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CONTENTS 

2021-22 ACADEMIC CALENDAR ......................................................................... 8 

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY .................................................................................... 10 

The Catalog ...............................................................................................................................10

An Academic Institution Focused on Intelligence ...............................................................10

Mission.......................................................................................................................................11

Vision..........................................................................................................................................11

Values.........................................................................................................................................11

Institutional Learning Outcomes ............................................................................................11

Accreditation.............................................................................................................................12

ADMISSIONS ...................................................................................................... 13 

Eligibility for Admission ...........................................................................................................13

Nondiscrimination ............................................................................................................................. 13

Graduate Degree-seeking Admissions...................................................................................13

Conditional Admission to the Full-time Degree Programs ............................................................... 13

Admission Notification ...................................................................................................................... 14

Deferred Applications ........................................................................................................................ 14

Registration for New and Returning Students ................................................................................... 14

Transfer Hours—Graduate Level ...................................................................................................... 14

Certificate in Intelligence Studies and Continuing Education Student Eligibility ............................ 15

Undergraduate Admissions .....................................................................................................15

Eligibility for Admission ................................................................................................................... 15

Undergraduate Degree Eligibility Requirements............................................................................... 15

Conditional Admission ...................................................................................................................... 16

Transfer Hours—Undergraduate Level ............................................................................................. 16

POLICIES AND GENERAL UNIVERSITY INFORMATION ...................................... 17 

Student Responsibilities .........................................................................................................17

Official University Communications .......................................................................................17

Information Technology Policies ............................................................................................17

Disciplinary Actions .......................................................................................................................... 18
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Weapons on Campus ...............................................................................................................18

Updating Records.....................................................................................................................19

Status Changes.........................................................................................................................19

Security Clearance Requirements .........................................................................................19

Tuition and Fees .......................................................................................................................19

Attendance................................................................................................................................20

Reporting Class Session Absences.................................................................................................... 20

Academic Leave of Absence ............................................................................................................. 20

Time Requirements ..................................................................................................................20

Time Limits on Coursework.............................................................................................................. 21

Grading ......................................................................................................................................21

Incomplete (I) .................................................................................................................................... 21

Pass/Fail (P/F) Grading ..................................................................................................................... 21

In Progress (IP).................................................................................................................................. 22

No Progress (NP)............................................................................................................................... 22

Withdrawal (W)................................................................................................................................. 22

Audit (AU)......................................................................................................................................... 22

Waiver (WV) ..................................................................................................................................... 23

Grade-Point Average Calculation...................................................................................................... 23

Academic Review Practices....................................................................................................23

Academic Policy and Standards Committee...................................................................................... 23

Grade Appeals ................................................................................................................................... 23

Course Registration .................................................................................................................25

Drop/Add ........................................................................................................................................... 25

Intent to Graduate....................................................................................................................25

Progress Toward Degree Completion ....................................................................................25

Graduate Requests for Extension....................................................................................................... 25

Repeating a Course............................................................................................................................ 26

Undergraduate Degree Completion ................................................................................................... 26

Student Requests for Transcripts...........................................................................................26

Student’s Right to View Academic Records .........................................................................26

Research....................................................................................................................................27

Graduate Thesis and Thesis Process .....................................................................................28

Thesis Committee (Chair and Reader) and Thesis Topic.................................................................. 28

Undergraduate Capstone and Capstone Process ................................................................29
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Academic Freedom ..................................................................................................................29

Intellectual Property Rights Policy.........................................................................................30

Publication Procedures ...........................................................................................................31

Copyright Compliance for Faculty and Students..................................................................33

Fair Use.............................................................................................................................................. 33

Copyright and Foreign Works........................................................................................................... 34

Responsibilities.................................................................................................................................. 34

Obtaining Copyright Permission ....................................................................................................... 35

Non-Attribution .........................................................................................................................35

Visiting Speakers............................................................................................................................... 35

NIU Classroom and Research............................................................................................................ 35

Academic Integrity ...................................................................................................................36

Self-Plagiarism .................................................................................................................................. 37

Actions for Suspected Academic Integrity Violations ...................................................................... 37

Academic Probation.................................................................................................................37

Dismissal From the University ................................................................................................38

OFFICE OF RESEARCH ...................................................................................... 39 

The Ann Caracristi Institute for Intelligence Research ..................................................................... 39

NIU Research Seminars..................................................................................................................... 39

NIU Research Fellowship.................................................................................................................. 40

National Intelligence Press................................................................................................................ 40

University Library ............................................................................................................................. 40

STUDENT AFFAIRS ............................................................................................. 42 

Student Reasonable Accommodations .............................................................................................. 42

Student Grievance and Complaint Process........................................................................................ 42

STUDENT LEADERSHIP ...................................................................................... 43 

Student Senate.........................................................................................................................43

Campus Activities Board................................................................................................................... 43

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS ................................................................................ 44 

Student Honor Society: The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi .............................................44

International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE)—Delta Chapter ..................44

Women, Intelligence, and National Security (NIU WINS) ....................................................44
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NIU Student Band (a.k.a. “The Hoo”) .....................................................................................44

TRI NIU.......................................................................................................................................45

STUDENT ACADEMIC AWARDS ......................................................................... 46 

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence Enterprise Award ............................................. 46

The Lieutenant General Vernon A. Walters Award for International Affairs................................... 46

The Elizebeth S. Friedman Award..................................................................................................... 46

The Intelligence Integration Award................................................................................................... 46

The Lieutenant Colonel Michael D. Kuszewski Award.................................................................... 46

The Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Archival Research Award .................................................... 46

The Judge Allan Nathaniel Kornblum Award ................................................................................... 47

The Barton Whaley Research Award ................................................................................................ 47

The National Intelligence Science and Technology Award .............................................................. 47

The Scientific and Technical Intelligence Committee Award........................................................... 47

The Cyber Intelligence Research Award........................................................................................... 47

The Lyman B. Kirkpatrick, Jr., Award.............................................................................................. 47

The National Military Intelligence Foundation Award ..................................................................... 47

The A. Denis Clift Award.................................................................................................................. 47

Leadership and Academic Achievement Awards .................................................................48

The Dr. David R. Ellison, Rear Admiral (ret) Leadership Award..................................................... 48

The Ann Caracristi Intelligence Award for Leadership and Academic Achievement ...................... 48

The General John R. Allen Award for Leadership and Academic Achievement.............................. 48

The Staff Sergeant Josh Stone Memorial Award for Leadership and Academic Achievement........ 48

NIU ACADEMIC PROGRAM OVERVIEW ............................................................. 49 

One Year in Residence, Full-Time .................................................................................................... 49

Two-Year, Part-Time......................................................................................................................... 49

Evening Format ................................................................................................................................. 49

Monthly Executive Format................................................................................................................ 49

Continuing Education: Lifelong Learning Opportunities.................................................................. 49

Academic Opportunities ..........................................................................................................49

Student Research Funding ................................................................................................................. 49

Joint Professional Military Education Studies Program.................................................................... 50

U.S. Army Professor of Strategic Intelligence Program.................................................................... 50

NIU Academic Centers.............................................................................................................50

NIU Academic Center at Ft. Meade .................................................................................................. 51

NIU European Academic Center (EAC) ........................................................................................... 51

NIU Southern Academic Center (SAC) ............................................................................................ 51

NIU Quantico Academic Center (QAC)............................................................................................ 51
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Degree Status and Credit Hours.............................................................................................51

Degree Status..................................................................................................................................... 51

Non-Degree Status............................................................................................................................. 51

Assignment of Credit Hours.............................................................................................................. 51

Academic Load.................................................................................................................................. 52

Electronic Learning and Assessment ....................................................................................52

MASTER OF SCIENCE OF STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE ....................................... 53 

MSSI Degree Learning Outcomes..................................................................................................... 53

MSSI Degree Requirements....................................................................................................53

Required Courses (15 credit hours)................................................................................................... 53

General Electives, Concentration Courses, and the Strategic Intelligence 

Studies Program (21 credit hours)..............................................................................................53

Thesis Courses (7 credit hours) ......................................................................................................... 54

MSSI Departments ...................................................................................................................54

Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Department (CACI) ................................................. 55

Defense Intelligence Department (DI)............................................................................................... 57

Intelligence Enterprise Department (IE)............................................................................................ 58

Regional Security and Intelligence Department (RSI) ...................................................................... 58

Transnational Issues Department (TI) ............................................................................................... 61

The MSSI Thesis ............................................................................................................................... 62

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN INTELLIGENCE ....................................................... 63 

BSI Degree Learning Outcomes........................................................................................................ 63

BSI Program ..............................................................................................................................63

BSI Concentration Designation ......................................................................................................... 65

MASTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INTELLIGENCE ................................ 66 

MSTI Degree Learning Outcomes..................................................................................................... 66

MSTI Degree Requirements ....................................................................................................66

S&TI Concentrations ................................................................................................................67

Weapons of Mass Destruction Concentration (WMD) ..................................................................... 67

Cyber Intelligence Concentration (CYI) ........................................................................................... 68

Data Science in Intelligence Concentration (DSI)............................................................................. 69

Emerging Technologies and Geostrategic Resources Concentration (ETGR).................................. 69

Information and Influence Intelligence Concentration (I3)............................................................... 70

The MSTI Thesis ........................................................................................................................71

CERTIFICATE IN INTELLIGENCE STUDIES ......................................................... 72 
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College of Strategic Intelligence (CSI) Certificate Topics ..................................................72

Africa ................................................................................................................................................. 72

China: Intelligence Concerns............................................................................................................. 73

Counterintelligence............................................................................................................................ 74

Eurasia ............................................................................................................................................... 74

Homeland Intelligence....................................................................................................................... 75

Leadership and Management in the Intelligence Community........................................................... 76

Strategic Intelligence in Special Operations...................................................................................... 77

Strategic Warning Analysis............................................................................................................... 78

School of Science and Technology Intelligence (SSTI) Certificate Topics........................78

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)............................................................................................. 79

Cyber Intelligence (CYI)................................................................................................................... 80

Data Science in Intelligence (DSI) .................................................................................................... 80

Emerging Technologies and Geostrategic Resources (ETGR) ......................................................... 81

Information and Influence Intelligence (I3) ...................................................................................... 82

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS .................................................................................... 84 

Master’s Core Courses.............................................................................................................84

Master’s Thesis Courses..........................................................................................................85

Program Requirement: Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence (MSSI)....................86

Program Requirement: Master of Science and Technology Intelligence (MSTI) .............86

College of Strategic Intelligence Electives...........................................................................86

Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Department .............................................................. 86

Defense Intelligence Department ...................................................................................................... 89

Intelligence Enterprise Department ................................................................................................... 91

Regional Security and Intelligence Department ................................................................................ 94

Transnational Issues Department..................................................................................................... 104

School of Science and Technology Intelligence Electives................................................107

Bachelor of Science in Intelligence.....................................................................................114

Core Courses.................................................................................................................................... 114

Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Courses .................................................................. 116

Defense Intelligence Courses .......................................................................................................... 116

Regional Security and Intelligence Courses.................................................................................... 117

Science and Technology Intelligence Courses ................................................................................ 119

Transnational Intelligence Courses.................................................................................................. 120

Special Interest Courses................................................................................................................... 121

Acronym List............................................................................................................................122
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2021-22 ACADEMIC CALENDAR 

FALL TERM 2021 

Fall New Student Orientation 9-20 August

Fall Term Begins 21 August

Monthly Executive Program Weekend 1 21-22 August

Convocation 23 August

Last Day To Add a Class 27 August

Last Day To Drop a Class 3 September

LABOR DAY HOLIDAY–No Class/Offices Closed 6 September

Research Fair 7-10 September

Monthly Executive Program Weekend 2 11-12 September

Student Census 17 September

Research Methods Workshops 21-24 September

Last Day To Withdraw Without Penalty 24 September

Monthly Executive Program Weekend 3 2-3 October

COLUMBUS DAY HOLIDAY–No Class/Offices Closed 11 October

Monthly Executive Program Weekend 4 23-24 October

Last Day of Fall Term 29 October

Student Surveys Open 29 October-7 November

Research Period—No Scheduled Classes 30 October-14 November

Last Day To Turn In Thesis for December Graduation 5 November

Fall Grades Due to Registrar 8 November

VETERANS DAY HOLIDAY–No Class/Offices Closed 11 November

WINTER TERM 2021-22 

Winter Term Begins 15 November

Last Day To Add a Class 19 November

Monthly Executive Program Weekend 1 20-21 November

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY Break–No Classes

(Offices Closed 25 November)

22-26 November

Monthly Executive Program Weekend 2 11-12 December

Submittal of full T-1 Package to College Assistant Dean/School Associate Dean 17 December-14 January 

WINTER BREAK–No Scheduled Classes

(Offices Closed 24 & 31 December 2021)

20-31 December

Last Day To Withdraw Without Penalty 7 January

Monthly Executive Program Weekend 3 8-9 January

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR HOLIDAY–No Class/Offices Closed 17 January

Monthly Executive Program Weekend 4 5-6 February

Last Day of Winter Term 11 February

Student Surveys Open 11-20 February

Research Period—No Scheduled Classes 12-27 February

PRESIDENTS’ DAY HOLIDAY–No Class/Offices Closed 21 February

Winter Grades Due to Registrar 22 February
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SPRING TERM 2022 

Spring New Student Orientation 24-25 February

Monthly Executive Program Weekend 1 26-27 February

Spring Term Begins 28 February

Last Day To Add a Class 4 March

Last Day To Drop a Class 11 March

Monthly Executive Program Weekend 2 19-20 March

Last Day To Withdraw Without Penalty 1 April

Monthly Executive Program Weekend 3 9-10 April

Monthly Executive Program Weekend 4 30 April-1 May

Last Day of Spring Term 6 May

Student Surveys Open 6-15 May

Research Period—No Scheduled Classes 7-22 May

Spring Grades Due to Registrar 16 May

SUMMER TERM 2022 

Summer Term Begins 23 May

Last Day To Add a Class 27 May

MEMORIAL DAY—No Class/Offices Closed 30 May

Last day To Change Thesis Chair or Reader for 29 July 2022 Graduation 3 June

Last Day To Drop a Class 3 June

2-Week Summer Intensive Program–Monthly Executive Program 6-17 June

Last Day To Withdraw Without Penalty 10 June

INDEPENDENCE DAY–No Class/Offices Closed 4 July

Student Surveys Open 8-17 July

All Graduation Requirements Met and Reported to Registrar 13 July NLT 1200 

Final Student Awards Decisions Due 13 July NLT 1200

Last Day of Summer Term 15 July

Summer Grades due to Registrar 18 July

Graduation Rehearsal 28 July

Graduation 29 July
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ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY 

The Catalog 

The Catalog is the official listing of the policies governing education at the National Intelligence University (NIU). 

This Catalog documents policies and procedures established by the Provost, President, and Board of Visitors, and 

is updated each academic year to reflect changes and updates to policy. Information on admissions policies, 

academic policies (including degree requirements), registration policies, and student support policies are contained 

in the Catalog. Abstracts and information on academic degree and certificate programs as well as a list of graduatelevel courses by program are also included in each edition of the Catalog. 

An Academic Institution Focused on Intelligence

Educating future Intelligence Community (IC) leaders is more challenging than ever as advancements in 

technology, communications, and data management place greater demands on the intelligence process to be quicker

and strategic analysis to be more through and incisive. NIU seeks to strengthen the IC through formal education, 

research, and engagement, to better position its leaders to make significant contributions to national intelligence in 

a complex global environment. At NIU, students develop a deep understanding of adversaries’ capabilities and 

intentions, within the context of a broader spectrum of intelligence challenges including, but not limited to:

• Cultural and religious conflicts.

• Failed and failing nation-states.

• Non-state actors.

• The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

• The transforming digital world.

• The omnipresent threat of terrorism at home and abroad.

• Great power competition.

Students, faculty, and research fellows integrate their experience with that of other IC professionals to develop 

new ideas, concepts, and perspectives on intelligence issues of today and tomorrow. NIU is the only higher 

education institution in the nation whose primary mission is to educate and conduct intelligence research at the 

classified level. NIU incorporates a dynamic, challenging, and integrated curriculum utilizing all-source classified

and open-source intelligence and national security information. The NIU curriculum supports the degree learning 

outcomes expected of its students. These learning outcomes reflect the IC’s professional competencies.

A global perspective is one of the most valuable characteristics of intelligence professionals. This includes a deep 

understanding of the interconnected nature of economic, ethnic, social, and political factors shaping the global 

environment today. The NIU curriculum focuses on the communication of complex issues, critical thinking skills 

against complex problems, ethical approaches to the analysis of classified intelligence, engagement and 

collaboration across the IC, development of needed knowledge and skills, and the ability to contribute to the body 

of intelligence. NIU’s Mission, Vision, and Values drive these characteristics and are echoed in NIU’s Institutional 

Learning Outcomes.
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Mission

NIU advances the intelligence profession through a holistic, integrative, and contextual approach to education that 

promotes dynamic teaching, engaged learning, original research, academic outreach, analytical problem-solving, 

rigorous research methods, collaborative processes, and lifelong learning.

Vision

NIU—the Center of Academic Life for the Intelligence Community—preparing today’s Intelligence Community 

leaders for tomorrow’s challenges.

Values

• Academic Freedom: NIU embraces the principle that students, faculty, and staff have the academic 

freedom to explore significant and controversial questions as an essential precondition to fulfilling the 

mission of educating students and advancing knowledge.

• Collaboration: NIU embraces the spirit of collegiality; the mission is accomplished only if we work as a 

team. Students, faculty, and staff must have the character and conviction to lead and the strength to follow.

• Diversity: NIU embraces the fact that differing backgrounds and experiences make us stronger, promotes

inclusion in our workforce, and encourages diversity in our thinking.

• Integrity: NIU holds a special public trust. We practice careful stewardship of our resources, both financial 

and human. We will not just say the right thing—we will do the right thing and remain accountable to 

ourselves, and ultimately to the American people.

• Learning: Students, faculty, and staff embrace a culture of continuous learning. Every new challenge 

presents the opportunity for growth; every interaction presents the opportunity for the acquisition of 

new knowledge.

Institutional Learning Outcomes 

Our graduates will advance the nation’s intelligence enterprise through:

• Communication: Effectively convey information to a variety of audiences using multiple approaches.

• Critical Thinking: Apply logic, analysis, synthesis, and creativity to address intelligence-relevant 

problems.

• Ethical Reasoning: Evaluate information to ensure judgments are rational, well supported, and objective.

• Engagement: Integrate diverse perspectives through IC and academic collaboration.

• Expertise: Demonstrate professional knowledge, skills, and perspectives contributing to mastery of an 

intelligence topic.

• Research: Contribute to the body of knowledge through in-depth academic inquiry.
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Accreditation

NIU is a federal, degree-granting institution, authorized by Congress to offer accredited graduate and 

undergraduate degrees and graduate certificates. NIU is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher 

Education, 3624 Market Street, Suite 2 West, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104 (267-284-5000), an 

institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher 

Education Accreditation. NIU’s accreditation was affirmed in June 2019. In November 2018, the Chairman of 

the Joint Chiefs of Staff reaffirmed NIU’s Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phase 1 accreditation 

to October 2024. The program allows selected, qualified military officers to receive Phase I JPME credit after 

completing designated JPME courses concurrent with the NIU master’s degree

NIU’s Academic Assessment Policy includes an ongoing process for measuring effectiveness for quality 

improvement to ensure students receive the knowledge, skills, and competencies upon completion of each 

course or institutional program. This process includes a documented annual academic assessment plan, 

quarterly status reports, and the incorporation of these assessment findings into academic program reviews, 

accreditation reports, stakeholder reviews, and NIU’s long-term assessment plan.

