American Military University: A Comprehensive Overview of Master's Programs
For students aspiring to leadership roles and impactful careers, American Military University (AMU) offers a diverse range of master's programs designed to provide advanced knowledge, practical skills, and real-world experience. These programs aim to equip graduates with the expertise sought by employers and the capabilities to contribute to their respective fields significantly.
The Value of a Graduate Degree
A master's degree can open doors to new career opportunities and leadership positions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates employers seek candidates with advanced knowledge, leadership potential, and sophisticated communication and project management skills. Only a small percentage of Americans hold a master's degree, making graduates stand out in a competitive job market.
AMU's graduate programs prepare students to take the next step in their careers, often incorporating practical experiences such as practicums, research projects, and portfolio development. These experiences allow students to apply their knowledge in real-world settings and expand their skillsets. A comprehensive exam assesses students' mastery of the program's learning objectives.
Support for Graduate Students
Recognizing that returning to school after years in the workforce can be challenging, AMU provides comprehensive support services for graduate students. The admissions team, academic advisors, and career services counselors are available to assist students from the start to finish. These resources help students navigate new technologies, research methods, and content within their chosen disciplines.
Research and Resources
AMU prioritizes the professional development of its graduate students, offering opportunities to collaborate with faculty members on research projects through coursework and independent study. Capstone projects allow students to contribute new knowledge to their fields and develop solutions for issues affecting their professional communities.
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The Institutional Review Board (IRB) ensures all research involving human subjects adheres to federal, institutional, and ethical guidelines. Graduate Studies Webinars offer professional development in areas such as grant writing, practicum preparation, workplace conflict management, and research methods.
The APUS ePress provides access to specialty materials for online classrooms and scholarly use, including master's theses, student journals, and faculty scholarships. The Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) challenges graduate students to condense their research into a brief, engaging presentation, enhancing their research, academic, presentation, and communication skills.
AMU is a partner and major sponsor of the Policy Studies Organization (PSO), offering opportunities to attend and present at conferences and engage in academic dialogue. The university also publishes two peer-reviewed journals in collaboration with PSO: the Internet Learning Journal and the Journal of Global Security and Intelligence Studies.
Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP)
AMU faculty works with the Lumina Foundation to implement a degree qualifications profile (DQP) framework, focusing on what graduates should know and do upon completing their program. Key learning outcomes are integrated into all graduate programs to create a rich learning experience focused on real-world implementation.
The Richard G. Trefry Library provides access to scholarly journals, books/ebooks, and research guides, as well as recorded graduate studies webinars.
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Master's in Criminal Justice
The curriculum for AMU’s master’s program in Criminal Justice is intended to equip students with the knowledge and skills to make higher-level professional contributions to public safety and the justice system, connect with professional peers and expand their network, and prepare them with relevant and current knowledge to help shape the future of the criminal justice field. All students must complete certain core classes covering topics such as criminological theory, ethics, police administration, and research methods. Students choose from a selection of concentrations. This master’s in criminal justice includes a capstone course that integrates the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the program. This master’s degree in Criminal Justice is designed to help you develop professional skills typically needed for leadership in the field. For busy professionals with unpredictable schedules, this master’s degree is online. AMU is committed to awarding the most transfer credit possible.
Master's Degrees in Psychology
AMU offers a variety of master's degrees in psychology with different concentrations.
Development/Personality Psychology
The concentration in Development/Personality Psychology provides students with in-depth study of theory and research associated with normal and abnormal human development and personality. Emphasis is placed on typical development with some examination of challenges faced during development. Cultural differences and commonalities are reviewed. Applications of theory to educational settings are also examined. This course guides graduate level learners in in-depth study of classic and contemporary theories and treatment of abnormal human functioning.
General Psychology
The General Concentration allows students to select from a variety of course offerings in various specialties in the field. This course guides students through advanced level, in-depth and detailed study of classic and contemporary models of human cognition and learning through the lenses of the principle schools of psychology.
Military and Trauma Psychology
The concentration in Military and Trauma Psychology prepares students to have a strong understanding of psychology topics uniquely associated with military and trauma settings. This course will explore the unique psychology associated with military deployment, both for the person being deployed and their family and loved ones. Students will explore research and historical real world examples of natural and man-made disasters to consider best practices in managing effective emergency response. Specific focus will be on understanding and mitigating post-traumatic stress, as well as military related disasters and emergencies.
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Child Life
The Child Life Concentration allows students to focus on rigorous study of Child Life theory, practice and application. Coursework will promote development of skills needed to work with children and families during times of acute or chronic illness or trauma while preparing students to complete the academic requirements for the Certified Child Life Specialist credential.
