UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Matt Goodyear’s interest in the field of anti-terrorism started while serving as an explosive ordnance disposal officer. The interest led him to study counterterrorism in a graduate program online through Penn State, and now he works in security with the U.S. Department of State.
Goodyear, a veteran with 11 years of service, is a special agent with the department’s Diplomatic Security Service. He graduated in 2022 from the counterterrorism option of Penn State’s master’s degree in homeland security.
During the federal government’s Military Appreciation Month in May, Penn State World Campus is celebrating the men and women of the armed forces who have gotten their Penn State education online to advance their careers.
Through his master’s degree studies, Goodyear learned about the threat of terrorism to the U.S. homeland and how to analyze, manage and report threats. He said he believes his advanced knowledge is helping him to find success in his career.
“I thought this would be a great program to potentially accelerate my career opportunities in the future because I’ve always had my eye on joining the State Department or the intelligence community,” Goodyear said. “I think Penn State helped me differentiate myself.”
Going back to school for a career in counterterrorism
Goodyear was a program manager for advanced technology demonstrations and experiments with the U.S. Department of Defense when he decided to go back to school and use his Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to earn a master’s degree. He wanted to work in anti-terrorism, as he had been exposed to the impact of terrorism when he worked in explosive ordnance disposal for the Army with deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries.
With his family and job his top priorities, Goodyear needed an online degree program that gave him the flexibility to complete his course work when it was convenient for him.
Goodyear chose the counterterrorism option of Penn State’s homeland security graduate program, which is offered exclusively online by the political science department of Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts. He enrolled in 2020.
The curriculum of the counterterrorism graduate program focuses on the motives, threats, recruitment strategies and operational tactics of terrorist groups, both nationally and abroad. A core tenant of this program is to encourage students to utilize the tools, data and methods available to proactively create counterterrorism policies and swiftly respond to potential or realized acts of terror.
Students must complete a final research project. For his final project, Goodyear explored the use of drones in the U.S. military. He based his research on whether the use of these unmanned aircraft contributes to the creation of more terroristic incidents instead of lessening the threat.
“The tactical use of air power and uncrewed aerial systems are significant tools in countering terrorist activity in nonpermissive environments,” Goodyear said. “However, at the strategic level, these technologies may create more acts of terrorism if they fail to avoid civilian casualties.”