This degree is designed for students who seek careers in the intelligence or counterintelligence field, as well as professionals whose agencies or clientele are charged with the acquisition and interpretation of intelligence. It features courses in fundamental intelligence disciplines, such as:
- Intelligence collection
- Analysis and epistemology
- Counterintelligence and deception
- Covert action
The program equips the student with all of the requisite tools and knowledge necessary for professional success in the field.
Preparation for a Career in Intelligence
Students learn the art of intelligence and gain practical experience from faculty who have served or are serving in the intelligence community.
Graduates from this Master’s program have gone into careers with a variety of agencies in the Intelligence Community, including: the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Agency (NSA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Department of the Treasury (USDT), the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Air Force Intelligence, Army Intelligence, and the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI).
The Institute of World Politics maintains a well-connected alumni networking program for students to meet alumni working in a variety of these fields and offers some practical experience through an extracurricular crisis simulation.
[At IWP,] we were instilled with the importance of applying a realistic and clearly defined strategy when approaching the challenges of the world.
—CPT (P) Gregory J. Abide USA, Valedictorian of the Class of 2018
Please note: These are Greg’s personal views and do not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. Army.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the terms, concepts, history, and theories, related to international affairs, national security, and strategic intelligence and its role in the U.S. policy process.
- Make an informed assessment of foreign threats and opportunities as well as their impact on U.S. intelligence and counterintelligence.
- Integrate the various instruments of statecraft, with special consideration of geopolitical and economic factors, as they apply to U.S. intelligence and counterintelligence.
- Understand the legal structure on which the Intelligence Community (IC) is founded and within which it operates.
- Appreciate the principles of the American founding and the Western moral tradition as applied to U.S. intelligence and counterintelligence in the context of overall national security policy.
Curriculum
Core Courses
(all required)
- IWP 606 Ideas and Values in International Politics (2 credits)
- IWP 608 Sources of American Political Thought (2 credits)
- IWP 615 Western Moral and Political Thought (2 credits)
- IWP 627 International Relations, Statecraft and Integrated Strategy
- IWP 634 Geography and Strategy (2 credits)
- IWP 642 Economics for Foreign Policy Makers (2 credits)
- IWP 799 Capstone Course (2 credits)
NOTE: All MA students admitted prior to Fall 2020 are exempted and may follow the previous curriculum. Please contact the Office of Student Affairs if you have any questions (jjohnsrud@iwp.edu).
Courses in Intelligence and Statecraft
(all required)
- IWP 605 Intelligence and Policy
- IWP 610 Counterintelligence in a Democratic Society
- IWP 652 Estimative Intelligence Analysis and Epistemology
- IWP 656 Intelligence Collection OR IWP 668 Espionage OR IWP 631 Foreign Propaganda, Perceptions and Policy
- IWP 681 Intelligence and the Law*
*This course is required for new students effective Fall 2020. Returning students may follow the previous curriculum.
Note: For the following two specializations, students must take a total of 16 credits, including at least 4 credits in each specialization.
Specialization in The Art of Intelligence
- IWP 632 U.S. Intelligence in the Cold War and Beyond
- IWP 640 Cultural Intelligence for Strategy and Analysis
- IWP 650 Writing for National Security Professionals (2 credits)
- IWP 662 Surprise, Warning and Deception (2 credits)
- IWP 667 Forecasting and Political Risk Analysis
- IWP 676 A Counterintelligence Challenge: The Enigmas and Benefits of Defectors
- IWP 678 Covert Action and National Security
- IWP 683 Violent Non-State Actors in Today’s Security Environment (2 credits)
- IWP 684 Nuclear Strategy and Arms Control (2 credits)
- IWP 701 Geospatial Intelligence (2 credits)
- IWP 703 The Theory and Practice of North Korea Espionage (2 credits)
- IWP 708 Female Roles in Contemporary Insurgencies & Small Armies (2 credits)
Specialization in Counterintelligence and Foreign Intelligence
- IWP 622 Comparative Intelligence Systems: Foreign Intelligence and Security Cultures (2 credits)
- IWP 644 Soviet and Russian Intelligence and Security Services
- IWP 647 Case Studies in Counterintelligence Operations
- IWP 654 History of FBI Counterintelligence
- IWP 659 Enemy Threat Doctrine of Global Jihadism
- IWP 663 Cyber Statecraft (2 credits)
- IWP 669 Counterterrorism and the Democracies
- IWP 683 Violent Non-State Actors in Today’s Security Environment (2 credits)
- IWP 684 Nuclear Strategy and Arms Control (2 credits)
- IWP 686 Terrorist Advocacy and Propaganda (2 credits)
- IWP 691 Cyber Strategy Development (2 credits)
- IWP 692 Cyber Terrorism and Intelligence (2 credits)
- IWP 695 American Domestic Terrorism in the Modern Era (2 credits)
- IWP 703 The Theory and Practice of North Korea Espionage (2 credits)
- IWP 708 Female Roles in Contemporary Insurgencies & Small Armies (2 credits)
Additional Requirements
Candidates for this degree are not required to pass a language proficiency examination; however, foreign language training is highly encouraged.
Students in this program may be enrolled full-time (9 or more credit hours per semester) or part-time (less than 9 credit hours per semester), but must complete the degree in five calendar years or less. After successful completion of all coursework, each student will be required to pass a one-hour oral examination and a three-hour written comprehensive examination.
Perspectives from Alumni of this M.A. Program
“It is one of the best educational experiences available if you are (or aspire to be) a national security professional in either a civil or military capacity. What I got from IWP continues to pay dividends in my career.”
MAJ Andrew Harris, U.S. Army (’17)
Read Andrew’s valedictory remarks
Please note: These are Andrew’s personal views and do not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. Army. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) or Military-themed visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
“I learned more about myself at IWP than I was expecting to. I thought I wanted to do counterterrorism, but I am now on a counterintelligence track because of IWP.”
A Member of the Class of 2019
“I was used to a tactical-level type of thinking. This program taught me to think strategically.”
Alex AhumadaPuente (’19)
“I sat in on a class by Dr. Dave Thomas and found exactly what I was missing in my current graduate program: classes taught by patriot practitioners instead of academic apologists. I dropped out of the other school and applied to join IWP as soon as I could!”
C.W. Walker, (’15)
Cyber Intelligence Professional
Meet C.W.