For more information, contact the NIU Office of the Provost.
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ADMISSIONS 

Eligibility for Admission

All prospective NIU students must be U.S. citizens who are members of the U.S. Armed Forces or U.S. 

Government civilian employees. Government contractors are not eligible to attend NIU unless they are 

members of the military reserves. In addition, candidates must possess an active Top Secret/Sensitive 

Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance. Any change to employment or clearance status must 

be reported immediately to the Office of Admissions and the Security Office as it may impact a student’s 

ability to attend.

• Students require agency nominations for full-time study as well as for part-time graduate study at the 

National Security Agency Graduate Center and the DIA Cohort Program. Additionally, FBI students must 

obtain agency approval to attend part-time or full-time programs.

• Some agencies have particular internal requirements as well. Students should check with their home 

agencies to determine if any special requirements apply to them.

• Agency nominations are not required for part-time study in the Evening, the Monthly Executive, European 

Academic Center, Quantico Academic Center, Southern Academic Center, or Continuing Education

programs.

The application process details, materials, and deadlines can be found under the admissions tab at www.ni-u.edu/. 

Nondiscrimination

NIU is committed to affirmative action, diversity management, and equal employment opportunity programs. The 

University considers prospective students and employees without regard to age, color, gender, national origin, 

physical or mental disability, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

Graduate Degree-seeking Admissions

NIU evaluates applications with regard to the applicant’s education, academic preparation, and proven ability 

to excel in graduate work. NIU considers a variety of factors, including undergraduate and graduate gradepoint averages, Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores unless exempted by the university, and the applicant’s 

statement of purpose.

Prospective students should reference the NIU admissions webpage for current admissions criteria: 

https://ni-u.edu/wp/admissions/

Conditional Admission to the Full-time Degree Programs

Applicants for full-time study in the Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence (MSSI) or Master of Science 

and Technology Intelligence (MSTI) degree programs who have been nominated by their sponsoring 

organization, but who do not meet regular admissions standards, may be conditionally admitted to the program 

at the discretion of the Graduate Admissions Board and the appropriate Dean. Conditional admissions are 
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considered when the Board and the appropriate Dean determine an applicant has other qualifications that 

indicate academic success in a graduate program. Conditionally admitted students are expected to take the 

required curriculum and must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 during the first quarter. Students 

who meet this guideline may be granted full admission. Students who do not meet the conditional requirements 

after the first quarter will be dismissed from the University. No conditional admissions are made for parttime students.

Admission Notification

A prospective student must submit a complete application, official transcripts, GRE scores unless exempted by the 

University, and statement of purpose in accordance with published deadlines. Full-time students are also 

responsible for gaining the appropriate agency or department approval to attend NIU. Part-time students must 

adhere to their agency rules and regulations regarding educational attendance.

Applicants are responsible for confirming that NIU has received all application materials and transcripts before 

the deadlines. Admissions staff members advise applicants of the status of their application packages upon request 

by the applicant by email at Admissions@ni-u.edu.

• Full-time students are typically notified of their admission status within six to eight weeks after the 

application deadline.

• Part-time student letters of acceptance are typically mailed in June.

• Continuing Education and Certificate in Intelligence Studies students are typically notified within six to 

eight weeks following the application deadline.

Deferred Applications

Applicants are admitted to NIU for a specific quarter or year. If a student cannot attend for the year admitted, 

they may apply for a one-year deferral or leave of absence. Upon returning to the University, the student must 

ensure that all clearances, briefings, and administrative requirements are met. Individuals reapplying to 

programs requiring a nomination must secure a new nomination as part of the application process. 

Registration for New and Returning Students 

NIU announces registration periods to admitted students via the NIU Source and Blackboard. It is the responsibility 

of the student to monitor both for updates.

Transfer Hours—Graduate Level

Graduate students may transfer a maximum of six quarter hours to a master’s program. The student must have 

taken the courses within seven years of enrolling in NIU and earned a grade of B or better. Courses submitted for 

transfer credit must be relevant to the degree being sought and must be taken at the appropriate academic level at 

a regionally accredited institution. Transfer credits may not be awarded for any JPME courses.

When making a transfer credit request, students must certify that the hours have not been used, nor will they 

be used, to meet requirements for any other degree. Students may not obtain transfer credit in lieu of taking 
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NIU required core or program courses. The Deans may set additional transfer requirements for their respective 

degree programs, provided these requirements are published in places accessible to current and prospective 

students and faculty. 

After acceptance to NIU, students may obtain transfer credit evaluation forms from the NIU Registrar’s Office 

or on Blackboard. Completed forms should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office, together with official 

transcripts, catalog descriptions, and syllabi. Additional documentation may be required. Approval of transfer 

hours resides with the Dean of the appropriate program. NIU does not have articulation agreements established 

with other institutions. 

Certificate in Intelligence Studies and Continuing Education Student Eligibility

Students pursuing either continuing education or a particular area of study through the Certificate in 

Intelligence Studies must possess a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution. Students 

in this status are not degree seeking. Should a student want to pursue a degree, they must apply to either the 

MSSI or MSTI program. If a student moves into a degree-granting program, no more than two classes taken 

as a continuing education student may be transferred and used to meet the degree requirements. Students are 

encouraged to apply to the degree program before completing their second continuing education/certificate 

course.

Please note that the Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Leadership and Management in the IC program requires 

a nomination from a student’s home agency. 

Circumstances beyond NIU’s control may prevent the University from offering all courses required to 

complete a certificate program. 

Undergraduate Admissions

Eligibility for Admission

All prospective Bachelor of Science in Intelligence (BSI) students must be U.S. citizens who are members of the 

U.S. Armed Forces or U.S. Government civilian employees. In addition, candidates must possess an active TS/SCI 

security clearance to be considered for admittance.

Undergraduate Degree Eligibility Requirements

NIU carefully examines admission applications with regard to the student’s education, academic preparation,

and demonstrated ability to excel in undergraduate work. Undergraduate students must be nominated by their 

parent organization to attend the University. Applicants should contact their education, training, or human 

resources personnel to determine the nomination process for their parent organization. 

Although an individual’s parent organization ensures that the nominee meets that organization’s eligibility 

requirements—using such criteria as job performance, seniority, availability, and other factors—the University 

uses traditional academic criteria to determine program admissibility. Final determination for admissions rests 

with the University.
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Applicants should have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale and must have completed

a minimum of 80 semester hours of undergraduate work that includes:

• 20 upper-division (300–400 level) semester hours.

• 30 hours earned from a regionally accredited institution.

• 9 hours in communication skills, 6 hours of which must be in composition courses.

• 12 hours in math or science, 3 hours of which must be in math.

• 15 hours in the humanities, social sciences, or fine arts.

In evaluating admissions eligibility, NIU will accept transfer credits for the BSI program provided that the credits 

are from a regionally accredited institution and that the student earned a grade of C or better. In addition, NIU 

accepts a maximum of 50 semester hours of credit from testing and military training that has been evaluated by 

the American Council of Education (ACE) for the undergraduate program only. The University does not accept 

transfer credits for any required courses in the BSI curriculum. NIU does not have any articulation agreements 

established with other institutions. Foreign credits must be evaluated by a foreign accrediting service before being 

presented for transfer credit consideration. Students are encouraged to take part in admissions counseling before 

submitting a formal application.

Conditional Admission

A student may be admitted conditionally with a portion of the 80 semester hours of credit not yet completed. 

Students admitted with fewer than 80 approved credits will agree to a Credit Completion Plan, establishing 

expected dates of completion. These credits must be completed and approved by NIU no later than the end of 

the fall quarter in the academic year in which the student enrolls. Extensions may be granted under extenuating 

circumstances. 

Transfer Hours—Undergraduate Level 

NIU accepts undergraduate transfer credits in the admissions process to document eligibility for the BSI degree 

program, which is a unique, senior-year degree completion program. NIU will not accept any transfer credits to 

meet BSI program requirements beyond the 80 credits applied as part of the admissions process.
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POLICIES AND GENERAL UNIVERSITY INFORMATION 

Student Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of students to keep informed of and to comply with the rules and policies affecting their 

academic standing. Meeting academic deadlines, attending classes, completing all coursework, and fulfilling 

academic standards are student responsibilities. Each student must be familiar with University degree requirements 

and academic policies. This catalog codifies all academic and general policies. Corrections and changes may occur 

during the academic year, and the most current version of policies can be found on Blackboard and/or the NIU 

website. Specific items not covered by the catalog are at the discretion of the President and the President’s staff, 

per DoD Instruction 3305.01, “National Intelligence University,” May 15, 2018. Any updates to general and 

student policies after NIU’s transition to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) will be 

referenced in a subsequent catalog addendum.

Official University Communications

Official communication with students, including notices about academic standing, class cancellation, and other 

University-wide notifications, occurs via electronic means. Students are responsible for viewing all 

announcements posted on the NIU website (NIU Source) and the Office of Student Affairs’ Blackboard site, and 

for accessing University communications sent to their Nonsecure Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNET) 

and Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS) accounts. Students are required to activate 

all accounts and check them regularly.

The University recognizes that not all students will have access to JWICS or NIPRNET when off-site. Therefore, 

the University will actively use Blackboard, MS Teams, and the Source as platforms for student communication.

Information Technology Policies

All users are responsible for respecting and valuing the privacy of others, for behaving ethically, and for complying 

with all legal restrictions regarding the use of electronic data. University computers or networks should not be used 

to install, run, or copy software without a license to do so; conduct commercial business; express animus or bias 

against individuals or groups; transmit offensive material such as obscenity, vulgarity or profanity, sexually 

explicit material or name-calling; guess or decrypt passwords of other users; deprive authorized users access; 

secure a higher level of privilege than allowed by the University; read, copy, change, or delete another user’s files 

or software without permission; gain unauthorized access to remote servers; or libel, slander, or harass any other

person. Examples of computer harassment include intentionally using a computer to: 

• Annoy, harass, terrify, intimidate, threaten, offend, or bother another person by conveying obscene 

language, pictures, or other obscene materials or threats of bodily harm to the recipient or the recipient’s 

immediate family.

• Contact another person repeatedly with the intent to annoy, harass, or bother, whether or not any actual 

message is communicated, and/or where no purpose of legitimate communication exists, and where the 

recipient has expressed a desire for the communication to cease.
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• Contact another person repeatedly regarding a matter for which one does not have a legal right to 

communicate, once the recipient has provided reasonable notice that they desire such communication to 

cease (such as debt collection).

• Disrupt or damage the academic, research, administrative, or related pursuits of another.

• Invade, or threaten to invade, the privacy, academic or otherwise, of another.

Each user is responsible for the security and integrity of information stored on their desktop/laptop system and for 

not installing or copying copyrighted software without permission or license. Students are not permitted to install 

software on University-owned computer equipment. Only information technology support personnel authorized 

by NIU are permitted to install software on network systems. Computer accounts, passwords, and other types of 

authorization assigned to individual users or groups must not be shared with or used by others without 

authorization. Users are responsible for refraining from acts that waste NIU computer or network resources; that 

prevent others from using those resources; or that compromise the performance of campus computers, peripherals, 

and networks. Users should avoid any willful action that would: 

• Damage or modify University-owned hardware or software.

• Introduce computer viruses or other disruptive/destructive programs into NIU or Intelligence Community

networks.

• Degrade performance of a computer system or network;

• Reconfigure University-owned software or hardware to intentionally allow access by unauthorized users 

or deprive authorized users of access; create unnecessary multiple jobs, processes, or network traffic (e.g., 

prolonged use of Internet chat, sending email chain letters or mass mailings, or unnecessary use of the “All 

Students” email address). 

Each administrative unit has the responsibility of enforcing these policies. All users and administrative units have 

the responsibility to report any observed or discovered unauthorized access attempts or other improper usage of 

University computers, networks, or other information processing equipment to their supervisor, information 

technology support personnel, or the NIU Special Security Officer (SSO). The University’s information 

technology support personnel will provide each administrative unit with the resources to enforce this policy and 

help with data backup procedures as well as virus protection. Under certain (extraordinary) circumstances, students 

may be required to ensure computer access from home in order to access NIU virtual materials and classrooms. 

Disciplinary Actions 

Anyone found to have violated these Information Technology Policies may be subject to suspension of computer 

privileges and possible disciplinary action, including dismissal, under University rules for misconduct.

Weapons on Campus

All weapons are unauthorized unless they are for official duties and students are at the ICC-B on official business 

for those duties. Students should reference 18 U.S.C 930 as follows:
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*Any person who has received authorization from the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), or from his or her 

designee to possess, carry, transport, or use a weapon in support of the ODNI's mission or for other lawful purposes 

as determined by the DNI; *To the lawful performance of official duties by an officer, agent, or employee of the 

United States, a State or a political subdivision thereof, who is authorized by law to engage in or supervise the 

prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of any violation of law; or *To the possession of a weapon by 

a Federal official or a member of the Armed Forces if such possession is authorized by law.

Updating Records

Each student is required to maintain current contact information, including permanent and local addresses, 

telephone numbers, and an email address. Each student must also maintain NIPRNET and JWICS accounts 

(or appropriate NSA, Southern Academic Center, Quantico Academic Center, or European Academic Center

accounts) assigned at orientation. Students are responsible for accessing official communications directed 

to these official accounts. All record changes should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office

(NIU_Enrollments@dodiis.mil).

Status Changes

Students who transfer to another organization while attending NIU must notify the Admissions and the NIU 

Security offices due to a change in security status. If students are debriefed at the organization that they are 

departing, they are not permitted to attend classes until they are briefed for TS/SI/TK/G/HCS at their gaining 

organization and a “perm cert” is passed to and confirmed by the NIU Security Office. All clearances need to 

be active. If a student’s new organization or job does not require a TS/SCI clearance, they are not permitted to 

return to school.

Security Clearance Requirements

All students must have a current/active TS/SCI clearance. The NIU Security Office can be reached at 301-243-

2097 and NIU_Security@dodiis.mil with any questions. 

Clearances need to be maintained to cover the entire period of time at NIU. Students attending the University fulltime must have their servicing organization (e.g., Air Force, DHS, FBI, Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Coast Guard, 

etc.) SSO certify their clearances. This must be done prior to attending any classes. All students should send their 

clearances via SSO channels as follows:

• SSO//DAC-3C/NIU// or via DISS (SMO Code: XP124CS) or via fax 301-227-7067.

• Include the statement: Pass to National Intelligence University ATTENTION: SECURITY OFFICER.

Tuition and Fees

The University does not charge tuition and does not receive funding through any Department of Education grant 

or loan program. Students at the University do not receive financial assistance through Department of Education 

grant or loan programs.
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Attendance

Students are expected to attend all scheduled class sessions. Students missing more than two session face penalties, 

ranging from the lowering of the final grade to failure in the course, at the discretion of the faculty member teaching 

the course and will be required to make up instructional time, or asked to withdraw from the course.

All students in the Full-Time, Evening Part-Time, and Monthly Executive Programs taught through the ICC-B are 

expected to attend classes held on the ICC-B campus in person. Appeals will only be considered in extraordinary 

circumstances and should be directed to the appropriate Dean. Likewise, students enrolled in Part-Time programs 

through one of NIU’s academic centers are expected to attend classes through their center locations. Appeals 

should be addressed to the appropriate Center Director and Dean.

Reporting Class Session Absences

Students should contact their instructor to report an absence in order to make up any missed work. Students who 

are unable to contact their instructors due to an emergency or illness are responsible for calling the Registrar’s

Office (301-243-2093). For purposes of accountability, full-time students should inform their track lead and/or 

track adviser if they will not be in attendance. If a full-time student fails to attend class or check in, the track lead 

should notify the track adviser for action.

Additionally, faculty must report unexplained or excessive absences to the Registrar’s Office, Agency Chairs, 

Senior Service Advisers, and Department Chairs when appropriate. The appropriate Associate Dean initiates 

administrative warnings or, if the case warrants, charges leave to cover the period of absence. 

Academic Leave of Absence 

Students faced with professional or health circumstances necessitating a break in their studies of more than one 

academic quarter should request an academic leave of absence. These requests are submitted to the student’s 

respective Dean and then to the Registrar. An academic leave of absence does not automatically alter the student’s 

completion date for finishing their degree. All students on a leave of absence must out-process from the University,

and full-time students must report to their parent military or civilian organization. A leave of absence will stop the 

clock on course time limits (expirations).

Time Requirements 

Full-time students are expected to complete all coursework and thesis requirements within two years; for example, 

resident students entering in August 2021 are expected to finish by the last day of the summer quarter of 2023. If 

a student exceeds the two-year period, an extension must be granted by the appropriate Dean.

Students’ parent Services or agencies may require them to finish the thesis in the one year allotted or receive a 

negative report. Such requirements are imposed by the students’ parent organization, not NIU. (Currently, the 

USAF requires 14Ns to finish within the year, as does the Army for FA-34s. For more information on Service or 

agency requirements, students should consult the appropriate Senior Service Adviser or Agency Chair.)

Part-time and cohort students are expected to complete all coursework and thesis requirements within three years. 

If a student exceeds this amount of time, an extension may be granted by the appropriate Dean.
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Time Limits on Coursework

All requirements for the master's degree must be completed within seven years. Time-to-degree begins with the 

earliest course to be applied toward the degree, including credits transferred from other institutions. Work more 

than seven years old is not accepted toward degree requirements, unless approved by the Dean. 

Grading 

NIU faculty members use different direct assessments for evaluating student work, including examinations, 

classroom participation, papers, oral presentations, and performance in simulation exercises. In all cases, students 

have the right to a grade that is based on their actual performance against an articulated standard applied to all 

those taking the course. Students must understand that evaluating student work and assigning grades on the basis 

of academic criteria are first and foremost the individual responsibility and prerogative of the faculty member 

teaching the course.

• Faculty members must have uniform, identifiable grading criteria in each course syllabus. Before the end 

of the first class session, the faculty member must clearly articulate to students the grading criteria and the 

methods for grading student performance. 

• Faculty members define their grading policies explicitly. If there is any deviation from the original 

statement of grading policy, faculty members must inform all students. The University presumes that 

faculty members are in the best position to know the range of excellence of the students in the class and to 

award grades in good faith; the University reaffirms its confidence in the qualifications and good judgment 

of its faculty. 

• Faculty members should provide timely feedback to students on all graded work during the course of the 

grading period. Evaluating and grading of academic performance is subject to the professional judgment 

of each faculty member. Considerable personal discretion is required in these judgments; a justifiable 

margin of difference can exist between the evaluations made by two or more faculty members of the same 

academic performance. 

Incomplete (I)

A faculty member may assign an incomplete (I) grade to a student whose work is satisfactory but who is unable to 

meet all course requirements due to extenuating circumstances. It is the student’s responsibility to discuss the 

possibility of receiving an incomplete (I) grade with the faculty member. Students must complete all requirements 

by the ninth week of the following ten-week quarter, or the seventh week of an eight-week quarter.

The faculty member must turn in the final grade by the final week of the following quarter. If a faculty member 

does not submit a final grade by this deadline, the grade is converted to an F. The Dean may extend the deadline 

in exceptional cases. As long as the incomplete (I) remains on the transcript, it is treated as unsatisfactory academic 

performance.

Pass/Fail (P/F) Grading

Pass/Fail grading is used only in courses specifically authorized by the Deans, and in MCR 702, 703, and 704. 

Students enrolled in thesis courses MCR 702 and MCR 703 receive a grade of pass (P) or fail (F) at the end of 
22

these courses. Receiving a grade of pass (P) is a prerequisite for proceeding to the next thesis course. Students 

enrolled in MCR 704 must receive a grade of pass (P) to complete the course. Students may re-register for MCR 

704 if the thesis is not completed in one quarter, if they received either an in progress (IP) or no progress (NP) 

grade. If a student receives two consecutive no progress (NP) grades, they may be subject to dismissal. Students 

who receive a fail (F) will not complete the program.

