Master of Arts in Military Studies-Capstone Option

This course is an in-depth analysis of the characteristics of leadership common to great military leaders. It focuses on those personalities and decision making skills that are inbred and/or learned by the great leaders. Students compare and contrast the characteristics of great military leaders and choose a specific leader to assess the persona of that individual. Special emphasis is on investigating the biographical literature and what sources reveal about personality and leadership style.

This course addresses the application of strategy and process of the making of strategy, both of which deal with the preparation and use of military power to serve the ends of politics. The treatment is chronological, as determined by the various case studies, and two themes run throughout: the relationship of strategy and the strategic level of war to other levels of war, especially policy and the political level of war; and the difficulty inherent in the process of the making of strategy. Note: Not available for students who have previously taken MILS520.

This course is a comprehensive study that explores the strategic, operational, and tactical dimensions of war through an examination of military theory in the context of historical experience. Purpose is to promote critical thinking about war based on the clash of ideas and critical inquiry and analysis. Toward that end, students examine some of the masters in the art of war in terms of their ideas and influence regarding strategy, tactics, and especially operational art.

This course covers the theory and practice of joint warfare, by examining major conflicts since the mid-19th and joint warfare in the 1980s and 1990s. Students assess, through case studies, the impact of the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 on the Department of Defense and U.S. national security strategy.

RECOMMENDED AS FIRST PROGRAM COURSE. REQUIRED AS ONE OF FIRST THREE PROGRAM COURSES. Learn basic research methods skills for addressing security and intelligence studies problems and issues. You focus on the detailed procedures for conducting qualitative case studies, which is the foundation for most basic security and intelligence research conducted in academic, government, and business circles. You become well versed in research planning, secondary data collection, and qualitative data analysis methods and how these methods relate to the larger field of social science research. You will also learn the analysis of competing hypotheses approach to research design. You are also introduced to basic social theory which supports security and intelligence research. The course prepares you for later learning intermediate and advanced security and intelligence methods.

This course is a study of the advent of air power and the changes it has wrought on the nature and conduct of war in the modern age. Topics include aviation's role in revolutionizing the battlefield by expanding the scale and scope of conflict from two to three dimensions. Special emphasis is on air power methods and strategy and geopolitical implications of air power's destructive capacity vis-a-vis civilian populations, economies, and collateral damage.

This course explores the strategic theories of airpower in terms of their origin, development, and future potential. Airpower concepts are considered against the backdrop of its history during the last century and the current scenarios in the 21st century. Students evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of strategic airpower as the appropriate support for surface forces or the independent key to victory in war.

This course seeks to explore the theory of tactical airpower beginning with an examination of the formative experience in North Africa during World War II, followed by an examination of how tactical airpower has been employed in the present, and concluding with an exploration of possible future uses of tactical airpower based upon analyses conducted during the course.

This course seeks to explore the future of airpower by examining its past as a means to assess how airpower might manifest itself in the 21st century. As we enter into the 21st century, pre-Cold War and Cold War paradigms that served to shape the evolution and character of airpower and air warfare are giving way to as yet to be clearly defined post-Cold War modalities.

This course considers the nature of future military conflict, the history of future war doctrine, and the impact of current conflict on the conceptualization of the "next war." Students examine current, past, and future low-intensity as well as high-intensity conflicts, and the appropriate use of military force in the power projection role to influence a diplomatic resolution to a conflict. Rogue nations, and related cultural clashes, and religious factors are related to planning for future war.

This course is a study of the air component of joint warfare in the modern age. Students address the air component strengths and weaknesses in working in interagency, inter-service environments as seen through analysis of several modern military operations.

This course is a study of air power in actual operations by regular armed forces against irregular opponents. Students study the role of air warfare in small wars from its emergence as an element of military strategy before World War I to the present day. Course topics include the use of air power in combating bandits, guerrillas, terrorists, and other unconventional adversaries.

This course examines the origins, development, and nature of special air operations beginning in World War II and tracing the evolution of this mission through the Korean War, Vietnam, the Gulf War, as well as some lesser known conflicts during the Cold War, and concluding with an examination of its continuing viability.

This course, when offered, is a one-time offering on an area of special interest that will vary. NOTE: Open to graduate students as an elective. Any substitution as a Concentration or Major course must have Dean Approval through your academic advisor.

This course is an opportunity for Military Studies students to pursue an independent research project or examine a specific area of history under the mentorship of a single professor. Students must complete 24 credits of study before taking this course. The course will typically involve a major research paper; there will be no examination. Students will submit a proposal prior to the start of the project, and a rough draft of the paper, both of which will count toward the final grade. Prerequisite: University approval and Upper Level standing. Prior to registering, students should first contact the professor with whom they wish to mentor their independent study, coordinate an agreement on the grading requirements, and then NOTIFY their academic advisor with the name of their professor.

This course is an opportunity for students to write a research proposal in their field of interest under the mentorship of a single professor who is an expert in the field. Students must contact their Academic Adviser at least thirty (30) days prior to registering for this course and must have completed all degree requirements excluding MILS699 – Master of Arts - Thesis. The Program Director will approve the statement of the topic so that the concept can be implemented into a complete syllabus with readings and activities to warrant academic credit. The selection of the professor depends upon the choice of topic and content area.

This is a 16 week course that must be taken after all other courses in your program are complete. Preparation for the Master of Arts in Military Studies Capstone (Thesis) seminar begins on day one of a student's graduate program of study. The theories, research methods and analytical skills, and substantive knowledge obtained through their master's curriculum provide the basis for the thesis project. Students are required to develop primary and secondary source materials on the research topic and address the writing requirements as described in the syllabus and classroom assignments. The thesis proposal must provide a clear description of a question or problem and a proposed method of answering the question or solving the problem. Guidance on the format of the research seminar proposal and a sample proposal are contained in the APUS Thesis Manual. Students take the research seminar after all other course completions.