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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Curriculum
Core Courses
(all required)
- 608 American Founding Principles and Foreign Policy
- 642 Economics for Foreign Policy Makers (2 credits)
- 634 Geography and Strategy (2 credits)
- 627 International Relations, Statecraft and Integrated Strategy
- 615 Western Moral Tradition and World Politics
Courses in Intelligence and Statecraft
(all required)
- 605 Intelligence and Policy
- 610 Counterintelligence in a Democratic Society
- 631 Foreign Propaganda, Perceptions and Policy (May be substituted with 637 Public Diplomacy and Strategic Influence or 641 Political Warfare: Past, Present and Future with permission of the Dean)
- 652 Estimative Intelligence Analysis and Epistemology
- 656 Intelligence Collection OR 668 The Role and Importance of Human Intelligence OR 681 Intelligence and the Law
Note: For the following two specializations, students must take a total of 16 credits, including at least one course in each specialization.
Specialization in The Art of Intelligence
- 612 American Intelligence and Protective Security: An Advanced Seminar
- 676 A Counterintelligence Challenge: The Enigmas and Benefits of Defectors
- 678 Covert Action and National Security
- 640 Cultural Intelligence for Strategy and Analysis
- 667 Forecasting and Political Risk Analysis
- 664 Foundations of Homeland Security
- 648 Military Intelligence in Modern Warfare
- 684 Nuclear Deterrence and Arms Control (2 credits)
- 662 Surprise, Warning and Deception (2 credits)
- 655 Technology, Intelligence, Security, and Statecraft
- 632 U.S. Intelligence in the Cold War and Beyond
- 607 U.S. Nonproliferation and Nuclear Policy
- 683 Violent Non-State Actors in Today’s Security Environment (2 credits)
- 650 Writing for National Security Professionals (2 credits)
Specialization in Counterintelligence and Foreign Intelligence
- 647 Case Studies in Counterintelligence Operations
- 622 Comparative Intelligence Systems: Foreign Intelligence and Security Cultures
- 669 Counterterrorism and the Democracies
- 663 Cyber Statecraft (2 credits)
- 659 Enemy Threat Doctrine of Global Jihadism
- 664 Foundations of Homeland Security
- 654 History of FBI Counterintelligence
- 684 Nuclear Deterrence and Arms Control (2 credits)
- 644 Spies, Subversion, Terrorism, and Influence Operations
- 633 Terrorism (2 credits)
- 686 Terrorist Advocacy and Propaganda (2 credits)
- 683 Violent Non-State Actors in Today’s Security Environment (2 credits)
Mastering Strategic Intelligence
To complete this M.A., students must achieve the following learning objectives.
Skills
- Students must demonstrate knowledge of the various aspects of statecraft (military strategy; intelligence; counterintelligence; defense against foreign propaganda; deception; influence operations; psychological strategy; and terrorism), and the role of protective security in our democracy.
- Students must demonstrate the ability to address intelligence, counterintelligence, protective security, and influence operations by integrating these into a coherent whole.
- Students must demonstrate the ability to think strategically and integrate tactical work with strategic goals.
Knowledge
- Students must demonstrate knowledge of basic terms, concepts, historic facts, theories, economics, and geography related to the strategic intelligence field.
- Student must demonstrate knowledge of the chosen field of specialization (national security, intelligence, statecraft, counterintelligence, etc.)
- Students must demonstrate knowledge of the role of intelligence to the other instruments of statecraft of foreign powers.
- Students must demonstrate knowledge of the main ideological currents of the modern era and the role of ideas and values in strategic intelligence.
- Students must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of the American founding and the American political economy and their relevance to U.S. foreign policy.
Values and Principles
- Students must demonstrate a knowledge and appreciation of the Western moral tradition (particularly the natural law and the dialog between reason and revelation) and its application to foreign policy and strategy.
- Students must demonstrate knowledge of the building blocks of statesmanship and moral leadership, including various personal and civic virtues as: honesty; integrity; the ability to see the truth and tell it to power; courage; perseverance’ independence of thought and the capacity to resist peer pressure and the “conventional wisdom”; respect for the rule of law; prudence; justice; discernment of the national interest; respect of the dignity of the individual human person regardless of their background or condition.
- Students must demonstrate knowledge of the relationship between policy and how American constitutional and cultural values affect the role of intelligence and protective security in American statecraft.
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.