In Progress (IP)

An in progress (IP) grade notation is assigned in selected courses, such as Thesis Completion (MCR 704), in which 

the coursework is not completed within one quarter by design. The in progress (IP) grade remains as an official 

grade on the transcript. Theses must be completed within the specified timelines.

No Progress (NP)

A no progress (NP) grade is assigned only for the final course, Thesis Completion (MCR 704). When there has 

been no contact with the thesis chair or no discernible progress toward completing the thesis during that quarter, 

the faculty member assigns a no progress (NP). If a student receives a no progress (NP) for two consecutive 

quarters, or for two quarters in any one four-quarter period, the student is dismissed from the University.

Withdrawal (W)

Students may withdraw from a course until the midpoint of that course—by close of business on Friday of the fifth 

week of classes for a ten-session course, or by close of business on Friday of the fourth week of classes for an 

eight-session course. Students receive a notation of W on the transcript if the withdrawal occurs before the 

withdrawal deadline.

Withdrawal from a course after the midpoint of that course is allowed only for non-academic reasons and requires 

permission of the faculty member teaching the course and the approval of the Dean. Students who are approved to 

withdraw after the midpoint of a course are assigned a grade notation of WP (withdraw passing) or WF (withdraw 

failing) by the faculty member, depending on the student’s academic standing in the course at the time. The grade 

notation of WP carries no credit or academic penalty. A grade of WF is treated as an F when calculating the gradepoint average and triggers academic warning.

Students withdrawing at any time must complete the necessary documentation through the Registrar’s Office. 

Students who stop attending classes without an official withdrawal or the Dean’s approval receive a grade of F for 

the course.

Audit (AU)

Students may request to audit a course on a space-available basis after all other students have had the opportunity 

to enroll in the course for credit. Faculty members must approve and document the audit and provide a signed 

schedule adjustment form to the Registrar’s Office before the close of the drop/add period. Audited courses receive 

no credit and appear on the transcript with the notation AU (audit). Core courses may not be audited.
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Waiver (WV) 

The Dean may authorize a waiver for a required course if a highly qualified student has demonstrated mastery of 

a subject; for example, the Dean might authorize a waiver for the MCR 701 Thesis Methodology and Design 

course when the student has already completed a doctoral dissertation. The Dean may also grant a waiver based 

on a change in curriculum when a previously required course is not offered. Waived courses appear on the 

transcript but carry no credit value. The student must take a 3-credit elective course in place of the waived course 

to earn the required credits. Waivers are granted solely at the Dean’s discretion.

Grade-Point Average Calculation

The grade-point average (GPA) is calculated by dividing the number of grade points earned by the number of 

credits attempted. The total grade points earned for a course equals the number of grade points assigned times the 

number of course credits. For example, if a student takes five 3-credit courses and receives grades of A, A-, B-, B, 

and C+, then the GPA for the quarter equals the total grade points (47.1) divided by the total course credits (15). 

The GPA is 3.14. For satisfactory standing, undergraduate students must maintain a C average (2.5 GPA); graduate 

students must maintain a B average (3.0 GPA).

Academic Review Practices 

Academic Policy and Standards Committee

The Academic Policy and Standards Committee (APSC) is an administrative committee designed to address 

relevant policies and standards of the University and provide recommendations to the Deans for management 

actions. Co-chaired by College of Strategic Intelligence and School of Science and Technology Intelligence

Graduate Program Directors and other selected faculty, the committee reviews issues of academic policy, 

admissions criteria, and standards for the institution that include, but are not limited to academic integrity issues, 

grade appeals, student dismissal appeals, student grievances, and admissions appeals. Any updates to these 

academic review practices and student policies after NIU’s transition to the ODNI will be referenced in a 

subsequent catalog addendum.

Grade Appeals 

NIU recognizes that students should not be subject to prejudicial or capricious grading. Neither a clerical error nor 

an arbitrary grade should be allowed to remain as part of the student’s permanent record. In such cases, students 

are offered a means of appeal. Student appeals should address deviations from stated standards, or variance across 

student grading. Grading should be fair, consistent, and understood. All students should be graded in the same 

fashion. 

The formal grade appeal process is a serious procedure. The University is cautious about changing the grade of 

any individual, which may diminish the apparent achievements of other students. It is important to know that a 

formal grade appeal places the burden of proof on the student, except in cases of suspected academic dishonesty, 

where the burden of proof is on the faculty member. In all cases in which there is a reasonable doubt as determined 

by the APSC, the original grade is retained. 
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Recognized Grounds for Challenging a Grade 

Grade appeal hearings are granted if they are based on alleged scholastic dishonesty. As this is a matter of integrity, 

an independent panel is assembled to hear the case. In these appeals, the following may be addressed:

• The faculty member applied predetermined criteria in an arbitrary and capricious manner, and the 

evaluation of academic performance so exceeded the reasonable limits of the faculty member’s discretion 

as not to be acceptable to the faculty member’s peers. Under NIU policy, “arbitrary and capricious” is 

defined as the assignment of a grade on some basis other than performance in the course.

• The assignment of a grade in a non-uniform fashion, that is, by applying different standards to one student 

or by applying the standards differently to other students at the same level in the same course. 

• The assignment of a grade in a way that represents a substantial and unreasonable departure from the 

faculty member’s articulated standards. 

• The assignment of a grade in the absence of a clearly articulated standard.

Procedures for Appealing a Final Class Grade 

All students have until 30 days after the final day of the term to make a formal (in writing) notification of their 

desire to appeal a grade. If a faculty member fails to post their grades in the allotted time period, this time will be 

extended in favor of the student appeal. The first written appeal should be made to the faculty member who 

assigned the grade in order to request a meeting to discuss the matter. Most grading issues can be easily explained 

or amended if it is a simple clerical error. If the student and faculty member are able to reach an agreement about 

how to address the student’s grading concern during, or as a result of, the informal consultation, the matter is 

considered resolved. 

If the faculty member and student cannot agree that a clerical or mathematical error has occurred or that the grade 

was awarded in an arbitrary or capricious manner, the student may initiate a formal grade appeal to the appropriate 

Program Director, within one week of the formal consultation between the faculty member and student. The 

student must submit a formal Memorandum for Record justifying the grade appeal to the appropriate Program 

Director. Failure to meet this requirement will jeopardize any appeal the student may make. 

The student shall:

• State the facts that, if affirmed to be true, would be sufficient to show the basis for the claim of clerical 

error or for the claim that the grade was awarded in an arbitrary or capricious manner. 

• Provide written evidence of the claim (i.e., syllabus, graded documents, emails, etc.).

• Detail the remedy or resolution sought (i.e., what the student feels is a fair resolution of the matter).

The Program Director notifies the faculty member that the student has filed a grade appeal. If all parties agree, the 

Program Director will meet with the faculty member and the student within one workweek to serve as mediator to 

resolve the dispute. 

If a mutually acceptable outcome cannot be reached, the Program Director convenes an APSC review. The APSC 

reviews all pertinent information relating to the case, including interviewing, as needed, the faculty member and 
25

student. The APSC makes a determination and submits a written recommendation to the appropriate Dean, who 

has the final authority. 

If the faculty member is the Program Director, the student may appeal directly to the appropriate Associate Dean 

or Dean, who convenes the APSC in lieu of the Program Director, if he or she cannot resolve the issue. 

The Memorandum for the Record submitted by the student, the APSC findings, and the results of the grade 

appeal remain in the student’s NIU academic record. In extraordinary situations, the Dean (or Provost if the 

Dean called the APSC) may review the findings to ensure that the process has been fair to both the student and 

the faculty member. 

A similar process exists for appealing a conduct action. Please contact your Dean for further information.

Course Registration

Information about registration dates and procedures is provided to new students in their notification of acceptance 

letter from the University. Current students should monitor Blackboard and the NIU Source for registration 

announcements. Students are registered in core courses with their assigned track or as administratively appropriate. 

Changes in core courses must be approved by the appropriate Dean.

Drop/Add

Students enrolled in graduate or undergraduate courses may drop, add, and cancel their registration or withdraw 

from a course by submitting a drop/add form to NIU_Enrollments@dodiis.mil. The form must be signed by the 

course instructor and submitted in advance of the published deadline to the Registrar’s Office. The timelines for 

adding and dropping courses are strictly enforced. Students may add a course until the end of the first week of the 

quarter and may drop a course until the end of the second week of the quarter. Students in the Reserve and Monthly 

Executive formats must execute all drop/add actions during the initial drill weekend of the quarter.

Intent to Graduate

All students intending to graduate in July must complete and submit the diploma order form (available on 

Blackboard) no later than 3 June 2022. Students who intend to graduate in December should submit their diploma 

order form no later than 1 October 2022. Students are not cleared for graduation if the form is not submitted by 

the specified deadline. NIU recommends that all full- and part-time students who intend to graduate in the summer 

complete classes by the end of the spring term.

Progress Toward Degree Completion

Graduate Requests for Extension

Graduate students may request an extension from their Dean, or in the Dean’s absence, the Associate Dean or 

Assistant Dean, to complete their theses when there are extenuating circumstances. All requests for extensions 

must be made before the expiration of the student’s original eligibility period (two years for full-time students, 

three years for part-time students). 
26

The student, in conjunction with their thesis chair, begins the process by submitting a request for extension 

in writing to the respective Dean. The Dean will respond with a courtesy copy to the Registrar at 

NIU_Enrollments@dodiis.mil. The initial student request must include:

• Student contact information.

• Thesis committee members (or explanation of why there is no valid committee).

• Concurrence of the thesis chair.

• The research question (or explanation, if there is a change).

• A description of progress to date.

• Justification for the extension (deployment dates, illness, etc.).

• Timeline for completion.

Students are expected to have completed all coursework; the Associate Dean or the Assistant Dean grants 

extensions only for students to complete their thesis. If the extension is approved, students must enroll in the 

appropriate thesis course and remain enrolled until the thesis is completed or until the extension expires.

Repeating a Course

Students must obtain permission from their Academic Dean to repeat a course.

Undergraduate Degree Completion 

NIU expects all BSI students to complete the BSI program in one year. All NIU courses must be completed 

by the deadline for “Summer Grades, Awards, and Thesis Turn-in to the Registrar” of the academic year in 

which the student is enrolled. In exceptional circumstances when a student is unable to complete the degree 

requirements within the one-year allotted time, the Dean may consider an extension of the graduation 

deadline. Extensions may not exceed three years from the graduation date of the original enrollment year. 

Student Requests for Transcripts

Students may request an official or unofficial NIU transcript at any time during or after their academic careers. 

Transcript request forms can be found in the Registrar’s Office, on the Registrar tab on Blackboard, or on the NIU 

website (www.ni-u.edu). Transcripts are provided free of charge. 

Student’s Right to View Academic Records

NIU students have the right to inspect and review their education records within 45 days after the day the University

receives a request for access. A student should submit to the Registrar a written request that identifies the record(s) 

the student wishes to inspect. The Registrar’s office makes arrangements for access and notifies the student of the 

time and place where the records may be inspected. Students who are not located in the national capital region 
27

may request records be faxed or emailed, although electronically transmitted records may be redacted to comply 

with personally identifiable information (PII) policies.

NIU students have the right to request the amendment of education records that they believe to be inaccurate, 

misleading, or otherwise in violation of student privacy rights:

• A student who wishes to ask the University to amend a record should write the Registrar’s office and

clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed and specify why it should be changed.

• If the University decides not to amend the record as requested, the University notifies the student in 

writing of the decision and of the student's right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. 

Additional information regarding the hearing procedures is provided to the student when notified of 

the right to a hearing.

NIU students have the right to request written consent before the University discloses PII from the student's 

education records. Generally, NIU may disclose education records without a student's prior written consent 

to University officials with legitimate educational interests. A University official is a person employed by 

NIU in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law 

enforcement or unit personnel); a person serving on the Board of Visitors; or a student serving on an official 

committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. A University official also may include a volunteer 

or contractor outside of NIU, who performs an institutional service or function for which the school would 

otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to the use and 

maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, or auditor. A University official has a 

legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record to fulfill his or her 

professional responsibilities for NIU.

Research

NIU protects the rights of all human subjects when conducting research as expressed by DoD Regulation 32 

C.F.R. 219, “Protection of Human Subjects,” and a Health and Human Services Federal-wide Assurance 

(FWA) issued in June 2020. The Human Research Protection Program is administered under the Office of the 

Provost.

Each graduate degree-seeking student is required to complete NIU’s Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) 

training, given during MCR 701. Following the training, each MSSI student must submit a thesis proposal, a valid 

T-1 form entitled “Thesis Committee and Proposal Approval,” and a T-1B Form entitled “Human Subjects 

Research Determination,” in a package, to NIU’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) for review. The Associate 

Dean will provide a separate assessment once the IRB review is complete. MSTI students will follow a similar 

process but will undergo a review from the Associate Dean prior to IRB submission.

If the IRB determines a student’s research proposal includes research on human subjects, the student may be 

required to complete additional training through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). In 

accordance with U.S. Government regulations, students may not begin human subjects research (for example, 

conducting a survey or interview) until an IRB determination has been completed.
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Graduate Thesis and Thesis Process 

Students conclude the thesis process by successfully completing the thesis courses, completing the 

requirements for each thesis class, and ultimately producing an approved graduate thesis. To graduate, students 

must also submit the specified approval forms for their committee, thesis proposal, human subjects training 

letter, IRB review and approval, and thesis cataloging by the specified due dates for the academic year. 

 MCR 701: Students typically take MCR 701, Thesis Methodology and Design, in their first term at 

NIU. This is a formal, classroom course. 

• MCR 702 Enrollment: Students must complete MCR 701 and complete the first half of NIU Form T-1 

and submit it to the Registrar with courtesy copy to the respective Associate Dean. MCR 702 is supervised 

by the student’s thesis chair.

• MCR 703 Enrollment: Students must receive a grade of “pass” in MCR 702 and complete a thesis 

proposal package, which consists of a thesis proposal, NIU Form T-1B human subjects training letter 

(obtained from MCR 701 instructor), and NIU Form T-1 signed in all spaces (front and back). Students 

should submit the thesis proposal package to the respective Assistant or Associate Dean by the 

deadline published in the NIU calendar, typically mid-December. MCR 703 is supervised by the 

student’s thesis chair. 

• MCR 704 Enrollment: Students must receive a grade of “pass” in MCR 703. The thesis chair works with 

the student and sets the specific deliverables for the course based on the student’s topic and research 

timetable. 

• The student takes MCR 704 until the thesis is approved or the student’s eligibility expires. 

• To graduate, the student must submit all of the required thesis items using NIU Form T-3 (Thesis 

Completion Checklist) no later than the thesis completion deadline of the academic year.

• Any changes to the NIU Form T-1 must be approved prior to June 3 preceding the desired July graduation 

date, or October 1 for December graduation. This includes changes to the thesis committee—thesis chair 

or reader(s).

• Thesis forms are available on both NIPRNET and JWICS Blackboard, under the Thesis tab, and must be 

submitted by deadline dates for the academic year. Students are responsible for selecting the most current 

electronic form, which does change over time. Forms must be typed and filled out completely.

• Unless placed on academic hold due to a deployment—coordinated with the Registrar and the thesis 

committee chair—students must stay enrolled in MCR 704 until they complete the thesis and course or 

until their eligibility expires. 

Thesis Committee (Chair and Reader) and Thesis Topic 

As a rule, thesis chairs must be members of the University’s full-time faculty, including the Reserve faculty 

and the NIU full-time faculty at Academic Centers. Adjunct faculty may serve as thesis chairs if they have 

Dean approval and meet all of the IRB requirements. Students should select their readers based on either 

subject matter expertise, professional experience, or methodological expertise. If the chair is a subject matter 
29

expert (SME), the reader does not need to be another SME. In these cases, some students may add a reader 

who is an expert in other areas the thesis may cover.

If the reader is from outside the University, the thesis chair must establish the reader’s bona fides and submit

the reader’s CV or resume with the thesis proposal package to the Associate Dean. 

The information should show that the reader is a SME or fills some other necessary role to ensure a highquality thesis. The reader is required, at minimum, to have a master’s degree from a regionally accredited 

educational institution. The reader’s curriculum vitae or resume must show all degrees earned and the awarding 

school, major, and year earned. The Associate Deans use this information to either approve or disapprove the 

outside reader. 

The thesis should cover an appropriate IC topic for the degree sought and contribute to the overall knowledge base 

of the IC. The Associate Deans make the final determination on whether students’ topics meet the standard for 

their degree requirements.

Undergraduate Capstone and Capstone Process

Undergraduate students complete a capstone project during their year at NIU. Students conduct group and 

individual work on a comprehensive research project. NIU provides topic areas early in the academic year, 

and student groups develop specific areas of focus. A faculty committee works closely with each group. 

Groups refine and present their work during the summer quarter, and final papers are due at the end of the 

summer quarter. Three capstone courses support student progress on these research projects (CAP 401 in 

fall, CAP 403 in spring, and CAP 404 in summer).

Academic Freedom

Academic freedom is a cornerstone of academia to include NIU. NIU defines academic freedom as the pursuit 

of truth and knowledge, regardless of where that leads, and bases its academic freedom policy on the “1940 

Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure” as put forth by the American Association of 

University Professors and the Association of American Colleges and Universities. As an institution accredited 

by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), NIU upholds the Commission’s principles 

that “Academic freedom, intellectual freedom, and freedom of expression are central to the academic 

enterprise ... Academic and intellectual freedom gives one the right and obligation as a scholar to examine 

data and to question assumptions.” 

NIU embraces the principle, as stated by the Board of Directors of the Association of American Colleges and 

Universities in their publication “Academic Freedom and Educational Responsibility,” that faculty, staff, and 

students have the “[a]cademic freedom to explore significant and controversial questions ... [as] an essential 

precondition to fulfill the academy’s mission of educating students and advancing knowledge.” 

NIU faculty, staff, and students have freedom of inquiry and research, freedom of teaching and discussion in the 

classroom, and freedom of expression and publication. All NIU faculty and students are entitled to freedom in the 

classroom to discuss their subject without institutional discipline or restraint. They are expected to avoid 
30

controversial issues and opinions that are not related to the class subject. This concept, as discussed in the 

“Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom,” is not intended to avoid controversy because dealing with 

controversial topics is critical to academic freedom; rather, it is intended to reinforce the need for faculty members 

to avoid material that is not related to the class subject. 

NIU faculty, staff, and students have the freedom to conduct research on any intelligence- and national securityrelated issue that contributes to the knowledge base of the IC. In exercising their scholarly activities, NIU personnel 

may participate in the discourse on intelligence and national security:

• Through research.

• By publishing articles, books, and book reviews.

• By appearing in public in professional and academic forums.

In these activities, NIU personnel speak for themselves and not for the University or the U.S. Government, but 

they should be aware that they are still deemed to be representing the University, the IC, and the U.S. Government; 

therefore, the public may judge these institutions based on their actions and statements. 

NIU believes that review by professional peers is essential to both faculty and student research programs. Per the 

Association of American Colleges and Universities’ Board of Directors, “Knowledge is not simply a matter of 

making an assertion but of developing the evidence for that assertion in terms that gain acceptance among those 

with the necessary training and expertise to evaluate the scholarly analysis ... [S]cholars need the informed criticism 

of peers who represent a broad spectrum of insight and experience in order to build a body of knowledge.” 

NIU faculty, staff, and students are officers of the IC with access to classified and sensitive information. 

