52 Credit Hours
Two years to complete with full-time student status
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.
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[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
Curriculum
Core Courses
(all required)
- 606 Ideas and Values in International Politics (2 credits)
- 608 Sources of American Political Thought (2 credits)
- 615 Western Moral and Political Thought (2 credits)
- 627 International Relations, Statecraft and Integrated Strategy
- 634 Geography and Strategy (2 credits)
- 642 Economics for Foreign Policy Makers (2 credits)
- 6xx Capstone course (2 credits) Under development
NOTE: These Core Courses are currently provisional but all new Fall 2020 MA students should expect to follow this plan. All returning MA students are exempted and may follow the prior curriculum. Please contact the Office of Student Affairs if you have any questions (jjohnsrud@iwp.edu).
Courses in Intelligence and Statecraft
(all required)
- 605 Intelligence and Policy
- 610 Counterintelligence in a Democratic Society
- 652 Estimative Intelligence Analysis and Epistemology
- 656 Intelligence Collection OR 668 The Role and Importance of Human Intelligence OR 631 Foreign Propaganda, Perceptions and Policy
- 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
- 607 U.S. Nonproliferation and Nuclear Policy
- 612 American Intelligence and Protective Security: An Advanced Seminar
- 632 U.S. Intelligence in the Cold War and Beyond
- 640 Cultural Intelligence for Strategy and Analysis
- 648 Military Intelligence in Modern Warfare
- 650 Writing for National Security Professionals (2 credits)
- 655 Technology, Intelligence, Security, and Statecraft
- 662 Surprise, Warning and Deception (2 credits)
- 664 Foundations of Homeland Security
- 667 Forecasting and Political Risk Analysis
- 676 A Counterintelligence Challenge: The Enigmas and Benefits of Defectors
- 678 Covert Action and National Security
- 683 Violent Non-State Actors in Today’s Security Environment (2 credits)
- 684 Nuclear Deterrence and Arms Control (2 credits)
Specialization in Counterintelligence and Foreign Intelligence
- 622 Comparative Intelligence Systems: Foreign Intelligence and Security Cultures (2 credits)
- 633 Terrorism (2 credits)
- 644 Spies, Subversion, Terrorism, and Influence Operations
- 647 Case Studies in Counterintelligence Operations
- 654 History of FBI Counterintelligence
- 659 Enemy Threat Doctrine of Global Jihadism
- 663 Cyber Statecraft (2 credits)
- 664 Foundations of Homeland Security
- 669 Counterterrorism and the Democracies
- 683 Violent Non-State Actors in Today’s Security Environment (2 credits)
- 684 Nuclear Deterrence and Arms Control (2 credits)
- 686 Terrorist Advocacy and Propaganda (2 credits)
- 691 Cyber Strategy Development (2 credits)
- 692 Cyber Terrorism and Intelligence (2 credits)
Program Learning Outcomes
- Students will demonstrate knowledge of basic terms, concepts, history, theories, and geography related to the strategic intelligence field.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to integrate intelligence, counterintelligence, protective security, and influence operations into a coherent whole.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of foreign intelligence services and their role in the foreign policy of other nations.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of the main ideological currents of the modern era and their impact on US and foreign behavior.
- Students will demonstrate knowledge of the principles of the American founding and their relevance to U.S. intelligence and foreign policy.
- Students will demonstrate a knowledge and appreciation of the Western moral tradition and its applicability to U.S. intelligence and foreign policy.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to assess arguments, identify logical flaws, and obtain supporting or corrective information.
- Students will demonstrate the use of clear, effective and persuasive written communications.
- Students will demonstrate the use of clear, effective, and persuasive oral communication.
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
“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.” |
“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.” |
“I was used to a tactical-level type of thinking. This program taught me to think strategically.” |
“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!” |