Indiana Wesleyan University launches new online degree in international relations and security

MARION, Ind., Feb. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Indiana Wesleyan University is launching a new bachelor's degree in international relations and security that students can complete online.

The curriculum for the new Bachelor of Science in international relations and security offers two specializations in either cybersecurity or global security. The course of study will enable graduates to pursue careers in government, military, law enforcement, cybersecurity and intelligence fields, as well as career tracks in law, non-governmental organizations and other public service sectors. To earn the degree, students will complete 42 credits in 10 core courses and four specialization courses, for a total of 120 credits. There are no pre-requisites for this program, but students do have to have completed at least 60 transferable credit hours from an accredited college or university. The university estimates that it will take students about 20 months to move through the coursework. 

The new program is accepting applications from students who want to begin the program as early as April. A second cohort is planned to start the coursework in August, said Tony Manganello, program director in the Department of Public Service in the School of Service and Leadership. 

Manganello, who served for 11 years as a U.S. Secret Service agent before moving into higher education, has been the driving force behind pulling this program together. In addition to Indiana Wesleyan University, only a handful of universities in the country offer this degree online, and none of the others are in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky or Illinois, he said.

Manganello said he was inspired to develop the program because he saw a growing interest from students, whose knowledge in these career areas comes mostly through television and movies. 

"I began to sense a need for this in the Christian higher education world," Manganello said. "Indiana Wesleyan University is the perfect place to offer this program because of its excellent liberal arts program and its rigorous, ethical view of the world."

To help write the curriculum, Manganello said he has drawn together professors and adjunct faculty members who are experts in their fields, including career foreign-service officers, active-duty military members and full-time professors in international relations.

"There is a good breadth of academics and practitioners," Manganello said. "Many of these experts will also teach in the program."

This new degree program also serves the mission of Indiana Wesleyan University, said David Wright, president of Indiana Wesleyan University.

"The DNA of Indiana Wesleyan University is to look out at the community and see where the needs are, and then to figure out innovative ways to meet those needs," Wright said. "We are not just interested in helping our students find a better job. We want them to find a cause that they believe in. It isn't just about career; it's about calling."

To learn more about the online international relations and security degree program, please visit https://www.indwes.edu/adult-graduate/programs/bs-international-relations/.

About Indiana Wesleyan University
Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) is an evangelical Christian comprehensive university of The Wesleyan Church committed to global liberal arts and professional education. About 3,000 students are enrolled in traditional programs on the main campus in Marion, Ind. More than 11,000 adult learners study online or at education centers in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. IWU has a sister institution in Sydney, Australia. More information is available at www.indwes.edu.

Indiana Wesleyan University Contact:
Jerry Shepherd, Associate Vice President
Adult Enrollment Services
765-677-2285
[email protected]

PR Contact:
Michele Lemmon, GREENCREST
614-885-7921
[email protected]

SOURCE Indiana Wesleyan University

Related Links

http://www.indwes.edu/