Overview

The Certificate in Intelligence Studies requires a total of 18 hours based on the structure provided below.  Practitioner Professors are instructors who have either retired from the Intelligence Community or are currently active.  They have a wealth of experience and knowledge on which insight and networking opportunities rest for those who seek an Intelligence Studies Certificate.  Below are the requirements for the program.  If you have any questions, please contact Thomas Holman, Interim Director of the Intelligence Studies Program in the Department of Politics.

Requirements

  • Required Courses for the Certificate (6 hours)
    • POL 260: Introduction to American Intelligence 
      • Ideally taken Freshman or Sophomore year.
      • Requirement for some upper-level courses.
    • POL 462: Ethics and Accountability in the U.S. Intelligence Community 
      • POL 260 required.
      • Ideally taken either Junior or Senior year.

 

  • Courses Taught by Practitioner Professors (6 hours minimum)

Students must take 2 courses from Practitioner Professors who have experience working in the FBI, CIA, NSA, ODNI, and Military Intelligence.

*Please note you may take more than 6 hours from Practitioners.

    • POL 340: Intelligence Analysis Tradecraft (spring)
    • POL 400A: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East (fall)
    • POL 435: Cyber Intelligence and U.S. Policy (spring)
    • POL 462A: Comparative Foreign Intelligence Services (fall)
    • POL 468/SOC 468: U.S. Counterintelligence Operations and Controversies (fall)
    • POL 471: Issues in Contemporary U.S. Intelligence
    • POL 471A: Leaders and Their Spies (spring)
    • SOC 319: Modern Islamic Terrorism (fall)
    • SOC 320: Terrorism & Counterterrorism (spring)*

 

  • Electives (6 hours maximum)

Students are encouraged to take one or two courses outside of the Practitioner courses to learn different perspectives on key issues linked to Intelligence Studies.

    • POL 337A: Cybersecurity (summer)
    • POL 412A: Homeland Security
    • POL 472: National Security Processes
    • LSC 324/524: Actionable Intelligence – Information Analysis and Communication
    • LSC 327/527: Introduction to Data Science
    • LSC 433/633: Information Retrieval & Analysis Strategies
    • MGT 351: Introduction to Business Intelligence
    • PSY 251: Psychology of Terrorism
    • XCSI 500S: Cambridge Security Initiative Intelligence & Security (Summer Abroad)

*The University of Haifa summer course “Terrorism and Response” can fulfill this option.

For Students Majoring in Politics

A maximum of two POL courses for the Certificate may “double count” for a Politics Major. This means that only two courses taken for the certificate count toward the Politics Major.

Additional Requirements for non-Politics Majors

Students who are not majoring in Politics must select ONE of the following courses as an additional requirement to complete the Intelligence Studies Certificate. These DO NOT count toward the total number of credits required to complete the certificate. Select one of the following courses:

  • POL 111: Introduction to American Government
  • POL 112: Introduction to Comparative Politics
  • POL 212: Introduction to International Relations (Recommended for POL 400A)

Additional Information

  • Students pursuing an Intelligence Studies Certificate cannot minor in Politics.

Catholic University Intelligence Club

If you are interested in Intelligence, regardless of whether you sign up for the Intelligence Studies Certificate program, please consider joining the Catholic University Intelligence Club.  The Intelligence Club sponsors guest speakers, field trips, and an annual simulation designed to provide all students with opportunities to learn more about the field of Intelligence Studies and career opportunities in the Intelligence Community.