Cyberpsychology
Cyberpsychology is an emerging subfield within psychology that examines the relationship and implications of artificial intelligence and other technology on human interaction and behavior. This course provides an overview of deceptive techniques -how they work and how they can be defeated.
Master's Degrees in Management
AMU offers a variety of master's degrees in management with different concentrations.
Human Resources
This course analyzes the legal framework and principles of employment law from a managerial perspective. This course is a comprehensive analysis of how human resource policies are formulated by evaluating the interdependence of human resource and operating functions. Students will have the opportunity to assess policies geared toward high profile HR areas such as talent management, Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) regulations, employee development and compensation.
Organizational Development
This course consists of a collection of classic and contemporary readings in Organizational Development covering a broad range of topics including change management, organizational culture, team development, and organizational development diagnostic models. Included are experiential exercises that give students an opportunity to practice their skills and cases that allow students to draw on their experiences to apply the concepts and theories in managerial situations.
Public Administration
Addresses the management of public organizations and interpersonal relationships at the federal, state, and local levels. Various positions and issues involving politics, policy, economics, administration, and management in the public sector are covered. This course covers the major administrative theories that drive macro-level public behavior.
Environmental Policy
This course is a study of the major legal, regulatory, and policy framework that encompasses environmental programs and projects in the United States and with international political, commercial, and non-governmental institutions.
Leadership
This course covers the elements of contemporary leadership and delineates the principles that are important in the development of a leader for the 21st century. Discussion of the role and function of leadership will include an in-depth analysis and study of needs impacting individuals, organizations and society.
Organizational Crisis Management
This concentration in Organizational Crisis Management covers crisis management concepts and activities from the organizational leader’s perspective. This course examines the variables involved in crisis planning, communication, and management.
Entrepreneurship
Focuses on key concepts and principles of being a successful entrepreneur/intrapreneur or small business owner. There are two types of entrepreneurs - those that have a myriad of ideas and those that can't think of one idea. This course will help the student identify opportunities for a new business venture by either deciding on one idea they have or helping to create ideas.
Strategic Consulting
This concentration focuses on developing a business plan for a strategic consulting practice, assessing organization and business consulting models, and presenting recommendations on improving an organization’s practices and processes.
Master's Degrees in Technology
AMU offers a variety of master's degrees in technology.
Information Technology Project Management
This course explores successful project management for information technology projects. The System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) models are defined including the waterfall, spiral, incremental release, and prototyping models. Students will differentiate between these models and apply corresponding project management methods to identify critical checkpoints and reviews.
Cyber Forensics
This course examines information concealment techniques, technologies, hardware, software, and relevant legislation for cyber forensics to reveal and track legal and illegal activity. The course examines the process for investigation and introduces the tools and procedures required to legally seize and forensically evaluate a suspect machine.
Telecommunications
This course is a study of computer networks and the evolution of modern communication systems. It examines the various layers of the basic reference models such as the five-layer IP model or the seven-layer OSI model, by scale, connection method, network architecture, or topology.
Information Security
This course examines the tenets of Intrusion Detection, Intrusion Prevention, and Incident Handling. Intrusion Detection focuses on the methods to detect attempts (attacks or intrusions) to compromise the confidentiality, integrity or availability of an information system.
E-Commerce
Analyzes supply chain management, global and electronic marketing strategies, and ecommerce business opportunities. This course introduces the student to the concepts and terminology of modern e-commerce approaches. It includes topics on marketing, web technologies, security, legal issues, imaging, search engines.
Master's Degrees in Sports Management
This course studies the sports industry across all of its disciplines, functions, economics, leaders, and organizations. It is a macro view of sports as a major component of the modern corporate, social, economic, and recreation world. The industry is studied in detail in many different aspects as it exists in society.
Master's Degrees in Analytics
This course lays the groundwork to define problems, requirements, stakeholders, and resources used to round up information and break it down to reach a variety of business goals. This course delves deeper into the sophisticated techniques, algorithms, and tools central to modern analytics.
Master's Degrees in Accounting
This course addresses the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to be successful in today’s contract management industry, including government contracting within federal agencies or military and civilian defense establishments. This course is a study in realistic scenario-based learning, where students work in teams to practice developing sound business solutions.
Master's Degrees in Cybersecurity
As defined by industry standards, cybersecurity is the “function of protecting the integrity of data, networks, and programs from unauthorized access, damage, and theft” and as such opens up a field of study that involves course work in areas such as data management, network management, disaster recovery, intrusion protection, computer crime, and many others.
