Testimonial - Kathy Felts, Master’s Degree in Homeland Security

Retired U.S. Navy Warrant Officer Kathy Felts knew she wanted a career in homeland security — even before the term became a household word after 9/11. She had trouble finding just the right program, until a fellow sailor suggested American Military University (AMU).

“There was no other school offering that kind of specialized program,” says Felts. She began the program in 2001 and recently earned her Master’s Degree in Homeland Security, concentrating in emergency and disaster management.

“AMU professors worked in the fields they taught. That balance of academic and practical experience was exactly what I was looking for,” says Felts.

The American Public University System was one of the first in the nation to offer a homeland security degree program. Today, it’s among the largest, with more than 45,000 students pursing bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Felts is putting her degree to work. She’s now a project manager for a company that provides information and communications products, solutions and services for national security. With her military experience setting up computer systems and radio and satellite links and her AMU degree, she feels she has the right combination for a successful career in emergency and disaster management.

Her degree program helped Felts understand the roles of local, state, and federal government agencies in emergency management. In particular, she learned how the agencies must form a unified response to disaster.

“I also learned about the economics of disaster, the costs of recovery and rebuilding, and the responsibilities inherent in that decision-making process,” she says. “That is the kind of knowledge that can help me make a difference.”