The United States Secret Service was created in 1865 to suppress counterfeit currency. The responsibilities and duties of the Secret Service continued to expand throughout the years. In 1951 Congress approved legislation that permanently placed the president, president-elect, and vice-president under Secret Service protection (secetservice.gov). The Secret Service continued to assume greater responsibility, such as responsibility for the protection of visiting heads of state and protection of foreign diplomatic missions.

In 2000 the Presidential Threat Protection Act was passed by Congress and that led to the Secret Service taking part in the planning and coordination of special events of national significance. In addition to the significant executive protection role of the Secret Service, the Secret Service has been extremely active in investigating counterfeiting, financial crimes, and computer based crimes.

Secret Service agents are considered federal law enforcement agents who have the dual role of protection and investigation (secretservice.gov). The Secret Service may investigate financial crimes, but a significant part of their duties is to investigate those who may make threats against the people they protect. That is such a significant part of their job because a key aspect of the Secret Service’s mission is protection.

To competently perform their duties, Secret Service agents must have a college degree and they must complete federal law enforcement officer training. After that they must complete specialized training designed for the job of a Secret Service agent. Secret Service agents are expected to do well in their college coursework. They are expected to complete a range of subjects in college because they use skills from a broad range of disciplines in their line of work (secret service.gov). Some of those subjects include science, computer science, law, government, arithmetic, English, foreign language, and communication.

It is also likely that those who wish to work for the Secret Service will benefit from specialized college level coursework in protection, security studies, intelligence, and counterterrorism. It is possible to study executive protection within the context of an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree. For instance, a person can study executive protection, security studies, or any other strategic security area while earning a bachelor’s degree. They can extend their studies with a master’s degree in Strategic Security and Protection Management.

The student seeking career advancement or advanced knowledge of the strategic security field can also work towards the Doctorate in Strategic Security. The Doctorate in Strategic Security offers advanced learning in the areas of strategic security, which will be useful in the workplace. This includes areas such as protection management, intelligence, and counterterrorism. The Doctorate in Strategic Security is an excellent way for government or military personnel to works towards advancement within their chosen career.

A student wishing to pursue work with the Secret Service may be on strong footing with a degree emphasizing security studies. The knowledge and training gained with a strategic studies degree is actually geared toward the government, military, and even the business security professional. A strategic security degree will be a valuable asset to any current or future security professional.

Dan Sommer works for Henley-Putnam University, a leading educational institution in the field of Strategic Security. For more info on Henley-Putnam University, security studies, doctorate in strategic security, call 888-852-8746 or visit us online at http://www.Henley-Putnam.edu

Dan Sommer works for Henley-Putnam University, a leading educational institution in the field of Strategic Security. For more info on Henley-Putnam University, security studies, doctorate in strategic security, call 888-852-8746 or visit us online at http://www.Henley-Putnam.edu

Author Bio: Dan Sommer works for Henley-Putnam University, a leading educational institution in the field of Strategic Security. For more info on Henley-Putnam University, security studies, doctorate in strategic security, call 888-852-8746 or visit us online at http://www.Henley-Putnam.edu

Category: Education
Keywords: security studies, doctorate in strategic security