • DSS 725 Instruments of State Power
    or
    DSS 722 Emerging Strategic Challenges
  • DSS 727 Chemical and Biological Warfare
    or
    DSS 737 Advanced Chemical and Biological Warfare
  • DSS 798 Seminar on Contemporary Defense Issues: CWMD Graduate Fellows Colloquium
    or
    DSS 710 Seminar on International Terrorism and Security