The term “Homeland Security” often brings to mind things like Sept. 11 and fighting terrorism.

At NIU, the Homeland Security Certificate Program encompasses a wide range of subjects in the areas of emergency management and disaster planning.

NIU offers specialized “tracks” in biochemical sciences, CyberSecurity, emergency management and response, health sciences and environmental and hazards risk assessment.

Homeland Security certificates can help students looking to get an edge in their chosen field. Having it will put them in a position to help plan and respond to emergencies and disasters, especially if they are planning on ascending to a leadership role. Employers will look at this certificate as an added incentive to hire prospective employees, NIU administrators hope.

“It takes what we would call an all-hazards approach,” said Mary Pritchard, associate dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences. “You might look at the words homeland security and think, ‘This is terrorism,’ but it’s all of these, we call them ‘natural and human-made disasters.'”

For an example of what someone can do with such a certificate, the CyberSecurity track can train someone looking to work in information technology services to prevent and react to cyber attacks.

“I think it’s an extremely valuable addition to your degree,” said Coordinator of CyberSecurity Raimund Ege. “It’s a matter of marketability.”

Jozef Bujarski, coordinator of biochemical sciences, sees how one of the classes he teaches, General Virology, can even help in fighting terrorism.

“You can imagine terrorists will attempt to create tools to cause massive diseases or massive infections,” he said. “Some terrorist can recreate a virus synthetically.”

If a NIU student has an interest in a “track” not offered by NIU, they can turn to the Innovative Delivery of Education Alliance Homeland Security (IDEA HS), an alliance of eight Illinois universities that offer their homeland security courses online to students at any of the other schools in IDEA HS. For instance, if a NIU student wants to take a course in Fire Protection, he or she can take it online through Western Illinois University.

Alan Robinson, director of outreach for the college of health and human sciences, recalled a few instances where students needed certain courses to graduate that weren’t offered at their respective universities. Those classes were offered, however, online at IDEA HS, so they were able to graduate after all.

“There’s been some anecdotal situations that give it a real positive spin,” he said of IDEA HS.