Because of this access, information they produce must undergo NIU and ODNI pre-presentation (or 

prepublication as appropriate) classification and policy review before being released to the public—whether 

the presentation is written, oral, or electronic. This process is described in the section of this catalog on 

publication procedures (found on page 31). Academic freedom does not relieve any NIU faculty member, 

student, or staff member from their obligations to protect intelligence sources and methods. Discussion and 

debate involving classified information is encouraged, with the caveat that all participants must be cleared for 

access to the material involved. 

Intellectual Property Rights Policy 

NIU recognizes and supports faculty, staff, and student intellectual property rights for work produced in connection 

with the University. NIU is committed to granting personnel control over the use of the academic and scholarly 

works they produce. 

The intellectual property rights of faculty and students, as employees of the U.S. Government, are governed by 

Title 17 of the U.S. Code, Copyright Law of the United States. Chapter One, Section 105, precludes copyright 

protection for any “work of the United States Government.” A “work of the United States Government” is defined 

as work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties.

Therefore, any work produced by NIU faculty and staff that falls within their official work duties as government 

employees is not afforded intellectual property rights. Resident students who attend classes as part of their official 
31

government duties are not afforded intellectual property rights for work they produce to meet University 

requirements. The University reserves the right to determine the ultimate disposition of work produced as part of 

a person’s official duties. 

The writing produced by NIU students in relation to the graduate thesis, including the finished version, 

belongs to the Federal Government. Such writing, produced as part of U.S. Government duties, cannot be 

copyrighted. The work may be used by government or IC officials without specific permission from the 

author, although acknowledgement of the source is expected. Security regulations require that any thesis or 

paper that the author or the U.S. Government wishes to release to the public be reviewed for clearance for 

public release. See “Publication Procedures” on page 31 in this document. 

Classified materials may be disseminated to the appropriate classified community at the discretion of the NIU 

author as long as the author confirms that the recipients have the proper classified clearances and caveats.

NIU faculty and staff are not prevented from securing copyright, royalties, or honorariums for work completed 

on the person’s own volition and outside his or her official duties—even if the subject matter involves the 

government work or the professional field of the employee. Work produced by faculty and staff on their own 

and not as part of their official duties may be the intellectual property of the individual and may be copyrighted; 

the individual may receive compensation even if the subject matter overlaps with his or her University 

activities. 

Students who attend the University on their own time, separate and apart from their official government duties, 

may retain intellectual property rights for their work because the work is not produced as part of their official 

duties. Any receipt or potential receipt of compensation may require that the author file an Outside Activities 

Report with the individual’s home agency. Unclassified work intended for release to the public is still subject 

to prepublication security and policy review, as specified by NIU and ODNI. Executive Order (EO) 10096, 

which established policy relative to inventions and patents for government employees, states: “The 

Government shall obtain the entire right, title and interest in and to all inventions made by any Government 

employee (1) during working hours, or (2) with a contribution by the Government of facilities, equipment, 

materials, funds, or information, or of time or services of other Government employees on official duty, or (3) 

which bear a direct relation to or are made in consequence of the official duties of the inventor.” 

University personnel should consult with the ODNI Office of the General Counsel on any patent issues. 

University personnel interested in maintaining intellectual property rights, copyright protection on published 

work, or the potential for receiving royalties, honorariums, or patents should consult with their management 

and the ODNI Office of the General Counsel concerning their particular situation as early as possible. 

Faculty contributions to research, scholarly activities, publications, and services are considered by NIU in the 

performance evaluation process whether or not the faculty member retains the intellectual property rights. 

Faculty members and their performance evaluators shall agree on the relative value of any and all such work.

Publication Procedures 

Unclassified materials intended for release to the public are subject to required NIU and ODNI prerelease, 

prepublication review.
32

Information released from NIU in any form (written, oral, or electronic) to the public must undergo prepublication 

security and policy review if the information pertains to or mentions:

• Intelligence data.

• Intelligence activities.

• Military matters.

• National security issues.

• Foreign relations.

• Policies or operations of the IC or the U.S. Government.

• Subjects of significant concern to ODNI or the IC.

• Any subject about which the author has had access to classified information during his or her affiliation

with NIU, ODNI, or the IC.

NIU personnel may publish two types of materials: (1) official, produced as part of one’s official NIU duties, 

and (2) nonofficial, produced outside of one’s NIU duties. Both official and nonofficial products must undergo 

a review process, defined by the respective NIU supervisor, to ensure that the product does not contain 

classified or operational security (OPSEC) information and would reasonably not be expected to impair the 

member’s performance of duties, interfere with authorized functions of NIU or ODNI, or have an adverse 

effect on the security or foreign relations of the United States. 

NIU personnel may prepare information in a private and nonofficial capacity for disclosure in the public 

domain if such action would reasonably not be expected to impair the author’s performance of duties, interfere 

with the authorized functions of the ODNI, or have an adverse impact on the security or foreign relations of 

the United States. 

ODNI policy specifically recognizes academic freedom at NIU. Students and faculty members of NIU may 

prepare academic papers and manuscripts for open publication. They may express their views in such materials 

as long as those views do not disclose classified or OPSEC critical information or jeopardize DoD interests 

and the author accurately portrays official policy, even if the author takes issue with that policy. 

NIU personnel must obtain their supervisor’s concurrence prior to the Dean’s submission of material to ODNI 

Prepublication Review. Authors are not to submit materials directly to prepublication review. Supervisory 

concurrence is to ensure the individual’s supervisory chain has no concerns that the public disclosure would 

be expected to impair the performance of the individual’s official duties or interfere with the authorized 

functions of NIU. 

After completion of the NIU review, the Dean or Director submits the product to appropriate ODNI officials for 

final clearance and approval for public disclosure. Faculty, staff, and students from other elements of the 

intelligence and national security communities may have additional prerelease, prepublication review requirements 

imposed by their home agencies and organizations. 
33

Copyright Compliance for Faculty and Students

Reproduction of copyrighted materials at NIU is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States 

(https://www.copyright.gov/title17/). Copyright is an area of law that provides creators and distributors of 

creative works with an incentive to share their works by granting them the right to be compensated when others 

use those works in certain ways. Specific rights are granted to the creators of creative works in the U.S. Copyright 

Act (Title 17, U.S. Code). The rights granted by the Copyright Act are intended to benefit “authors” of “original 

works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, architectural, cartographic, choreographic, 

pantomimic, pictorial, graphic, sculptural, and audiovisual creations. 

Copyright law does not protect ideas, data, or facts.

In the United States, the general rule of copyright duration for a work created on or after January 1, 1978, is the 

author’s life plus 70 years after the author’s death. Works created by companies or other types of organizations 

generally have a copyright term of 95 years.

The information provided in this document is for informational purposes only and is not to be considered 

legal advice. 

Fair Use

The Fair Use Doctrine is a limited exception created by law so that copies may be made for certain nonprofit, 

educational, or other purposes without the copyright owner’s permission. The Fair Use Doctrine is outlined in the 

Copyright Act at Section 107.

Faculty members are allowed to make one copy of the following for the purposes of research, lesson preparation, 

teaching, etc.:

• A book chapter.

• An article from a periodical or newspaper.

• A short story, essay, poem, etc., whether or not from a collected work.

• A chart, diagram, graph, drawing, cartoon, or picture from a book, periodical, or newspaper.

Faculty members may make multiple copies, not to exceed one copy per student, provided the work meets all the 

requirements set forth in the Fair Use Doctrine (www.copyright.gov/circs/circ21.pdf)—tests for brevity, 

spontaneity, and cumulative effect:

• Brevity: The amount of copying is limited as follows: 

• The amount of copying for prose should not exceed 10 percent of the words in the work. 

• No more than one chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon, or picture is copied per book or per 

periodical issue. 

• If a poem is copied, the poem or the excerpt is less than 250 words and is printed on no more than 

two pages.
34

• Spontaneity: This test covers reproduction of material for classroom use where the reproduction is 

unexpected or spontaneous—for example, where an article in the morning’s paper is directly relevant to 

that day’s class topic.

• Cumulative Effect: The copying is for a single course only—not to be reused in future iterations of the 

course without securing copyright compliance.

If the intended use does not meet the previous criteria and the work is protected by copyright, the user should 

obtain permission to use the work from the copyright holder or its agent. 

Each copy must include the following copyright statement:

“This Material May Be Protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code).”

Copyright and Foreign Works

The United States is a member of the Berne Convention, the leading international copyright treaty. As such, when 

an NIU student or faculty member uses a copyright-protected work from another country that is also a party to the 

Berne Convention, the protections provided to works by U.S. copyright law automatically apply in the United States. 

Responsibilities

Responsibility for ensuring compliance with copyright requirements, including reproduction under the Fair Use 

Doctrine, rests with the individual user. When requesting copyright clearances, there are some additional 

restrictions and allowances to consider:

• Journal articles: The University Library follows the Commission on New Technological Uses of 

Copyrighted Works (CONTU) guidelines for defining “aggregate quantities.” The CONTU guidelines 

state that requesting and receiving more than five articles from a single periodical within a calendar year 

or a total of six or more copies of articles published within five years before the date of request would be 

too many under CONTU.

• Use of electronic materials licensed by ODNI or the IC: The University Library and other IC-available 

sources have paid subscription licenses for commercial content available electronically. Each commercial 

vendor includes its own reuse rights. The license’s terms and conditions must be consulted to determine 

permissions. However, providing an electronic link to the material is allowed under copyright.

• Photocopying: A single photocopy of a portion of a copyright-protected work, such as a copy of an article 

from a scientific journal made for research, does not require permission. Any of the following actions 

would require permission: photocopying all the assignments from a book recommended for purchase by 

the faculty member, making multiple copies of articles or book chapters for distribution to classmates, or 

copying material from consumable workbooks. The following notice appears on all photocopiers in the 

University and the University Library:

“The Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17 U.S. Code) Governs the Making of 

Photocopies Other Reproductions of Copyrighted Material. The Person Using This 

Equipment is Liable for Any Infringement.”
35

Obtaining Copyright Permission

When required, permission to use copyright-protected materials should be obtained before using those materials. 

The staff of the University Library provides assistance once the materials have been identified, and it has been 

determined that copyright permission is required. It is the Library’s policy for students and faculty to request 

permission in writing and to ensure that the Library’s Copyright Officer has a copy of each permission form or

letter. Request forms can be obtained from the Copyright Officer in the University library. For assistance in 

obtaining copyright permissions, contact the Library at NIU_Library@dodiis.mil.

Because responsibility for copyright compliance rests with the user, this summary provides general information 

and tools to assist in making informed decisions regarding appropriate use of copyrighted materials. The following 

sources provide more information.

• U.S. Copyright Office, http://www.copyright.gov.

• “Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians,” 

http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ21.pdf.

• Copyright Clearance Center, http://www.copyright.com.

Non-Attribution

NIU seeks to create an environment that fosters the exchange of ideas and information without fear of reprisal 

or recrimination. 

Visiting Speakers

The University maintains a non-attribution, off-the-record policy to encourage open and candid academic 

exchange with non-NIU speakers, members of academia, government officials, IC and military leaders, and 

other presenters. All attendees at presentations by persons from outside NIU must honor the speakers’ right 

not to have any expressed views or opinions attributed to them outside of the NIU environment without their 

explicit permission. This non-attribution policy protects external speakers from public access to their remarks 

and provides that information drawn from their presentations may be used freely solely within the University’s 

academic environment. Visiting speakers have the ability to waive non-attribution for recorded or other onthe-record events.

NIU Classroom and Research

Because all NIU students and many faculty members have professional careers outside the University in U.S. 

Government agencies or the Military Services, the University has a non-attribution policy to cover student and 

faculty interactions to encourage open and candid exchange in both classroom and research settings. Views and 

opinions expressed by students and faculty in classroom and research interactions are not to be attributed to them 

outside of the NIU environment without their explicit permission. Comments, views, and opinions, both written 

and oral, can be used and debated freely within the NIU environment to encourage open and candid exchange in 

both classroom and research settings.
36

Academic Integrity

As students, faculty members, Federal employees, and members of the IC, all NIU students, faculty, and staff are 

required to uphold the highest ethical standards in their personal and professional conduct. As University cadre, 

NIU’s faculty and staff are expected to maintain professional relationships with students and colleagues alike, 

practice responsible stewardship of government resources, and be vigilant guardians of national security 

information.

The “Notice of Final Policy” in the Federal Register, from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, provides 

a unified definition of misconduct that applies to all Federal agencies, including NIU. It articulates a clear reason 

for stressing professional ethics and behavior in academic research: “Advances in science, engineering, and all 

fields of research depend on the reliability of the research record, as do the benefits associated with them in areas 

such as health and national security ... Sustained public trust in the research enterprise also requires confidence in 

the research record and in the processes involved in its ongoing development.”

According to the unified definition at 65 F.R. 76260, “Research misconduct is defined as fabrication, falsification, 

or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results.” Research 

misconduct does not include honest errors or differences of opinion. Express categories of academic misconduct 

are defined as follows:

• “Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them.” Fabrication of data is one 

of the more egregious problems, as it cannot be an unintentional error but represents the willful intent 

to deceive.

• “Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or 

results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.” Falsification of data can 

occur through negligence as well as through willful deception.

• “Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving 

appropriate credit.” Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

• Investigators taking ideas from others’ grant proposals or articles during the peer-review process and 

including them in their own publications.

• Students taking material from the Internet verbatim, without attribution, during write-ups of research.

• Faculty taking dissertation material from students and including it in publications without giving 

due credit.

Academic integrity specifically prohibits cheating, plagiarism, and tolerance of those practices by other 

students. Cheating is defined as committing an act with the intent to receive undeserved credit or to gain an 

unfair advantage, or assisting or attempting to assist others in doing so. Students are expected to properly and 

accurately credit the source of materials directly cited or indirectly used (i.e., paraphrased) in any oral or written 

work. All students’ work shall be their own, unless otherwise properly noted. 

Alleged violations of these areas are investigated by appointed faculty boards who make recommendations for 

action to the student’s Dean. 
37

The University reserves the right to take disciplinary or administrative action, including dismissal from the 

University, in cases of substantiated violations of academic standards of integrity. Students normally receive a 

grade of F for any work proven to be undertaken or performed in violation of academic integrity standards. All 

instances of alleged violations of academic integrity are handled in accordance with published NIU policies. 

Self-Plagiarism

Students may not use entire papers or substantive selections of a paper from one course to complete work for 

another course or courses. Students may, with a faculty member’s prior permission, use up to 25 percent of a paper 

for another course’s requirement. The new paper must be clearly footnoted as such. Students may use sections, or 

entire parts, of their own course papers in their thesis with proper annotation and footnoting. 

Actions for Suspected Academic Integrity Violations

The process for reviewing academic integrity violations is as follows:

1. Students must report any suspected violations of academic integrity to their faculty members. 

2. The faculty member then discusses the matter with the student(s) in question. 

3. The faculty member reports any suspected violations, whether based on his or her own findings or those 

forwarded by a student, to the appropriate Program Director. 

4. The Program Director investigates the suspected violation, talks to all parties involved, and, if necessary, 

convenes the APSC to review the validity of the suspected violations. 

5. As required by the APSC, students and faculty members submit detailed information for the record. 

6. The APSC reviews the record to determine if a violation occurred. 

7. The APSC determines whether a violation occurred and notifies the appropriate Dean of its findings and 

recommendations in writing. 

8. The Dean reviews the APSC findings and recommendations and makes a final written determination 

which is then communicated to the student and APSC. The student may appeal the punishment to the 

Provost. If the applicable Dean or the Provost is unavailable, the Associate Dean or Vice Provost acts in 

his or her place. 

Punishments for violations include, but are not limited to: 

• Grade of zero for the specific work involved in the violation. 

• Withdrawing the student from the course with an appropriate withdrawal grade. 

• Disenrollment from the University. 

Academic Probation 

Students in the master’s programs are placed on academic probation and considered for disenrollment for 

the following: 
38

• Cumulative GPA below 3.0.

• Two grades of C. 

• A failing grade in any class automatically results in probation, and may result in dismissal at the option of 

the appropriate Dean.

Students in the BSI program are placed on academic probation and considered for disenrollment for the following: 

• Cumulative GPA below 2.5. 

• Two grades of D. 

• A failing grade in any class automatically results in probation, and may result in dismissal at the option of 

the appropriate Dean.

All students placed on academic probation are notified by letter from the applicable Dean. If the student fails to 

meet the terms of the probation, he or she may be disenrolled. 

Dismissal From the University

Dismissal for conduct issues is addressed by the APSC. The University reserves the right to dismiss students for 

failure to:

• Maintain ODNI, DIA, DoD, or Federal employee standards of conduct.

• Abide by academic standards or academic integrity.

• Follow University policies. 

• Maintain the basic eligibility requirements, such as security clearance or Federal employment status. 

If students are dismissed from the University, their transcripts carry that notation. Depending on the situation, 

students are given conditions for continuation or are dismissed from the university. Dismissal for academic 

performance issues addressed by the Dean include: 

• Receiving a third grade of C or one grade of F in a graduate course results in consideration for immediate 

dismissal from the University. 

• Receiving a third grade of D or one grade of F in an undergraduate course results in consideration for 

immediate dismissal from the University. 

• Failing a thesis course that prevents the student from registering for the next thesis course results in 

consideration for dismissal.
39

OFFICE OF RESEARCH 

The Office of Research (OOR) aims to serve as the IC's premier resource for intelligence ideas, innovation, and 

research excellence. Its mission is to promote research distinction at NIU by leading on research standards and 

providing the outlets and infrastructure necessary for intelligence scholarship to flourish. To that end, OOR 

incorporates the University Library, Ann Caracristi Institute for Intelligence Research, and the National 

Intelligence Press (NI Press). 

The Ann Caracristi Institute for Intelligence Research

The Ann Caracristi Institute for Intelligence Research (CIIR) represents the IC’s principal resource for academic 

intelligence research. CIIR serves to support, advance, and promote NIU’s academically rigorous research on 

topics critical to U.S. intelligence and national security. The Institute houses NIU’s expert research faculty, 

prestigious Research Fellowship Program, and a number of pioneering intelligence research centers, which use 

state-of-the-art research methods and tools to analyze a synthesis of classified and unclassified data on cuttingedge topics. Caracristi Institute Faculty specialize in a broad range of research topics pertaining to current and 

emergent intelligence and national security issues.

Caracristi Institute Research Centers

CIIR administers, in partnership with NIU’s College of Strategic Intelligence and School of Science and 

Technology Intelligence, research centers, which focus on intelligence and intelligence-related topics of high 

interest to the IC. The centers for academic year 2021-22 include:

 Center for Anticipatory Intelligence and Adaptive Influence (C[AI]2)—Applying complexity theory 

and advanced computational methods to better understand intelligence problems and improve policymaking.

 Center for Designing Intelligence Research (DIR)—Comprising NIU’s growing Literature Review 

Resource Collection and Research Methods Laboratory in support of NIU students, faculty, and fellows.

 Center for Intelligence Research in Area Studies (CIRAS)—Conducting deep area studies research on 

regions of critical and emergent significance to U.S. intelligence and national security. 

 Center for Truth, Trust, and Transparency (Tr3)—Examining the IC’s complex, changing relationship 

with the American public.

 Data Science Intelligence Center (DSIC)—Leveraging classified and unclassified data sets from across 

the U.S. Government and open sources to push the limits of data science research in support of U.S. 

intelligence and national security.

 Geospatial Science Center (GSC)—Supporting research and teaching using geospatial analysis.

