The Master of Arts in Counterintelligence Studies is designed for individuals who intend to establish a command of the statecraft of U.S. counterintelligence and the law, policy, strategy, and operations that support it, where directed against foreign powers and their intelligence agencies and proxies. The curriculum draws on official records and archives of the U.S. Government and foreign powers, scholarship by national security practitioners, and extensive case studies to examine how the United States protects itself against foreign intelligence threats.
Students study how the United States compromises the intelligence collection efforts of foreign powers through recruitment and penetration; influences or deceives adversaries regarding U.S. plans, intentions, and capabilities; and disrupts or neutralizes hostile intelligence activities through legal and operational means. The program emphasizes both the theory and practice of counterintelligence across a range of contexts.
The course of study examines the evolution and current structure of the U.S. Counterintelligence Community, including the authorities of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the military services. Coursework addresses the legal and constitutional foundations of national security authorities, intelligence oversight, and the role of counterintelligence in wartime and peacetime.
Particular attention is given to adversarial intelligence doctrines and tradecraft, including those of major state and non-state actors. Through case studies, students evaluate operational successes and failures involving double agents, insider threats, cyber intrusions, and deception campaigns.
The curriculum also emphasizes analytic methodology, risk assessment, interagency coordination, and the protection of critical technologies and infrastructure. Ethical considerations and civil liberties are integrated throughout to ensure that counterintelligence activities remain consistent with constitutional governance and the rule of law.
This new degree program will be open for enrollment beginning in Fall 2026.
Featured Faculty
Students who pursue a Master’s Degree in Counterintelligence Studies will study under these core faculty members, among others.
Armed with knowledge from studying historical counterintelligence successes and failures, I’ve been able to apply the lessons learned to my current job of combating foreign intelligence services at the tactical and strategic levels.
—John Russo (’06), Recipient of the “Director’s Award for Excellence” from the FBI
Program Requirements (52 Credits)
All courses are four credits unless noted otherwise.
Counterintelligence Studies Requirements (16 Credits)
- IWP 610 Counterintelligence in a Democratic Society
- IWP 647 The Operations and Cases of U.S. Counterintelligence
- IWP 654 The Evolution of the CI Community
- IWP 681 Intelligence and Law
Counterintelligence Studies Electives (16 Credits)
Students may apply any IWP courses toward their elective requirements, selecting those that best align with their professional goals. However, IWP faculty recommend the courses listed below to best complete the student’s studies in counterintelligence.
- IWP 601 National Security Policy Process
- IWP 605 Intelligence and Policy
- IWP 622 Comparative Intelligence Systems: Foreign Intelligence and Security Cultures
- IWP 644 Soviet and Russian Intelligence and Security Services
- IWP 668 Espionage
- IWP 726 Intelligence in Africa: History, Culture, and Trends (2 credits)
- IWP 733 Chinese Intelligence and Security Services
Core Requirements (20 Credits)
- 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 620 Contemporary Politics and Diplomacy
- 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)
Additional Requirements
Candidates for this graduate degree are not required to pass a language proficiency examination but may elect to do so in order to add an important skill to their academic credentials and marketability. Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the same language training opportunities made available to candidates in the Statecraft and International Affairs degree program.
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.
Alumni at Work
Below is a selection of organizations where graduates of IWP have worked:
- Accenture Federal Services
- AECOM
- BAE Systems, Inc.
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- CACI International Inc.
- Capitol Police
- Central Intelligence Agency
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
- Ernst & Young (EY)
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- General Dynamics Information Technology
- General Services Administration
- International Atomic Energy Agency
- Leidos
- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
- National Security Agency
- Naval Criminal Investigative Service
- Office of Naval Intelligence
- Office of the Director of National Intelligence
- SAIC
- Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc.
- U.S. Air Force Intelligence
- U.S. Army Intelligence
- U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency
- U.S. Department of Defense
- U.S. Department of Energy
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- U.S. Department of the Treasury
- U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
Alumni Testimonials
“IWP prepares you to have a seat at the table in the White House, the Department of Justice, CIA, Congress, and other agencies of the government.”
Aubrey Hodges (’24)
Senior Security Cooperation Consultant
“My IWP experience provided a lot of insight into how things work and how to get a job in the national security space. But – importantly – it also taught us how to ask and address moral questions that may come up during this work.”
Daniel Zygiel-Clague (’23)
Intelligence Professional
“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)
“At IWP, you learn how to think like a strategist, anticipate adversaries’ intentions, and act with prudence and foresight. I have been applying my IWP education in my work every day.”
Patricia Schouker (’17)
Energy Security and Energy Transition Lead at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C.
“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)
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.
“The IWP education enables you to think at an integrated strategic level and understand the broader context of information operations, as well as the nature of our adversaries.”
Christopher Rawlins (’15)
Information Operations Planner for the U.S. Army
Please note: These are Christopher’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 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
Program Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a thorough understanding of key terms, concepts, history, and theories related to international affairs, national security, and counterintelligence.
- Assess foreign threats and opportunities and their implications for U.S. intelligence and counterintelligence efforts.
- Integrate diverse instruments of statecraft, with an emphasis on geopolitical and economic factors as they relate to counterintelligence studies.
- Understand the legal framework that governs the Intelligence Community (IC), especially how it relates to U.S. counterintelligence.
- Appreciate the principles of the American founding and the Western moral tradition as they apply to U.S. counterintelligence, especially in relation to national security policy.