Master's Degrees in Healthcare Management
This course is designed to introduce students to the business side of healthcare. Topics include the regulatory environment, employment law, managing and marketing healthcare services.
Master's Degrees in Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Business Project Management enhances your understanding of how businesses evolve, adapt, and maintain an enterprise through project management. Through this concentration, you will be introduced to the theories, concepts, and practices that align with project management.
Master's Degrees in Intelligence Studies
As an institution with roots in the military, AMU is committed to quality, accessible intelligence education. This master’s degree expands on the topics students explore through our bachelor’s program, while laying the groundwork for doctoral-level studies. AMU learners therefore gain a comprehensive understanding of intelligence functions. The program’s curriculum is comprised of fully online classes. Required courses engage students in critical thinking to help strengthen their problem-solving abilities and build leadership skills. Moreover, students have the option to complete internships for academic credit. Interning grants students professional experience, along with meaningful context for the topics they study in class. Intelligence professionals are instrumental in safeguarding our country’s infrastructure and citizens. Courses also address myriad contemporary issues that plague the IC.
Concentrations
- Terrorism studies
- Criminal intelligence
- Cyber
- Homeland security
- Intelligence analysis
- Intelligence collection
- Intelligence management
- Intelligence operations
Master’s Degrees Contribute to Graduate Culture
At APUS, graduate culture arises from our community of emerging scholars and practitioners who share a commitment to research and scholarly integrity, a passion for producing and extending knowledge in the field, and dedication to applying that knowledge in innovative, interdisciplinary contexts.
At APUS, a successful master’s student is someone who is able to synthesize and evaluate current literature in the field and apply theory to problems of professional practice or questions in the discipline. As a student completes their master’s program, they will be able to apply the major theoretical frameworks in their field to past and current events, synthesize different theoretical and methodological approaches in order to argue for evidence-based solutions, analyze and critique the literature to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in other research, and communicate effectively to audiences within and outside the discipline.
Master’s degrees at APUS consist of at least 30 credits of graduate coursework. In most cases, coursework includes a combination of core, concentration, and elective courses. All master’s programs require a capstone experience, which is a culminating course or set of courses. The capstone may take several forms, including a thesis, creative project, applied project, practicum, or portfolio. Some programs also offer a comprehensive exam for their culminating experience.
What is a Master’s Degree?
According to the Council of Graduate Schools, master’s degrees differ significantly from undergraduate degrees in several ways: The master’s degree is awarded to students who demonstrate a level of academic accomplishment and subject mastery substantially beyond that required for the baccalaureate degree. Graduates from master’s degree programs should have developed the ability to think logically and consistently; integrate and synthesize knowledge; access up-to-date knowledge and information within the discipline; communicate in a clear, consistent, and logical manner, both orally and in writing; understand the interrelationships between their discipline and others; be aware of and prepared to deal with ethical dilemmas within their profession; apply their knowledge of the discipline to real-life situations; and, increasingly, adapt to the dynamic and changing requirements of their profession and their workplace.
Master’s graduates are expected to have gained knowledge and skills not only from course work, research, and practicums but also from varied experiences and perspectives brought to the program and shared among students, faculty, and practitioners. The specific requirements for individual students, even those working in the same field, may vary to a certain extent, depending not only on their pre-master’s preparation and experience but also on the research projects or new applications of knowledge for which the program is preparing them.
Master’s programs usually require a capstone or culminating experience that indicates the ability to synthesize material from course work and to apply information and knowledge to a specific issue or problem, although some programs may require only completion of course work. The capstone requirement may be a thesis (once nearly universal), an equally rigorous creative project, a demanding comprehensive examination, or, increasingly, some alternative requirement, such as a documented contribution to a group project or outcome (increasingly common in professionally focused programs) or reports of internship or fieldwork experiences. Since the ability to communicate in one’s field is essential, master’s programs typically include an opportunity for the student to learn to present scholarly information in written and oral form to a variety of audiences.
Why Pursue Your Degree at American Military University?
Convenience. AMU’s online program enables busy working professionals to attend classes from anywhere with internet access. Students complete weekly assignments to develop an advanced understanding of their chosen field. Classes have no set login times, and learners may access course materials online 24/7.
Accreditation. Department of Education (ED). APUS is comprised of American Military University and American Public University (APU). The HLC accredits degree-granting institutions nationwide and is also recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Affordability. University grants and low tuition rates help make studying at AMU affordable for master’s-level students.
Career-relevant education. AMU’s curriculum emphasizes practical applications for the knowledge and skills students gain through their studies.
Learn from Professionals with Real-World Experience in the Field
AMU’s departments are led by retired officers and seasoned professionals.
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