NIU Research Seminars

Research workshops build relationships among researchers of all types across the IC to facilitate and improve 

collaboration and to leverage the strengths of each agency to address research challenges. This includes 

opportunities for students to present their research to the community.
40

NIU Research Fellowship

CIIR sponsors the NIU Research Fellowship to promote and conduct complex, sophisticated academic research 

within the IC. The Research Fellowship is available to IC civilians and active duty members of the U.S. 

military. Intelligence professionals are competitively selected for the opportunity to conduct critical, 

innovative, and academically rigorous research on a full-time basis in support of U.S. intelligence and national 

security. Fellows are assigned to CIIR for one year, which may be extended at the agreement of CIIR and the 

fellow’s home agency. Professionals from across the IC must apply directly to the program and have the 

support of their supervisors and agencies to participate. 

The research fellows work with CIIR mentors and NIU faculty to refine their proposals, execute their research, 

and complete written products, as well as oral briefings. The Fellowship program offers research funding for data 

collection and analysis. Finished products may be eligible for publication by NIU’s NI Press. Individuals interested 

in applying for a research fellow position may contact CIIR for more information at Research@NI-U.edu.

National Intelligence Press

The NI Press is a scholarly academic press dedicated to publishing high quality, valuable, and timely books on 

topics of concern to the IC and, more broadly, the U.S. Government. 

The University, through the NI Press, publishes the work of NIU faculty, research fellows, students, and IC 

professionals. The NI Press encourages authors to exercise their academic freedom to introduce new perspectives 

on key issues within the IC. To ensure accuracy and relevance, NI Press products undergo peer review by senior 

government officials and subject matter experts before publication.

The NI Press Editorial Board promotes transparency and professionalism in the selection of book-length 

manuscripts for publication. The Editorial Board includes NIU faculty to draw on their varied backgrounds and 

expertise to maintain the high quality of its publications. 

Anyone may download free electronic copies of NI Press books at http://www.NI-U.edu. U.S. Government 

employees may request a complimentary copy of any book by contacting the NI Press at NI_press@dodiis.mil. 

The general public may purchase copies of some NI Press books from the Government Printing Office at 

http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

University Library

The University Library plays a key role in enhancing the competence of intelligence professionals by providing 

patrons with all-source academic research assistance, instruction, and comprehensive collections and tools that 

support the curriculum of the University and the all-source needs of the IC. The Library is committed to 

building its collections and services to align with the University’s future-focused curricula and the broader 

mission of the IC.

Location

The Library is located on the basement level of Roberdeau Hall. The Library’s staff operating hours are 0800–

1700, Monday through Friday, but the Library is physically accessible to users 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as 

are its electronic resources via the Library’s Blackboard page. 
41

Research Librarians

The Library’s professional research librarians strive to help and are freely available for information, research 

assistance, and instructional assistance in using the Library’s resources. Research librarians are experts in the 

organization and retrieval of information, and they have extensive skills and experience in searching online 

databases and Internet resources for information. They welcome questions and are pleased to assist with 

patrons’ research.

The librarians provide general information, in-depth research—including LexisNexis searches—assistance 

with other electronic resources, and assistance and instruction in using the Library’s electronic databases 

during staff operating hours. 

For research assistance at one’s desk, at home, or after hours, patrons can contact the research librarians. Contact 

information can be found on the Library’s Blackboard page.

Collections

The Library’s physical holdings consist of 50,000 books and reference materials and more than 300 journals and 

periodicals, as well as audio CDs and DVDs. The Library also maintains several special collections available to 

users for research purposes.

Electronic Resources

The Library provides access to subscription databases, focusing on academic research resources. These combined 

subscriptions put thousands of research periodicals and books at users’ fingertips. For access information, contact 

the Library staff. Contact information can be found on the Library’s Blackboard page. 
42

STUDENT AFFAIRS 

Student Reasonable Accommodations

NIU is committed to ensuring that all students have the opportunity to perform to the best of their abilities while 

enrolled in University programs. Upon acceptance into the University, students in need of reasonable 

accommodations should contact Student Affairs. Reasonable accommodations may include, but are not limited to, 

assistive technology, ergonomic office furnishings, and removal, modification, or substitution of a class 

assignment or activity approved by the faculty member or dean, as applicable. 

NIU is governed by the policies and procedures of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and 

operates in accordance with ODNI Instruction 121.01, Facilitating Reasonable Accommodations. Any updates to 

NIU student accommodation policies after NIU’s transition to ODNI will be referenced in a subsequent catalog 

addendum.

Student Grievance and Complaint Process

NIU is committed to ensuring that all students have an established student grievance and complaint process. This 

grievance may be a formal difference with or dispute between a student and a University employee about the 

interpretation and/or application of the University’s non-academic policies and procedures, or it may regard the 

provision of services by members of the University’s faculty or staff that negatively affects the student. A grievance 

may also be based on one of the following claims: infringement of the right to freedom of expression or freedom 

of association, improper disclosure, retaliation, and failure to provide services.

A grievance differs from an appeal of an academic decision, as it deals with non-academic issues and not the actual 

outcomes of course work. The Academic Policy and Standards Committee (APSC) is an administrative committee 

designed to address grade appeals.

Students are strongly encouraged to seek informal resolution of grievances by bringing them to the attention of the 

relevant individual, administrator, or office. Students may also seek formal resolution of a grievance by bringing 

it to the attention of the Director of Student Affairs.

NIU is governed by the policies and procedures of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and 

operates in accordance with ODNI Instruction 30.01, Review of Employee Performance; ODNI Instruction 72.02, 

Awards and Recognition Program; ODNI Instruction 75.098, Rebuttal and Adjudication of Disagreement on 

Performance Evaluations; ODNI Instruction 120.01, Anti-Harassment and Anti-Bullying Policy; ODNI 

Instruction 120.02, Equal Employment Opportunity Discrimination Complaint Policy; and ODNI Instruction 

121.02, Facilitating Reasonable Accommodations. Any updates to student grievance policies after NIU’s transition 

to the ODNI will be referenced in a subsequent catalog addendum.
43

STUDENT LEADERSHIP 

Student Senate

The Student Senate is the official representative body for all NIU students. The Senate comprises 11 senators from 

the daytime, evening, and weekend programs, as well academic centers across the country and around the world. 

The Senate provides the opportunity for students to address their concerns and take steps to improve student life.

Members of the Student Senate have the responsibility to make NIU’s Student Leadership Program the most 

representative of each specific constituency (degree/program type or location) and therefore the entire student 

body. Throughout the Senate term, each senator must constantly reach out to students and gather information about 

their concerns. In this way, senators are expected to act in the best interest of students, while communicating 

decisions coming from NIU leadership and advocating for the student voice. 

Campus Activities Board

The Campus Activities Board (CAB) is a student-led programming board that coordinates campus-wide events. 

These events include professional networking events, social events, and off campus trips around Washington, DC,

and beyond. The mission of CAB is to create diverse events, programs, and activities that foster personal and 

professional development, school spirit, and IC engagement. The CAB is part of the Student Senate.

NIU is governed by the policies and procedures of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and 

operates in accordance with Council for the Advancement of Standards of Higher Education 10th Edition, 2019; 

Executive Correspondence, Intelligence Community Charters, 2009; Middle States Commission on Higher 

Education Standard IV Support of the Student Experience; National Intelligence University Strategic Plan 2017-

21; and The Principles of Professional Ethics for the IC. Any updates to the Student Senate Charter after NIU’s 

transition to the ODNI will be referenced in a subsequent catalog addendum.
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STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS 

Student Honor Society: The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi

Membership in the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is earned, and admission is by invitation only. An invitation 

to join requires nomination by the National Intelligence Chapter (NIU). Eligibility requirements are as follows: 

• Undergraduate students must have completed at least 135 quarter hours, with at least 36 quarter hours at 

NIU, and rank in the top 10 percent of their class. 

• Graduate students must have completed at least 27 quarter hours at NIU and rank in the top 10 percent of 

their class.

International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE)—Delta Chapter

IAFIE was formed in June 2004 out of the recognition from 60+ intelligence trainers and educators that there was 

a need for a “professional association that would span their diverse disciplines and provide a catalyst and resources 

for their development and that of Intelligence Studies.” NIU’s Delta Chapter was the fourth student chapter to 

officially join this effort in November 2020.

Delta Chapter provides a respectful forum for the exchange of idea and information that strengthens the bonds 

between intelligence professionals, students, and teachers. Uniquely positioned as both IC members and current 

students of intelligence education, chapter members leverage their backgrounds and perspectives to foster 

relationships and encourage collaboration among intelligence professionals in government, industry, and 

academia. The chapter hosts expert seminars, panels, and Q&A sessions for NIU students, IAFIE members, and 

students from across the national capital region. Current initiatives include integrating into the student research 

and presentation process, capturing intelligence education best practices during COVID-19, and coordinating 

professional networking events.

Women, Intelligence, and National Security (NIU WINS)

NIU WINS organized in November 2020 and, as of March 2021, has over 40 members spanning full-time, parttime, BSI, MSSI, MSTI, faculty, and staff. As both students and practitioners, this group aims to promote gender 

diversity in the IC through awareness and efforts aligned with membership interests.

The WINS leadership structure currently comprises two co-leads and five thematic coordinators for maximum 

impact and breadth. Efforts include standing up a networking and membership program, organizing multiple 

upcoming speaker events, and working with the WPS Consortium to support a larger effort by DC universities to 

promote its Women, Peace, and Security agenda. 

NIU Student Band (a.k.a. “The Hoo”)

The NIU Student Band, organized at the beginning of 2021, is open to participation from musically-inclined 

students of all programs, as well as NIU staff. Amid all the stress of papers, presentations, theses, and capstones, 

the Student Band aims to be a fun outlet with other members of the NIU community. 
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TRI NIU 

TRI NIU is NIU’s triathlon training group open to Community members (students, faculty, and staff) of all 

fitness levels. Members who do not want to train for a triathlon can engage with the group to support their own 

fitness goals. 
46

STUDENT ACADEMIC AWARDS 

Each year the University presents awards to recognize academic excellence. 

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence Enterprise Award

The Intelligence Community Enterprise Award is presented to a graduate student who writes the best thesis on an 

IC Enterprise leadership issue related to national security law, budget and resource management, intelligence and 

leadership ethics, strategic decision analytics, workforce development, and support to policymakers.

The Lieutenant General Vernon A. Walters Award for International Affairs

The Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Association’s Lieutenant General Vernon A. Walters Award for International 

Affairs is presented to the NIU student who produces the best graduate thesis on a topic related to international 

affairs that critically examines and evaluates complex regional issues in a global, regional, or local context. FAO 

policy, the Defense Attaché System, the learning of critical foreign languages, cultural intelligence, or a closely 

related subject area may also be considered.

The Elizebeth S. Friedman Award 

The Coast Guard Foundation presents the Elizebeth S. Friedman Award in recognition of the master’s thesis that 

most significantly contributes to the nation’s homeland security intelligence mission. This award recognizes the 

best thesis on strategic and operational threats to the U.S. homeland such as terrorism, WMD proliferation, 

environmental degradation, pandemic disease, and transnational organized crime. Dubbed “America’s first female 

cryptanalyst,” Ms. Friedman deciphered more than 12,000 coded messages during the Prohibition era, effectively 

putting rum-running syndicates out of business on the U.S. Pacific and Gulf Coasts.

The Intelligence Integration Award

Intelligence integration means synchronizing collection, analysis, and counterintelligence so that they are fused, 

effectively operating as one team. The Intelligence Integration Award recognizes the NIU master’s thesis that best 

advances the theories and understanding of intelligence collection disciplines, intelligence analysis across levels 

of decision-making, or the functions of counterintelligence, along with offering practical solutions to improve the 

Intelligence Community’s provision of decision advantage and decision confidence. 

The Lieutenant Colonel Michael D. Kuszewski Award

The NIU Foundation presents the Michael D. Kuszewski, Lieutenant Colonel, United States Marine Corps, Award

for the outstanding master’s thesis on the operations-intelligence partnership. Lieutenant Colonel Kuszewski was 

an instructor at NIU from 1992 to1995. He died in the line of duty in 1996.

The Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Archival Research Award

The Joint History Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff gives the Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz 

Archival Research Award to the graduate student whose thesis best represents outstanding archival research in a 

military history field.
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The Judge Allan Nathaniel Kornblum Award

The NIU Foundation gives the Judge Allan Nathaniel Kornblum Award, which exemplifies Judge Kornblum’s 

commitment to national security, civil liberties, and outstanding scholarship, to the student who writes the best 

thesis on national security law or ethics.

The Barton Whaley Research Award 

The Barton Whaley Research Award is presented in recognition of the master’s thesis that most significantly 

contributes to the study of information power and influence operations, including foreign denial and deception.

The National Intelligence Science and Technology Award

The National Intelligence Officer (NIO) presents the National Intelligence Science and Technology Award in 

recognition of the best master’s thesis on an analytical science and technology intelligence (S&TI) topic. A faculty 

committee evaluates submissions for originality, methodology, and overall contribution to the knowledge base in 

an S&TI-related field.

The Scientific and Technical Intelligence Committee Award

The Scientific and Technical Intelligence Committee Award recognizes the master’s thesis that most significantly 

contributes to the advancement of experimental science in an IC-related thesis. Submissions are evaluated for 

originality, experimentation, lab research, and overall contribution to the knowledge base in an S&TI-related field.

The Cyber Intelligence Research Award

The National Intelligence Officer (NIO) for Cyber presents the Cyber Intelligence Research Award in 

recognition of the best master’s thesis in the intelligence fields of cyber intelligence, data analysis, collection, 

operations, policy, or strategy. A faculty committee evaluates submissions based on originality, analytic 

methodology, technical acumen, and practical application.

The Lyman B. Kirkpatrick, Jr., Award

The NIU Foundation presents the Lyman B. Kirkpatrick, Jr., Award to recognize the outstanding intelligence 

research paper of the academic year. Papers considered for the award represent the best scholarship completed 

during the academic year in fulfillment of a course requirement. This award is named in honor of Professor 

Kirkpatrick, a member of the University’s Board of Visitors (BOV) for 18 years, who combined intelligence and 

scholarship in careers with the Office of Strategic Services, Central Intelligence Agency, and Brown University.

The National Military Intelligence Foundation Award

The National Military Intelligence Foundation Award is presented for the best undergraduate capstone project. 

Award is based on the best paper and presentation that demonstrates critical thinking, innovation, and analytical 

problem-solving in a collaborative environment on a national security challenge.

The A. Denis Clift Award

The NIU Foundation awards the A. Denis Clift Award in recognition of the outstanding undergraduate intelligence 

paper completed during the academic year in fulfillment of a course requirement. Papers considered for the award 
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represent the best originality, scholarship, style, format, and contribution to the intelligence enterprise. This award 

is named in honor of A. Denis Clift, the longest-serving president of what is now the National Intelligence 

University, under whose vigorous sponsorship the Bachelor of Science in Intelligence (BSI) degree came to fruition.

Leadership and Academic Achievement Awards

Each year the University presents awards to recognize exceptional leadership and academic achievement.

The Dr. David R. Ellison, Rear Admiral (ret) Leadership Award

This award is presented to the best capstone project in the Leadership and Management program. Award is based 

on the best paper and presentation that transforms the IC to be more strategic, responsive, and accountable, and 

best positions the IC to meet the nation’s future national security challenges. The award is named after Dr. David 

R. Ellison, Rear Admiral United States Navy (ret), former NIU president, who was the visionary for the NIU 

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Leadership and Management program, and a champion of leadership and 

management education and research. This award is presented during the Certificate in Intelligence Studies: 

Leadership and Management graduation.

The Ann Caracristi Intelligence Award for Leadership and Academic Achievement

NIU awards the Ann Caracristi Intelligence Award for Leadership and Academic Achievement based on superior 

leadership and academic achievement by a government civilian student. Ms. Caracristi began her career as a 

cryptologist during World War II breaking Japanese maritime codes. She culminated her illustrious career by 

serving as Deputy Director for the National Security Agency. Caracristi received the Department of Defense 

Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the highest award given to civilians, and was also awarded an honorary 

degree by the National Intelligence University. A faculty committee evaluates demonstrated leadership and 

involvement with fellow students and academic achievement.

The General John R. Allen Award for Leadership and Academic Achievement

The General John Allen Award recognizes superior leadership and academic achievement by a military officer. 

General Allen, United States Marine Corps (ret) is a graduate of NIU and former commander of the NATO 

International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces in Afghanistan. From successfully leading a global 

coalition to counter ISIS, to his lifelong dedication to learning, General John Allen embodies the warrior scholar 

required for today’s leaders. A faculty committee evaluates demonstrated leadership and involvement with fellow 

students and academic achievement.

The Staff Sergeant Josh Stone Memorial Award for Leadership and Academic Achievement

The Staff Sergeant Josh Stone Memorial Award for Leadership and Academic Achievement is presented for 

superior leadership and academic achievement by a military noncommissioned officer. Staff Sergeant Stone, 

United States Marine Corps, was a student at NIU during the 2016-17 academic year. He was also a decorated 

combat veteran and the recipient of multiple joint awards. Staff Sergeant Stone embodied the qualities of an 

intelligence professional dedicated to the lifelong pursuit of education and excellence. He inspired us with his 

continued fight toward academic success. We lost Staff Sergeant Stone during the academic year, but we will 

forever honor his warrior scholar example. A faculty committee evaluates demonstrated leadership and 

involvement with fellow students and academic achievement.
49

NIU ACADEMIC PROGRAM OVERVIEW 

One Year in Residence, Full-Time

NIU students can earn a degree by attending classes, full-time, over 11 months starting in August and ending in 

July. The full-time program comprises both a Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence (MSSI) and a Master of 

Science in Science and Technology Intelligence (MSTI), as well as a completion program for Bachelor of Science

in Intelligence (BSI). These programs have unique requirements, foremost of which is an endorsement by the 

student’s home agency or department.

Two-Year, Part-Time 

Students may also earn their master’s degree in the NIU part-time program. NIU offers courses in the evening, 

during a monthly weekend/executive program, and at our regional centers. These opportunities include an evening 

format, regional academic centers format, and a weekend monthly executive format. Although NIU offers these 

formats every year, actual degree and concentration offerings are subject to enrollment interests and course 

availability. The majority of the two-year/part-time students attend class during the evening. However, it is possible 

for students to hold a space available, or “space A,” status that allows them to attend class during the day if their 

schedule permits.

Evening Format

The evening format allows students to earn their MSSI and MSTI over two years. Students are typically registered 

for two classes per quarter. The first year is focused on the core and degree program requirements. In the second 

year, students take their electives and complete an academic thesis. A student has up to three years to complete 

this program without requiring an extension from a Dean.

Monthly Executive Format

This format allows MSSI and MSTIstudentsto complete their courseworkand theses over a flexible timeframe that 

is typically scheduled for one weekend per month with classes meeting on select Saturdays and Sundays during the 

year. Students enrolled in the monthly format can also attend a two-week intensive/in-residence period each 

summer. This is a competitive program that blends executives, active duty, reserve military, and IC civilians.

Continuing Education: Lifelong Learning Opportunities

Students who wish to take courses for professional development or toward a certificate may apply as a continuing 

education (CE) student. CE students can apply up to six credit hours, earned inCE status, toward a graduate degree 

from NIU.

Academic Opportunities

Student Research Funding

A limited amount of research funding is available to all students. Funds support offsite research outside the 

Washington, DC, area or attendance at conferences related to an approved thesis topic. Eligibility requirements:
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• Successful completion of MCR 701, Thesis Methodology and Design.

• In good academic standing.

• Approval from the Associate Dean.

• Institutional Review Board determination letter. 

Full-time students are eligible during their year of residence. Part-time students are eligible when they have 

completed the core and required electives with only thesis courses (702, 703, 704) remaining. Additional 

information is available through the Office of the Dean of each program.

