This online degree is designed for students currently in the national security community or for those who wish to enter this career field. It provides a comprehensive study of the theory and practice of national security policy, process, and implementation, both in historical and contemporary perspectives. Significant attention is directed toward vital current policy issues as well as understanding foreign cultures and the practices of foreign powers.
IWP has equipped us with the intellectual tools, historical lessons, and moral framework to face today’s national security challenges.
—David Torres, Valedictorian of the Class of 2025
Program Requirements (52 Credits)
All courses are four credits unless noted otherwise.
All courses listed below will be conducted entirely online using asynchronous, previously-produced material (such as recorded lectures or interviews).
Core Requirements (20 Credits)
All of the following courses are required.
- IWPO 606 Ideas and Values in International Politics (2 credits)
- IWPO 608 Sources of American Political Thought (2 credits)
- IWPO 615 Western Moral and Political Thought (2 credits)
- IWPO 620 Contemporary Politics and Diplomacy
- IWPO 627 International Relations, Statecraft and Integrated Strategy
- IWPO 634 Geography and Strategy (2 credits)
- IWPO 642 Economics for Foreign Policy Makers (2 credits)
- IWPO 799 Capstone Course (2 credits)
Concentration Requirements (16 Credits)
Students must complete any 16 credits of courses from those listed below.
Defense and National Security
- IWPO 601 National Security Policy Process (4 credits)
- IWPO 616 U.S. National Security Strategy and Emerging Threats (4 credits)
- IWPO 628 Military Strategy: Theory and Practice (4 credits)
- IWPO 679 Defense Strategy, Planning, and Budgeting (4 credits)
Intelligence
- IWPO 605 Intelligence and Policy (4 credits)
- IWPO 610 Counterintelligence in a Democratic Society (4 credits)
- IWPO 652 Estimative Intelligence Analysis and Epistemology (4 credits)
- IWPO 656 Intelligence Collection (4 credits)
- IWPO 678 Covert Action and National Security (4 credits)
Public Diplomacy and Strategic Influence
- IWPO 631 Foreign Propaganda, Perceptions, and Policy (4 credits)
- IWPO 636 The Art of Diplomacy (4 credits)
- IWPO 637 Public Diplomacy (4 credits)
- IWPO 641 Political Warfare: Past, Present, and Future (4 credits)
Elective Requirements (16 Credits)
Students may take any 16 credits of courses of their choosing, or they may select a second concentration.
Additional Requirements
Candidates for this degree are not required to pass a language proficiency examination but may elect to do so elsewhere in order to add an important skill to their academic credentials and marketability. At this time, IWP does not offer language courses to online students.
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.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of basic terms, concepts, historical facts, theories, and geography related to national security policy, process, and implementation.
- Integrate the various instruments of statecraft, with special consideration of geopolitical and economic factors, as they apply to U.S. national strategy.
- Make an informed assessment of the statecraft of foreign powers as well as the main geopolitical and ideological currents that contribute to the political and military struggles of the modern era and their impact on U.S. and foreign behavior.
- Appreciate the principles of the American founding and the Western moral tradition as applied to national security and foreign policy.
- Exhibit detailed knowledge on a U.S. national security or foreign affairs specialization.
The Institute of World Politics has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements.