Joint Professional Military Education Studies Program

NIU is accredited to grant Phase I JPME credit to selected, qualified students enrolled in a full-time master’s 

program, in either the College of Strategic Intelligence or the Oettinger School of Science and Technology 

Intelligence. The Defense Intelligence Department within the College of Strategic Intelligence administers and 

manages the JPME Phase I studies program for NIU. Interested students may contact the JPME Program Director 

for further details. Students are not authorized to self-select for the JPME program. Students are notified of their 

selection for the program during orientation. To receive Phase I JPME credit, students must complete the full 

curriculum for the MSSI or the MSTI degree, take the designated JPME courses, participate in the Staff Ride, and 

complete a Joint Doctrine Exam. 

The following courses are mandatory for JPME credit in both the MSSI and MSTI degree programs:

• DEF 601, National Strategy: Theory and Intelligence Considerations

• DEF 602, Joint Campaign Planning and Intelligence

• DEF 603, Strategic Crisis Exercise

• DEF 604, Staff Ride

Students must also complete a Joint Doctrine Exam to receive Phase I JPME credit.

U.S. Army Professor of Strategic Intelligence Program

Selected Army officers compete for this centrally selected Ph.D. program, after which the officers become 

faculty members at NIU. These officers have roughly 15 years of service, an applicable graduate degree, and 

suitable experience in the required field. Selected officers use an advanced civil schooling Ph.D. allocation, 

which includes a three-year university residency before arrival at NIU and two additional years to complete 

dissertation requirements after arrival. Selected officers serve in an Army Educational Requirements System 

(AERS) utilization (98) assignment as NIU faculty. Promotions for officers appointed to this program are in 

accordance with Army personnel policy.

NIU Academic Centers

While the NIU main campus serves students, faculty, and research fellows within the national capital region, 

NIU also serves globally dispersed students. To effectively meet its mandate to provide relevant, accessible, 
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and continuous intelligence education to globally dispersed personnel, NIU has established regional 

academic centers.

Each academic center is managed by an on-site NIU program director and offers courses taught by full-time 

and adjunct NIU faculty. To maximize accessibility, the academic centers work with approved distance 

education nodes where students can participate via secure video teleconference.

NIU Academic Center at Ft. Meade

Located on the NSA campus on Ft. Meade, MD, with an additional instructional site at Fort Gordon, GA.

NIU European Academic Center (EAC)

Located at the Joint Analysis Center, Royal Air Force (RAF) Molesworth, United Kingdom, with additional 

instructional sites at Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany, and U.S. European Command 

Headquarters, Stuttgart, Germany.

NIU Southern Academic Center (SAC)

Located at the Regional Joint Intelligence Training and Education Facility at MacDill Air Force Base, FL, with 

additional instructional sites at the U.S. Southern Command in Miami, FL, and at Fort Bragg, NC.

NIU Quantico Academic Center (QAC)

Located at the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA.

Degree Status and Credit Hours

Degree Status

Students admitted into NIU degree programs must satisfy all degree requirements, as stated in the course 

catalog at time of their enrollment. Questions regarding the appropriate course catalog can be directed to 

NIU_Enrollments@dodiis.mil.

Non-Degree Status

Non-degree-seeking students may enroll in courses as continuing education (CE) students. Enrollment is based on 

eligibility criteria and availability of space in courses. A student cannot graduate or receive a degree in non-degree 

status. Non-degree-seeking students must meet the same academic standards as degree-seeking students.

Assignment of Credit Hours

The University operates on the quarter system. Credits are based on the quarter hour. The standard graduate, 

undergraduate, or certificate course at NIU carries a 3-credit weight based on students achieving 1,600 minutes of 

instructional time each quarter. In accordance with Federal standards and academic best practices, each credit hour

carriesthe expectation of an approximate 1:2 ratio of time spent in any formof classroom, laboratory, field, or other 

instruction to time spent in any form of individual study, preparation, and completion of coursework outside of 

formal instruction.
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Certain courses that involve original research projects carry a different number of credits:

• The BSI Capstone completion course (CAP 404) carries 12 credit hours; students meet for 5,600 minutes 

during the quarter, plus outside preparation.

• The Thesis Proposal (MCR 702) course carries 2 credit hours. Students work one-on-one with a thesis 

chair to develop a thesis proposal to guide their research.

• Thesis Research (MCR 703) and Thesis Completion (MCR 704) carry 1 credit each. These courses 

represent the final research and writing of the graduate thesis. Students meet one-on-one at the direction 

of the thesis chairperson with their committee, as appropriate.

Students must successfully complete a minimum number of credits based on their academic program:

• The MSSI and the MSTI programs require students to earn 43 credits. Students in the JPME program will 

earn 44 credits.

• The BSI is a degree-completion program; therefore, students are required to:

• Transfer in 120 quarter (80 semester) hours of work.

• Earn 57 upper-division credits while at NIU.

Academic Load

The academic schedule and student course load are predicated on completing the program in either one or two 

years. However, given recent pandemic conditions, course loads may vary for students, and time extensions may 

be granted for the purpose of not only thesis completion but also course work. The University administration and 

faculty are committed to ensuring a strong and supportive academic environment for all students. 

• Full-time resident students generally take 12-15 credits per quarter during the fall, winter, and spring 

terms; summer term is used to focus on thesis completion. Changes to this academic load must be 

approved by the program’s Dean.

• Part-time cohort students will generally enroll in 6 credits per quarter. 

Electronic Learning and Assessment

The University uses Blackboard Learning Management and Community Management Systems to allow students 

and faculty to access information and instructional resources. Through Blackboard, each faculty member has a 

virtual classroom with a syllabus, readings, lecture, and presentation materials. Each class has its own file exchange 

area and discussion board to further virtual collaboration. The Blackboard portal also provides access to Library

resources, including the online catalog, electronic databases, and journals. All students use Blackboard to access 

instructional materials and support services remotely. A dedicated Blackboard resource at NIU supports students 

and faculty with Blackboard training and support.

For the 2021-22 academic year, NIU may also use MS Teams as a teaching platform if courses are taught in a 

hybrid format (with some class time on campus, and some class time conducted remotely) or due to local weather 

concerns.
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Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence 

Students in the Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence (MSSI) program must conduct original research, display 

critical and creative thinking, and present their ideas through effective oral and written exercises, including a 

graduate thesis. They must demonstrate independent learning and skill in research and reasoning, information 

retrieval, and source evaluation and must formulate conclusions despite informational ambiguities. 

MSSI Degree Learning Outcomes 

Graduates of the degree program will advance the nation’s intelligence enterprise through accomplishment of the 

following learning outcomes: 

• Assess how U.S. national security is shaped by forces and developments in an uncertain world.

• Analyze the role the IC plays in the decision-making process within the U.S. national security policy and

strategy communities.

• Demonstrate expertise in an area concerning threats, capabilities, or the national security enterprise.

• Conduct rigorous analytic research on topics of interest to the IC using all sources of information.

• Demonstrate effective communication and collaboration in a complex joint and interagency environment.

MSSI Degree Requirements 

To earn a Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence, a student must successfully complete 43 quarter credit hours 

and submit an approved thesis. 

Required Courses (15 credit hours) 

Required Core Courses (12 credit hours) 

• MCR 607 Intelligence Reasoning and Analysis 

• MCR 608 Leadership and Management in the Intelligence Community 

• MCR 609 Intelligence Collection 

• MCR 611 Intelligence and National Security Policy 

MSSI Program Requirement (3 credit hours) 

• MSI 601 Analyzing the Global Strategic Environment 

General Electives, Concentration Courses, and the Strategic Intelligence Studies Program 

(21 credit hours) 

Students in the College of Strategic Intelligence (CSI) have an option of selecting a Strategic Intelligence 

Studies (SIS) Program, or focusing on a particular concentration topic. MSSI students are not required to select 

a concentration. Students who do not select a specific concentration are placed into the SIS Program. This 
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program is designed to expose students to a diverse array of intelligence topics while still providing a cohesive, 

structured academic experience. 

If a student chooses the SIS program, they will have the opportunity to select seven elective courses of their 

choice (21 hours). 

If a student chooses a particular concentration, they must meet the course requirements for that particular 

concentration by taking four prescribed courses (12 hours) and three free elective courses (9 hours). 

Any course that is not listed as a required core or program course can be taken as an elective:

• SIS students may choose from all electives offered across the University; however, a minimum of four 

must be selected from MSSI degree program courses. 

• Concentration-specific students will have registration priority for courses listed as required for their 

concentration.

• Concentration students cannot use their concentration requirements to meet elective requirements. 

• Every year the College of Strategic Intelligence attempts to offer all necessary courses for all 

concentrations and certificates in this catalog, subject to sufficient student demand for the courses, and to 

faculty availability to deliver the courses.

NOTE FOR JPME STUDENTS: It will be unlikely for any student enrolled in the JPME Phase I to pursue an 

additional concentration due to time limitations and program requirements. Students may discuss this with the 

JPME Program Director, the Track Adviser, or the Office of the Registrar for clarification if needed. 

Thesis Courses(7 credit hours)

• MCR 701 Thesis Methodology and Design (3 credits) 

• MCR 702 Thesis Proposal (2 credits)

• MCR 703 Thesis Research (1 credit)

• MCR 704 Thesis Completion (1 credit)

MSSI Departments

All departments manage at least one concentration, certificate topic, or program. Every department also offers 

an array of electives available to the entire student body. Department Chairs are responsible for the quality, 

development, and execution of their assigned concentrations or program courses, electives, and certificate

topics. Students with questions regarding their program are encouraged to speak to their Department Chair, 

Track Lead, or Concentration Lead. 

CSI is aligned into five interdisciplinary departments: 

• Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence (CACI)

• Defense Intelligence (DI)
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• Intelligence Enterprise (IE)

• Regional Security and Intelligence (RSI)

• Transnational Issues (TI)

Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Department (CACI)

The Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Department (CACI) focuses on mission integration within the 

enterprise. Graduate learning opportunities build competencies in analysis, collection and counterintelligence in 

an approach that emphasizes collaboration, critical thinking, and innovation. Students are challenged by CACI 

faculty to understand today's rapidly changing strategic environment and intelligence enterprise capabilities to 

develop strategies and assessments that address emerging, disruptive technologies in addition to traditional 

adversarial threats. Concentration offerings provide intelligence professionals with a path for exploring collection 

and analysis, counterintelligence, and strategic warning. Specific CACI courses, which are described below, are 

coded with the CAC prefix.

Collection and Analysis Concentration

Students apply advanced analytic methodologies to examine theoretical and real-world intelligence collection 

and analysis priorities while examining the structures and challenges of the IC, with the goal of providing 

future-oriented intelligence to strategic decision-makers. Students select a collection and/or analysis topic for 

their graduate thesis and collaborate with faculty to select electives that optimally prepare them to produce a 

relevant body of research.

Collection and Analysis Concentration Learning Outcomes:

MSSI students in the Collection and Analysis Concentration evaluate and dissect national-level intelligence 

priorities to identify component elements of information and knowledge gaps against which collection and analysis 

efforts are employed.

• Evaluate the intelligence capabilities and activities of foreign powers to understand how they both operate 

and seek to thwart our efforts to anticipate and discern their intended actions.

• Understand and critique:

• The practical strengths and limitations of the various collection and analysis disciplines and their 

interaction with one another. 

• The allocation of limited collection and analysis resources and capabilities.

• The interagency structure for tasking, collection, processing, and exploitation of intelligence data.

• Understand and apply various research and analysis methodologies to theoretical and real-world 

intelligence priorities.

• Develop and apply a holistic and complementary collection and analysis strategies to further the IC’s 

understanding of the strategic warning problem set.
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In addition to the other degree requirements, the Collection and Analysis Concentration includes the following 

courses (12 credit hours):

• CAC 601 Advanced Methods of Intelligence Analysis

• CAC 602 Applied Collection and Analysis for Strategic Warning 

• CAC 610 Advanced Intelligence Collection 

• CAC 621 Comparative Intelligence

Students in this concentration should take these courses in this order: CAC 621, CAC 601, CAC 610, and 

CAC 602.

Counterintelligence Concentration

The Counterintelligence Concentration prepares students to critically evaluate the efforts of U.S. 

counterintelligence (CI) agencies to mitigate the foreign intelligence service threat to the United States. The 

courses examine the U.S. CI effort from a strategic perspective, including the role of CI in relation to the larger 

IC, law enforcement, and U.S. national security strategy. The courses also address the structure and mission 

of the U.S. CI organizations, as well as the legal, civil liberties, and policy considerations that shape and 

constrain the CI effort in a democratic society. Students gain an understanding of various aspects of the foreign 

intelligence threat, including espionage, influence operations, economic espionage, and cyber intrusions. The 

courses also explore criticism of the U.S. CI effort, alternative theoretical approaches to CI, and the future of 

CI in a globalized information environment. Students choose a CI topic for their graduate theses and collaborate 

with faculty to select specific elective courses that optimally prepare them to produce a relevant body of 

research related to CI.

Counterintelligence Concentration Learning Outcomes:

• Consider the political, legal, social, and economic factors that have shaped the evolution of the U.S. 

approach to CI.

• Evaluate U.S. CI policy, strategies, organizations, functions, and missions.

• Appraise the foreign intelligence threat to the United States.

• Consider the political, legal, social, and economic factors that have shaped selected foreign intelligence 

communities.

In addition to the other degree requirements, the CI concentration includes the following program courses (12 

credit hours):

• CAC 620 Counterintelligence

• CAC 621 Comparative Intelligence

• RSI 613 Chinese Intelligence and Information Operations 

• RSI 636 Russian Intelligence
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Defense Intelligence Department (DI)

The Defense Intelligence Department (DI) provides joint intelligence focused instruction and manages Joint 

Professional Military Education for the National Intelligence University. DI faculty educate, develop, and mentor 

students to critically and creatively support operational planning and inform national policy with strategic insight. 

Specific DI offerings, which are described below, are coded with the prefix DEF.

Strategic Intelligence in Special Operations (SISO) Concentration

Special operations forces (SOF) play an important role in U.S. national security strategy, interagency activities, 

and military operations. Moreover, there is a strong mutually supporting symbiotic and unique relationship 

between SOF and the IC. The SISO concentration prepares students to critically examine and evaluate SOF 

operations and intelligence activities that support those operations with the aim of providing national security 

decision-makers more effective strategic options across a wide spectrum of conflict within today’s complex 

global environment. Students who select the SISO concentration will choose a SOF/intelligence related topic 

for their graduate theses. Research focuses on intelligence at the national-strategic level, with faculty 

collaboration to select elective courses that optimally prepare students to produce a relevant body of research 

on strategic intelligence and special operations.

Strategic Intelligence in Special Operations (SISO) Concentration Learning Outcomes:

• Apply analytical frameworks by which to evaluate emerging transnational and conventional threat 

capabilities and strategies within the environment of special operations.

• Evaluate the unique capabilities of SOF intelligence and sensitive operational activities and how they 

network within the wider IC.

• Analyze and evaluate how covert action tools and techniques can be incorporated within broader national 

security strategies and evaluate measures to assess their effectiveness.

• Synthesize key aspects of special operations-unique capability with national intelligence means to propose 

complex problem solutions to senior-level decision-makers.

In addition to the other degree requirements, the SISO concentration includes the following courses (12 credit 

hours overall):

• INT 606 Covert Action

• TRN 607 Transnational Challenges 

• DEF 623 Intelligence and Special Operations

One additional course (student’s choice):

• DEF 621 Asymmetric Warfare 

• DEF 622 Peacekeeping and Stability Operations

• RSI 661 Social Analysis 

• TRN 603 Roots of Terrorism (3)
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• TRN 605 The Dynamics of Countering Terrorism (3)

• TRN 612 Engaging International Partnerships (3)

Intelligence Enterprise Department (IE)

The Intelligence Enterprise Department (IE) mission is to provide national security and intelligence 

professionals with an educational foundation that offers students the competencies and confidence to become 

future senior leaders. The department has oversight over core courses, and intelligence concentration and 

certificate courses, all focused on the national security and intelligence enterprise. Departmental courses take a 

holistic and networked approach and examine and evaluate leadership theory and practice, organizational 

management skills, national security law and ethics, covert action, intelligence decision analytics, and the role 

of intelligence in national security policy formulation. Specific IE offerings, which are described below, are 

coded with the prefix INT. 

Intelligence Community Leadership and Management Concentration 

The IC Leadership and Management (L&M) concentration seeksto educate intelligence professionals on the skills 

and competencies necessary to lead an effective, adaptive, and agile IC. The concentration provides students with 

an opportunity to explore and apply leadership and management principles to current and future IC challenges 

through theoretical and real-world examples. Students are exposed to national security law, budget and resource 

management, intelligence and leadership ethics, strategic decision analytics, and specific leadership roles and 

methods to effectively support senior policymakers. Students choose a leadership and management topic for their

graduate thesis and collaborate with faculty to select elective courses that prepare them to produce research that

contributes to the growing body of work focused on the IC.

IC Leadership and Management Learning Outcomes:

• Evaluate strategic leadership and management principles in leading an adaptive intelligence enterprise.

• Evaluate legal and ethical frameworks and challenges for IC leaders.

• Analyze evidence-based decisions against IC resources and priorities.

In addition to the other degree requirements, the IC L&M concentration includes the following courses (12 

credit hours):

• INT 602 Strategic Decision Analytics and Methods

• INT 603 Intelligence Resource Management: Process, Politics, and Money 

• INT 604 Professional Ethics

• INT 605 Intelligence and National Security Law

Regional Security and Intelligence Department (RSI)

The Regional Security and Intelligence Department (RSI) is focused on developing regional expertise and 

understanding of critical regional issues impacting national security. Currently this department has concentrations 
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in three areas—broader Middle East, China, and Eurasia—with Certificate in Intelligence Studies topics covering 

Africa, China, and Eurasia. Additional electives notably focus on Latin America, Iran, North Korea, South Asia, 

Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Polar Regions. This program prepares students, as future leaders and 

consumers of intelligence, to contextualize and best use that intelligence within their assigned regional areas of 

responsibilities. Specific Department offerings are described below. 

Broader Middle East Concentration

The Broader Middle East Concentration emphasizes advanced, strategic-level knowledge of the diverse and 

complex broader Middle East, from Morocco to Afghanistan, preparing students to critically identify, analyze, and 

forecast current and emerging security and intelligence issues within that region and its nations.

Broader Middle East Concentration Learning Outcomes:

• Evaluate U.S. strategic concerns and intelligence issues in the Middle East and apply a conceptual 

framework.

• Understand and apply the specific factors shaping security and stability in the Middle East region.

• Synthesize information and evaluate the threat of extremist movements, conflict, and other destabilizing 

societal structures and estimate their future trends, trajectories, and outcomes, while assessing the strategic 

intelligence affecting the United States.

In addition to the degree requirements, the Broader Middle East Concentration requires the following four courses 

(12 credit hours):

• RSI 651 Broader Middle East Strategic Security and Intelligence Environment

• RSI 652 Iran: Strategic Security and Intelligence Issues

• RSI 653 The Near East: Strategic Security and Intelligence Issues

• RSI 654 Arabian Peninsula and North Africa: Strategic Security and Intelligence Issues

China Concentration

The China Concentration emphasizes strategic-level knowledge of this diverse and dynamic country, preparing 

students to critically identify, analyze, and forecast current and emerging intelligence and security concerns 

facing the IC in the Indo-Pacific region and globally. The program provides students with a multi-disciplinary 

approach for researching and evaluating the drivers, objectives, strategies, and activities associated with 

China’s political, social, economic, security, military, and informational behavior. Particular focus is on 

assessing the opportunities and constraints of China’s comprehensive modernization and the effects and 

trajectories of its re-emergence as a great power, both regionally and globally. Students choose a topic and 

collaborate with faculty to research and produce future-oriented intelligence and national security studies.

China Concentration Learning Outcomes:

• Apply the lenses of China’s modern history, institutional structure, and elite politics as explanations for 

its contemporary policies and regime behavior in crisis or conflict. 
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• Outline the Communist Party of China’s national strategy and foreign policy; the processes by which it 

formulates, articulates, and implements them; and the relationship between the Party’s overall strategic 

ends and its efforts in specific functional and regional areas. Critique the scholarly debates about the 

implications for the United States and the international order. 

• Integrate examinations of China’s military modernization program, doctrine, capabilities, and strategies 

for regional conflicts into the construction of potential Chinese military campaigns in the Indo-Pacific. 

• Appraise China’s domestic and international activities in the information domain to include intelligence, 

counterintelligence, cyber and information warfare, and strategic influence operations; and evaluate the 

implications for U.S. policy. 

• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of China studies scholarship and its implications for the U.S. 

strategic intelligence enterprise. 

In addition to the degree requirements, the China concentration includes the following courses (12 credit 

hours):

• RSI 610 Introduction to China Intelligence Studies

• RSI 611 China’s National Strategies and Foreign Policy 

• RSI 612 China’s Military Capabilities and Strategies

• RSI 613 Chinese Intelligence and Information Operations

Eurasia Concentration

The Eurasia Concentration emphasizes strategic-level knowledge of this dynamic, geographically broad, 

politically and culturally diverse region and prepares students to identify, analyze, and forecast the IC’s current 

and emerging intelligence and security concerns and policies toward both regional allies and potential 

adversaries. The concentration provides students with a multidisciplinary approach for researching and 

evaluating the drivers, objectives, strategies, and activities associated with Eurasian questions. It addresses 

political, socio-cultural, economic, demographic, security, military, conflict, and informational issues for this 

region. The program also focuses on assessing the drivers and outcomes of Russia’s authoritarian assertiveness 

in an era of great power politics; the challenges and advantages of European Union integration; economic and 

energy production and interdependence; radicalization and terrorism issues; and external security and 

economic policies and engagement. Students choose thesis topics and collaborate with faculty to formulate a 

specific academic sequence of selective and elective courses that prepare them to produce future-oriented, 

relevant intelligence assessments.

Eurasia Concentration Learning Outcomes:

• Evaluate the expert theoretical and applied research literature examining the dynamics of Eurasia’s 

evolving internal socio-economic development, national and supra-national governance, financial and 

economic performance and challenges, and domestic stability and internal security.

• Evaluate Russia’s military, intelligence, and information strategy, modernization, and operations.
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• Analyze Russia’s evolving regional and global aspirations, behaviors, and assertiveness, including in 

foreign policy, trade and finance, regional and other multilateral organizations, transnational security 

issues, and confronting or causing regional disputes.

• Assess threats and opportunities for the United States vis-a-vis the actions and intents of Russia and the 

former Soviet republics in the key issues of governance, economic and infrastructure development, foreign 

and security policy, domestic political and security conditions, and resource management.

The Eurasia Concentration requires the following courses (12 credit hours):

• RSI 632 Russia: Geostrategic Intelligence Issues 

• RSI 635 The Near Abroad

• RSI 637 Russian Foreign Policy 

One additional course (student’s choice):

• RSI 633 Central Asia: Geostrategic Intelligence Issues 

• RSI 636 Russian Intelligence

Transnational Issues Department (TI)

The Department of Transnational Issues (TI) surveys a series of critical strategic intelligence issues with 

global effects—for example, transnational terrorism, illicit narcotics and other financial activities, and 

international relations theory as applied to strategic and national security issues. It strives to equip students 

with a "macro" view of global issues directly or indirectly related to national security and intelligence 

concerns, in order to contextualize the latter issues within the larger international arena. For students wishing 

to build their graduate work around a coherent topic, the Department offers a Concentration in Terrorism, 

as well as a Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Homeland Intelligence. Specific TI offerings, which are 

described below, are coded with the prefix TRN. 

Terrorism Concentration

The Terrorism Concentration seeks to educate intelligence professions on the full lifecycle of terrorist 

activities, from their political, military, social, and cultural origins, to their manifestations as individual 

terrorists and organized groups operating within a given state or as a transnational network. Students engage 

a wide spectrum of sociological and political issues that give rise to terrorist groups and transnational terrorist 

networks that threaten the United States and its interests. Students will apply the broad range of intelligence 

analytic and collection tools to create innovative solutions directed toward countering the threat posed by the 

phenomenon of terrorism. Students transition during the concentration from primarily focusing on the RED 

paradigm of studying terrorist adversaries to a BLUE paradigm of assessing strength and weaknesses of the 

U.S. response to terrorist threats in order to formulate more robust “whole-of-government” approaches to 

counter the dynamics of terrorism. Students focus on a terrorism-related issue for their thesis topic, which 

may include any topic related to transnational issues bearing on terrorism or addressing the U.S. response to 

terrorist threats.
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Terrorism Concentration Learning Outcomes:

• Analyze and appraise the root causes of the terrorism phenomenon and the fundamental dynamics of 

terrorist movements and groups.

• Apply multi-discipline theoretical frameworks to evaluate how political, economic, demographic, and

cultural pressures combine to create terrorist groups and networks operating in a state or transnationally.

• Evaluate how terrorist organizations are able to achieve their strategic end state as they operate in the 

physical, cognitive, and moral domains of warfare. Examine and distinguish the complex interactions 

between domestic and international issues in order to formulate conceptual models that explain the 

phenomenon of terrorism and generate creative responses to counter the threat of terrorism.

In addition to the other degree requirements, the Terrorism Concentration includes the following courses (12 

credit hours):

• TRN 602 Phenomenon of Terrorism

• TRN 603 Roots of Terrorism

• TRN 604 Dynamics of Terrorism

• TRN 605 Dynamics of Countering Terrorism

The MSSI Thesis

The MSSI thesis is a written presentation of original research that examines a strategic intelligence or intelligencerelated topic and contributes to the overall body of knowledge of the IC. All students research and write their theses 

under the close guidance of a committee (consisting of a thesis chair and a reader). Based on their concentrations 

or programs of study, students choose topics for their graduate theses and collaborate with faculty to select specific 

elective courses that optimally prepare them to produce a relevant body of research related to their selected 

concentrations or programs.

Below are the required four thesis courses needed to graduate: 

MCR 701: Each degree candidate isrequired to form a committee and select an intelligence topic for development 

of a thesis.

MCR702:Eachstudent, in consultation with their committee, develops and obtains approval of the thesis proposal. 

To register for MCR 702, the student must submit the first page of the Thesis Committee and Proposal Approval 

(T-1) Form to the Registrar’s Office. The T-1 form is located on Blackboard.

MCR 703: Students conduct research on their approved thesis topics. To register for MCR 703, the student must 

submit the Thesis Committee and Proposal Approval (T-1) Form with their Associate Dean’s signature to the 

Registrar’s Office.

MCR 704: Students will finalize their theses. An expanded discussion of student thesis requirements can be found 

on Blackboard under the Thesis Support tab.
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Bachelor of Science in Intelligence 

The Bachelor of Science in Intelligence (BSI) is a bachelor’s degree completion program that allows students, who 

have completed three years of equivalent credits (80 semester hours minimum) of undergraduate study, to earn 

their undergraduate degree in intelligence. The BSI is designed to encourage intellectual inquiry and the 

development of responsible graduates who dedicate themselves to improving the IC. At the conclusion of the 

program, students are required to submit a capstone project demonstrating critical thinking, innovation, and 

analytical problem-solving in a collaborative environment. 

BSI Degree Learning Outcomes

NIU BSI graduates will: 

• Analyze elements of the global environment in the context of security and intelligence.

• Distinguish processes, capabilities, and constraints of the U.S. national security and intelligence 

enterprises, to include intelligence support to strategy and policy.

• Appraise the dynamic interaction between the global environment and national security and intelligence.

• Create analytic outcomes individually and collaboratively. 

BSI Program 

Students must complete 57 credit hours to earn the BSI degree. 

• Seven NIU core courses (21 credit hours). 

• One program elective course to support the capstone (3 credit hours). 

• Five electives, one of which must be a regional studies course (15 credit hours). 

• The capstone preparatory and completion courses (18 credit hours). 

Fall Quarter (15 credits) 

• BCR 401 Global Security Environment 

• BCR 407 Intelligence Analysis 

• BCR 409 Collection Assets and Capabilities 

• BCR 411 Intelligence and National Security Strategy 

• CAP 401 Capstone Research and Design 

Winter Quarter (15 credits) 

• BCR 405 Analytic Methods 

• BCR 413 Science, Technology, and Intelligence 
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• Program Elective - directly related to the Capstone Project 

• Elective 

• Elective 

Spring Quarter (15 credits) 

• BCR 403 International Political Economy 

• CAP 403 Analyst-Collector Integration

• Elective 

• Elective 

• Elective 

Summer Quarter (12 credits) 

• CAP 404 Capstone Completion 

Elective courses (as available): a selection of below courses will be offered in winter and spring quarters. 

One regional course will be a program requirement to support the capstone projects.

o CAC 420 Counterintelligence 

o DEF 422 Intelligence: Building Stability and Peace 

o DEF 423 Intelligence and Special Operations 

o DEF 424 The Nature of Conflict and Conflict Capabilities 

o RSI 401 Africa: Intelligence Issues 

o RSI 421 South Asia: Intelligence Issues 

o RSI 422 East Asia: Intelligence Issues 

o RSI 431 Eurasia: Intelligence Issues 

o RSI 432 Europe: Intelligence Issues 

o RSI 441 Latin America: Intelligence Issues 

o RSI 451 Middle East: Intelligence Issues 

o RSI 461 Culture and Identity in an Age of Globalization 

o STI 460 Denial and Deception 

o STI 463 Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction 

o STI 480 Information Operations 

o STI 482 Cyber Strategy 
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o TRN 403 Terrorism: Origins and Methodologies 

o TRN 407 Transnational Threats 

o TRN 408 Drug Intelligence 

o TRN 409 Homeland Security and Intelligence 

o BSI 498 Special Topics in Intelligence

o BSI 499 Directed Readings 

BSI students have the option to take one graduate course in the MSSI or MSTI program on a space-available basis 

in lieu of one BSI elective course in the spring quarter.

BSI Concentration Designation 

BSI students who complete the program earn a degree concentration in a regional or functional area of study that 

is the focus of the academic year’s capstone project. A concentration is a collection of courses based on a specific 

strategic intelligence discipline or specific area of study. BSI students must complete the following to earn a 

concentration designation. Successful completion of a concentration designation will be reflected on a student’s 

official transcript. 

• 15 credit hours toward a specific regional or functional area. 

• 12 credit hours BSI Capstone Project (CAP 404)

• 3-credit hour course, designated by the BSI Program Director, to prepare the students for the BSI capstone 

project’s focus areas.
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Master of Science and Technology Intelligence 

The Master of Science and Technology Intelligence (MSTI) degree curriculum integrates science and technology

intelligence (S&TI) competencies, knowledge, skills, and abilities for S&TI officers with the academic mission 

of the University. Students in the degree program take core courses designed to introduce them to the strategic 

nature of the intelligence environment. Then, students can choose a concentration to focus their education on 

issues directly related to their interests. Students can also take a more generalist approach and take a variety of 

elective courses from MSTI concentrations. Students in the MSTI program must write and present their ideas 

effectively; learn independently; use appropriate and advanced analytic tools; retrieve information and evaluate 

sources; and develop critical and independent thinking, tolerating complexities, and ambiguities.

MSTI Degree Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the degree program will advance the nation’s intelligence enterprise through accomplishment of the 

following learning outcomes:

• Understand how world issues and the U.S. national security community are influenced by science and 

technology.

• Analyze specific science and technology areas to either evaluate associated threats or the potential to 

enhance U.S. intelligence capabilities.

• Conduct rigorous analytic research on science and technology topics of interest to the IC and provide 

outputs to appropriate customers and stakeholders.

• Inform decisions on science and technology topics within the U.S. national security and intelligence 

communities.

MSTI Degree Requirements

The MSTI degree program offers two approaches:

1. An approach focused on four School of Science and Technology Intelligence (SSTI) elective courses from 

one of the five concentrations for in-depth knowledge that will be identified on the student’s transcript.

2. An approach that exposes students to the diversity of the S&TI world by allowing students to take elective 

courses from any of the five concentrations. 

All MSTI students must successfully complete the following:

Required Core Courses (12 Credits)

• MCR 607 Intelligence Reasoning and Analysis

• MCR 608 Leadership and Management in the Intelligence Community 

• MCR 609 Intelligence Collection

• MCR 611 Intelligence and National Security Policy 
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Program Requirement (3 Credits)

• MST 613 Science and Technology 

Thesis Courses (7 Credits)

• MCR 701 Thesis Methodology and Design

• MCR 702 Thesis Proposal 

• MCR 703 Thesis Research

• MCR 704 Thesis Completion

Electives and Concentration Specific Requirements (21 Credits)

Students desiring a broad S&TI education may take their four electives from any of the SSTI concentrations, but 

they will not receive a concentration annotation on their transcript. The final three electives (9 credits) may be 

taken from any University program.

Note: Some elected are “dual-listed” across more than one concentration or certificate and are denoted as such.

NOTE FOR JPME STUDENTS: It will be unlikely for any student enrolled in the JPME Phase I to pursue an 

additional concentration due to time limitations and program requirements. Students may discuss this with the 

JPME Program Director, the Track Adviser, or the Office of the Registrar for clarification if needed. 

S&TI Concentrations

Students desiring a broad S&TI education may take their four electives from any of the SSTI concentrations, but 

they will not receive a concentration annotation on their transcript. The final three electives (9 credits) may be 

taken from any University program.

Students who want a more in-depth S&TI education into a particular area of study may select their four electives 

(12 credits) all from within one of the SSTI concentrations, and they earn a concentration annotation on their 

transcripts. Students can also pursue dual concentrations, and they earn dual concentration annotations on their 

transcripts. Dual concentrations probably require that the final three electives (9 credits) and one more elective be 

taken from the concentration programs. Some courses are dual-listed across concentrations.

Weapons of Mass Destruction Concentration (WMD)

Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are among the highest priority concerns for the IC. WMD issues include 

chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive (CBRN-E) threats from state and nonstate actors, as well as non-state armed groups involving all forms of WMD. The IC uses a wide range of 

techniques to identify and counter the various adversarial WMD programs. To address this critically important 

issue in an ever-changing global environment, the WMD concentration at NIU provides a graduate education 

designed to introduce students to the technology used in threat WMD programs. The WMD concentration 

explores intelligence issues and challenges surrounding the full spectrum of WMD actors and their evolving 

capabilities.
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WMD Concentration Learning Outcomes:

• Identify different types of WMD and their method of development and employment.

• Examine WMD technologies, intelligence indicators, and collection challenges.

• Analyze the different factors that affect adversarial WMD capabilities, intent, doctrine, use, and the 

competing global or regional efforts that enable or counter these activities.

• Evaluate the nature of the WMD threat to the United States and its allies, and the role of the IC in 

countering WMD.

In addition to the other degree requirements, to earn the WMD concentration students must take four of the 

following courses (12 credit hours):

• MST 655 Advanced Conventional and Non-Conventional Weapons (dual-listed)

• MST 661 WMD Terrorism

• MST 663 WMD: Counterproliferation

• MST 665 The Biological Threat (dual-listed)

• MST 667 The Nuclear Threat

• MST 669 The Chemical and Explosive Threat

• MST 671 S&TI Space and Missile Systems

• MST 698 Directed Study/Special Topics

Cyber Intelligence Concentration (CYI)

Cyber intelligence is information in the digital world: how it is used, manipulated, and understood. The Cyber 

Intelligence Concentration (CYI) educates students on the foundations and rapidly changing dynamics of the 

global information environment. Successful completion of four courses in the following concentration area 

prepares students to provide strategic intelligence support within cyber intelligence.

CYI Concentration Learning Outcomes:

• Assess the cyber threat environment in relation to strategic intelligence.

• Analyze cyber-related science and technology and the impact on strategic intelligence.

• Examine ICroles and responsibilities related to current and future cyber network operations environments.

Students must take four courses from the following:

• MST 682 Cyber Intelligence

• MST 683 Foreign Information and Cyber Strategies

• MST 684 Cyber Threat
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• MST 685 Social Networks and Intelligence (dual-listed)

• MST 686 Network Operations Environment—Engagement

• MST 689 Advanced Cyber Intelligence

• MST 698 Directed Study/Special Topics

Data Science in Intelligence Concentration (DSI)

The Data Science in Intelligence Concentration (DSI) educates students on the rapidly expanding applications of 

data science within the context of intelligence collection and analysis. Successful completion of the four courses 

in the concentration prepares students to provide technically competent critical insight into how data science can 

be applied to strategic intelligence problems. Data science involves the development of methods to engage large 

data sets in order to infer useful information and convey insights. Information in large databases, complex 

structures, and massive data flows provides intelligence analysts and operators with opportunities to inform 

strategic decisions.

DSI Concentration Learning Outcomes:

• Explain the evolving role of data science within the IC.

• Assess the applications and limitations of data science within the context of strategic intelligence.

• Calculate statistics and algorithmic output from intelligence data sets.

• Interpret and communicate the meaning of information inferred from data.

Students must take four courses from the following:

• MST 688 Data Science Applications

• MST 690 Data Science Mathematics

• MST 691 Data Science Tools and Techniques

• MST 692 Data Science Visualization and Communication

• MST 698 Directed Study/Special Topics

Emerging Technologies and Geostrategic Resources Concentration (ETGR)

The coupled intelligence problems of evolving technology andresources must be grappled with to forestall strategic 

surprise. One of the most daunting challenges in strategic intelligence is to anticipate the progress of science and

technology, compounded by the strategic importance of various resources and environmental forces. Estimating

the potential ofspecific resources, theoretical sciences, emerging disciplines, and hypothetical capabilities to shape 

the future requires new approaches and broad awareness. Successful completion of four courses in the Emerging 

Technologies and Geostrategic Resources Concentration (ETGR) prepares students to provide strategic 

intelligence support within other S&TI disciplines, including cyber and WMD. Students should discuss their

elective choices with their concentration Department Chair, Program Director, or Track Adviser.
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ETGR Concentration Learning Outcomes:

• Analyze emerging technological trends and disruptive events and their implications, including global or 

regional conditions and environments.

• Analyze market- and economic-based drivers for technological development and supply chain challenges.

• Evaluate the process for and execution of state and non-state research, development, and acquisition life 

cycles and the resources required to support, complement, or counter them.

• Evaluate how environmental changes, geostrategic resources, power systems, access routes, supply chain, 

critical and rare materials, manufacturing, technology transfer, and other critical drivers may influence 

disruptive and emerging technologies.

Students must take four courses from the following:

• MST 653 Advanced Science and Technology

• MST 655 Advanced Conventional and Non-Conventional Weapons (dual-listed)

• MST 656 The Economics of Technology

• MST 657 Case Studies in Technology Transfer

• MST 658 Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessment

• MST 665 The Biological Threat (dual-listed)

• MST 672 Intelligence and the Changing Global Resource Environment

• MST 674 Identity Intelligence (dual-listed)

• MST 675 Electrical Power Systems and Distribution

• MST 698 Directed Study/Special Topics

Information and Influence Intelligence Concentration (I3)

The Information and Influence Intelligence Concentration (I3) educates students on the principles, foundations, 

threats, and dynamics of using information in the cognitive dimension of the information environment to shape 

the opinions, choices, and behaviors of others to gain an intelligence advantage. The denial and deception (D&D) 

component of the concentration addresses foreign programs designed to counter U.S. technological superiority or 

significantly affect U.S. national security interests. The information power component addresses intelligencerelated issues and equities in the use of information to affect the understanding, will, and behavior of selected target 

audiences. The identity intelligence component addresses the intelligence enterprise in intelligence operations and 

attribution of actors. The overarching goal of the concentration is to enable students to analyze, evaluate, and solve 

the IC’s current and emerging concerns regarding the use of information in the cognitive dimension of the 

information environment. 

I3 Concentration Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the role of I3 in strategic intelligence.
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• Understand foreign I3-related capabilities, methods, and intentions.

• Analyze adversarial I3 activities.

• Evaluate foreign I3 strategies, capabilities, methods, and activities.

Students who pursue an I3 concentration must complete at least four I3 elective courses.

• MST 660 Introduction to Denial and Deception: History, Concepts, Issues, and Implications

• MST 662 Denial and Deception: Psychological/Cultural Aspects and National Security

Decision-Making

• MST 664 Denial and Deception: Adversaries, Organizations, Activities, and Countermeasures

• MST 674 Identity Intelligence (dual-listed)

• MST 680 Information Power

• MST 681 Propaganda

• MST 685 Social Networks and Intelligence (dual-listed)

• MST 687 Advanced Information Power Seminar

• MST 698 Directed Study/Special Topics

The MSTI Thesis

The MSTI thesis is a written presentation of original research, examining an S&TI topic that contributes to the

overall knowledge base of the IC. An acceptable thesis must:

• Be based on sound, valid, and clear argumentation.

• Provide documentation sufficient for the research to be replicated.

• Contribute to the body of intelligence literature.

All students research and write their theses under the close guidance of a thesis committee (which includes a chair 

and a reader). The classification of the thesis is determined by the research question, nature of the data, and 

sensitivity of the judgments and results.

• In MCR 701, all degree candidates are required to form a committee and select an intelligence topic for 

developing a thesis.

• In MCR 702, thesis students develop and obtain approval of their thesis proposals in consultation with 

their committee.

• In MCR 703, students conduct thesis research on their approved thesis topics.

• In MCR 704, students complete and publish their theses.
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Certificate in Intelligence Studies 

The Certificate in Intelligence Studies (CIS) program allows non-degree-seeking students the opportunity for 

in-depth, graduate-level study of intelligence topics. CIS programs are conducted at the ICC-B NIU main 

campus and at designated instructional locations. Interested students or agencies may coordinate offerings, 

delivery locations, and timing of the specific certificate topics with NIU. Certificate topics may not be offered 

every year, and availability is subject to enrollment, space availability, faculty availability, and other NIU 

commitments and priorities. 

Students interested in applying for a CIS program must possess an undergraduate degree from an accredited 

university. Students already enrolled in an NIU graduate degree program may take CIS courses as individual 

electives but may not earn the graduate certificate. CIS students who do not earn a certificate but subsequently 

matriculate to an NIU graduate program can apply to transfer a maximum of six credits toward their NIU 

master’s degree.

College of Strategic Intelligence (CSI) Certificate Topics

Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence (MSSI) students may apply up to six credit hours from an earned 

certificate to satisfy free elective course requirements. MSSI students who are part of a CIS program are 

encouraged to consider transferring to the degree program prior to the completion of the second certificate course 

if they wish to apply the courses to a concentration requirement.

Africa

The Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Africa is a graduate-level program focused on providing academic and 

professional rigor to U.S. Government employees primarily in the IC. As such, intelligence considerations and 

requirements are woven through courses designed to ground students in the history of the continent as that history 

affects current and future issues; to appraise current culture, government, conflict, technology, and environment 

topics; and to prepare collection, analysis, and intelligence support to strategies and policies for use by the United 

States and its partner nations now and in the future.

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Africa Learning Outcomes:

• Understand and distinguish key components of African Studies in general especially as they relate to the 

U.S. people and government.

• Illustrate and assess the impact of African events that are historic and impact current issues.

• Survey and assess the effects and/or potential effects of national and regional actions with respect to 

politics, information, military, intelligence, society, cyber, economic, and law enforcement.

• Critique U.S. intelligence and U.S. intelligence support to operations on key topics that include politics, 

information, military, intelligence, society, cyber, economic, and law enforcement.

• Understand the roles and goals of external state and non-state actors in the African context such as, but 

not limited to, international organizations, international financial institutions, civil society organizations, 

religious organizations, and terrorist groups.
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• Distinguish the role of African countries and Africa in current and future global security concerns.

The course requirements include: 

• RSI 601 Africa: Principles and Continuity Through Time

• RSI 602 U.S. Policy Toward Africa

In addition to the two required courses, students are to complete two of the following CIS: Africa courses: 

• RSI 603 Conflict and Complications in Africa

• RSI 604 International Development Intricacies in Africa

• RSI 605 The Technical Side of Africa

• RSI 606 Futures of African Countries

China: Intelligence Concerns 

The Certificate in Intelligence Studies: China emphasizes strategic-level knowledge of this diverse and dynamic 

country, preparing students to critically identify, analyze, and forecast current and emerging intelligence and 

security concerns facing the IC in the Indo-Pacific region and globally. The program provides students with a 

multi-disciplinary approach for researching and evaluating the drivers, objectives, strategies, and activities 

associated with China’s political, social, economic, security, military, and informational behavior. Particular focus 

is on assessing the opportunities and constraints of China’s comprehensive modernization and the effects and 

trajectories of its re-emergence as a great power, both regionally and globally. Students choose a topic and 

collaborate with faculty to research and produce future-oriented intelligence and national security studies. 

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: China Learning Outcomes:

• Apply the lenses of China’s modern history, institutional structure, and elite politics as explanations for 

its contemporary policies and regime behavior in crisis or conflict. 

• Outline the Communist Party of China’s national strategy and foreign policy, the processes by which it 

formulates, articulates, and implements them, and the relationship between the Party’s overall strategic 

ends and its efforts in specific functional and regional areas; critique the scholarly debates about the 

implications for the United States and the international order. 

• Integrate examinations of China’s military modernization program, doctrine, capabilities, and strategies 

for regional conflicts into the construction of potential Chinese military campaigns in the Indo-Pacific. 

• Appraise China’s domestic and international activities in the information domain to include intelligence, 

counterintelligence, cyber and information warfare, and strategic influence operations; evaluate the 

implications for U.S. policy. 

• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of China studies scholarship and its implications for the U.S. 

strategic intelligence enterprise. 
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The course requirements include: 

• RSI 610 Introduction to China Intelligence Studies 

• RSI 611 China’s National Strategy and Foreign Policy 

• RSI 612 China’s Military Capabilities and Strategy

• RSI 613 Chinese Intelligence and Information Warfare 

Counterintelligence 

The Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Counterintelligence prepares students to critically evaluate the efforts 

of U.S. counterintelligence (CI) agencies to mitigate the foreign intelligence service threat to the United States. 

The courses examine the U.S. CI effort from a strategic perspective, including the role of CI in relation to the 

larger IC, law enforcement, and U.S. national security strategy. The courses also address the structure and 

mission of U.S. CI organizations, as well as the legal, civil liberties, and policy considerations that shape and 

constrain the CI effort in a democratic society. Students gain an understanding of various aspects of the foreign 

intelligence threat, including espionage, influence operations, economic espionage, and cyber intrusions. The 

courses also explore criticism of the U.S. CI effort, alternative theoretical approaches to CI, and the future of 

CI in a globalized information environment. Students choose a CI topic for their graduate theses and collaborate 

with faculty to select specific elective courses that optimally prepare them to produce a relevant body of 

research related to CI.

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Counterintelligence Learning Outcomes:

• Consider the political, legal, social, and economic factors that have shaped the evolution of the U.S. 

approach to CI.

• Evaluate U.S. CI policy, strategies, organizations, functions, and missions.

• Appraise the foreign intelligence threat to the United States.

• Consider the political, legal, social, and economic factors that have shaped selected foreign intelligence 

communities.

The course requirements include: 

• CAC 620 Counterintelligence

• CAC 621 Comparative Intelligence 

• RSI 613 China’s Intelligence and Information Warfare 

• RSI 636 Russian Intelligence 

Eurasia 

The Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Eurasia emphasizes strategic-level knowledge of this dynamic, 

geographically broad, politically and culturally diverse region and prepares students to identify, analyze, and 

forecast the IC’s current and emerging intelligence and security concerns and policies toward both regional 
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allies and potential adversaries. The concentration provides students with a multidisciplinary approach for 

researching and evaluating the drivers, objectives, strategies, and activities associated with Eurasian questions. 

It addresses political, socio-cultural, economic, demographic, security, military, conflict, and informational 

issues for this region. The program also focuses on assessing the drivers and outcomes of Russia’s authoritarian 

assertiveness in an era of great power politics; the challenges and advantages of European Union integration; 

economic and energy production and interdependence; radicalization and terrorism issues; and external 

security and economic policies and engagement. Students choose thesis topics and collaborate with faculty to 

formulate a specific academic sequence of selective and elective courses that prepare them to produce futureoriented, relevant intelligence assessments.

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Eurasia Learning Outcomes:

• Evaluate the expert theoretical and applied research literature examining the dynamics of Eurasia’s 

evolving internal socio-economic development, national and supra-national governance, financial and 

economic performance and challenges, and domestic stability and internal security.

• Evaluate Russia’s military, intelligence, and information strategy, modernization, and operations.

• Analyze Russia’s evolving regional and global aspirations, behaviors, and assertiveness, including in 

foreign policy, trade and finance, regional and other multilateral organizations, transnational security 

issues, and confronting or causing regional disputes.

• Assess threats and opportunities for the United States vis-a-vis the actions and intents of Russia and the 

former Soviet republics in the key issues of governance, economic and infrastructure development, foreign 

and security policy, domestic political and security conditions, and resource management. 

The course requirements include: 

• RSI 632 Russia: Geostrategic Intelligence Issues 

• RSI 635 The Near Abroad

• RSI 637 Russian Foreign Policy 

In addition to the three required courses, students may choose one of the following concentration courses:

• RSI 633 Central Asia: Geostrategic Intelligence Issues 

• RSI 636 Russian Intelligence

Homeland Intelligence

The Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Homeland Intelligence provides an in-depth examination and 

evaluation of intelligence gathered and used domestically by intelligence, law enforcement, and the private 

sector to address the significant national security threats that face the United States. Intelligence areas 

covered within this program span border security, transportation security, counterterrorism, homegrown 

violent extremism, cyber threats, and transnational organized crime. This certificate topic integrates critical 

areas such as infrastructure protection, counterterrorism, and warning in a stimulating manner that enables 

student learning at the highest levels.
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Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Homeland Intelligence Learning Outcomes:

• Understand and evaluate the homeland security enterprise and assess the intelligence requirements and 

capabilities available to counter foreign sponsored or inspired threats. 

• Evaluate intelligence on key topics that include border security, transportation security, terrorism, 

transnational organized crime, cyber threats, and homegrown radicalization.

• Understand the laws and policies that govern intelligence development, use, and restrictions within the 

United States, including the use of FISA warrants, the protection of civil liberties, civil rights and privacy, 

and effective partnerships for ethical intelligence development and use. 

• Examine the spectrum of national security that includes homeland security and homeland defense, 

including understanding how the U.S. homeland/domestic intelligence enterprise operates compared to 

domestic intelligence programs in other countries.

• Understand and evaluate current warning systems including the National Terrorism Advisory System and 

provide creative mechanisms for improving or enhancing warning.

• Understand risk and vulnerability assessment focusing on critical infrastructure. Evaluate the 

counterterrorism efforts within the United States and their engagement with the broader national security 

environment.

The course requirements include: 

• TRN 609 Intelligence to Protect the Homeland 

• TRN 605 Dynamics of Countering Terrorism

• TRN 614 Homeland Intelligence Warning Field Engagement 

• MST 658 Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessment

Leadership and Management in the Intelligence Community

This CIS program provides IC professionals with an educational experience in a collaborative interagency 

environment that furthers knowledge and use of leadership theory and practice, organizational management skills, 

national security law and ethics, and the role of intelligence in national security policy formulation. Designed for 

intelligence professionals of all job series and backgrounds with at least 10 years of experience, the program 

integrates education and information sharing, while participants in this four-course program explore and analyze 

real-world intelligence challenges and use tools immediately applicable to their daily environment. Seating is 

limited and requires an agency/department nomination. 

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Leadership and Management in the IC Learning Outcomes:

 Apply leadership and management theories and strategies to decisionmaking in the IC.

 Evaluate the current and future challenges facing the intelligence enterprise in national security policy 

formulation and execution.
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 Apply the role of professional ethics and the foundational constitutional, statutory, and legal authorities to 

issues impacting intelligence practitioners.

 Employ a structured analytical framework for strategic planning that assesses current and future operating 

environments, utilizes organizational change theories, and applies risk and performance management 

theories and practice.

 Develop realistic solutions against an IC enterprise challenge that applies the tools and strategies presented 

in this program.

The course requirements include: 

• INT 501 Leadership and Intelligence

• INT 502 Leadership, Intelligence, and National Security Decision-making 

• INT 503 National Security Law and Ethics

• INT 504 Organizational Management and Change

Strategic Intelligence in Special Operations

Special operations forces (SOF) play an important role in U.S. national security strategy, interagency activities, and 

military operations. Moreover, there is a strong mutually supporting, symbiotic and unique relationship between 

SOF and the IC. This certificate topic prepares students to critically examine and evaluate SOF operations and 

intelligence activities that support those operations and intelligence activities with the aim of providing national 

security decision-makers more effective strategic options across a wide spectrum of conflict within today’s complex 

global environment. This certificate topic is designed for non-degree-seeking students interested in a focused, 

intense course of study resulting in a regionally-accredited graduate certificate recognized across academia.

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Special Operations Intelligence Learning Outcomes:

 Apply analytical frameworks by which to evaluate emerging transnational and conventional threat 

capabilities and strategies within the environment of special operations.

 Evaluate the unique capabilities of SOF intelligence and sensitive operational activities and how they 

network within the wider IC.

 Analyze and evaluate how covert action tools and techniques can be incorporated within broader national 

security strategies and evaluate measures to assess their effectiveness.

 Synthesize key aspects of special operations-unique capability with national intelligence means to propose 

complex problem solutions to senior level decision-makers. 

Three required courses: 

• INT 606 Covert Action

• TRN 607 Transnational Challenges

• DEF 623 Intelligence and Special Operations
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One elective course from the following list (3 credit hours)

• DEF 621 Asymmetric Warfare

• DEF 622 Peacekeeping and Stability Operations 

• RSI 661 Social Analysis

• TRN 603 Roots of Terrorism

• TRN 605 The Dynamics of Countering Terrorism 

• TRN 612 Engaging International Partnerships

Strategic Warning Analysis

The Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Strategic Warning Analysis prepares students to analyze the complex topic 

of warning, introducing them to the successes and pitfalls that the U.S. IC has encountered and still encounters in 

fulfilling the warning mission. It assesses warning successes and failures at each step in the intelligence cycle, 

exploring the tools an analyst could apply to mitigate failures and facilitate successes. This certificate topic 

supports the greater U.S. IC, Department of Defense, and Five Eyes objectives to improve strategic warning, so 

that policy-makers, military officials, and civil authorities can effectively deter, prevent, or respond to threats and 

take advantage of opportunities

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Strategic Warning Analysis Learning Outcomes:

• Analyze the role that foreign denial and deception plays in obstructing or blurring a warning problem.

• Evaluate historical warning failures and successes that reveal their primary causes and trends.

• Evaluate pitfalls in joint/interagency and international cooperation that can be mitigated.

• Derive indicators and contrary-indicators for warning problems.

• Construct an intelligence warning methodology with structured and intuitive techniques to improve 

intelligence warning.

The course requirements include the following in order of their sequence in the program: 

• CAC 630 History of Warning Intelligence

• CAC 631 Challenges in Strategic Warning

• CAC 632 Warning Theory and Methodologies

• MST 660 Introduction to Denial and Deception: History, Concepts, Issues, and Implications

School of Science and Technology Intelligence (SSTI) Certificate Topics

Students seeking a Certificate in Intelligence Studies (CIS) in an S&TI area of study may select four electives (12 

credits) all from within one of the certificate topics listed. Once those four electives are completed, students must 

apply for a 1-credit MST certificate capstone assignment with the Certificate Director to meet the full requirements 
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for the certificate. The electives are offered on a space available basis from the existing course catalog. Students 

have up to two years from the start of their first course to complete all 13 credits and may request an extension 

from the Dean. Because electives are offered on a space available basis, courses can be taken during the day, in 

the evening, or on the weekend if available. Students should discuss their elective choices with the SSTI Academic 

Program Director or Certificate Director.

Master of Science and Technology Intelligence (MSTI) students may not use CIS courses to simultaneously satisfy 

both elective and CIS requirements. MSTI students who wish to earn a certificate while enrolled in the MSTI 

program should contact the SSTI Academic Program Director to schedule the number and type of courses required.

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

WMD are among the highest priority concerns for the IC. WMD issues include chemical, biological, 

radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive (CBRN-E) threats from state and non-state actors, as well as 

non-state armed groups involving all forms of WMD. The IC uses a wide range of techniques to identify and 

counter the various adversarial WMD programs. To address this critically important issue in an ever-changing 

global environment, the certificate provides material designed to introduce students to the technology used in 

threat WMD programs. The certificate explores intelligence issues and challenges surrounding the full 

spectrum of WMD actors and their evolving capabilities.

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Learning Outcomes:

• Identify different types of WMD and their methods of development and employment.

• Examine WMD technologies, intelligence indicators, and collection challenges.

• Analyze the different factors that affect adversarial WMD capabilities, intent, doctrine, and use, as well 

as the competing global or regional efforts that enable or counter these activities.

• Evaluate the nature of the WMD threat to the United States and its allies, and the role of the IC in 

countering WMD.

To earn the Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), students must take four of 

the following courses (12 credit hours):

• MST 655 Advanced Conventional and Non-Conventional Weapons (dual-listed)

• MST 661 WMD Terrorism

• MST 663 WMD: Counterproliferation

• MST 665 The Biological Threat (dual-listed)

• MST 667 The Nuclear Threat

• MST 669 The Chemical and Explosive Threat

• MST 671 S&TI Space and Missile Systems

• MST 698 Directed Study/Special Topics
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And students must also complete:

• MST 699 Graduate Certificate Capstone (1 credit)

Cyber Intelligence (CYI)

Cyber intelligence is information in the digital world: how it is used, manipulated, and understood. The certificate 

educates students on the foundations and rapidly changing dynamics of the global information environment. 

Successful completion of four courses in the area prepares students to provide strategic intelligence support within 

cyber intelligence.

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Cyber Intelligence (CYI) Learning Outcomes:

• Assess the cyber threat environment in relation to strategic intelligence.

• Analyze cyber-related science and technology and the impact on strategic intelligence.

• Examine IC roles and responsibilities related to current and future cyber network operations environments.

Students must take four courses from the following:

• MST 682 Cyber Intelligence

• MST 683 Foreign Information and Cyber Strategies

• MST 684 Cyber Threat

• MST 685 Social Networks and Intelligence (dual-listed)

• MST 686 Network Operations Environment—Engagement

• MST 689 Advanced Cyber Intelligence

• MST 698 Directed Study/Special Topics

And students must also complete:

• MST 699 Graduate Certificate Capstone (1 credit)

Data Science in Intelligence (DSI)

The Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Data Science in Intelligence (DSI) educates students on the rapidly 

expanding applications of data science within the context of intelligence collection and analysis. Successful 

completion of four courses prepares students to provide technically competent critical insight into how data science 

can be applied to strategic intelligence problems. Data science involves the development of methods to engage 

large data sets in order to infer useful information and convey insights. Information in large databases, complex 

structures, and massive data flows provides intelligence analysts and operators with opportunities to inform 

strategic decisions.

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Data Science in Intelligence (DSI) Learning Outcomes:

• Explain the evolving role of data science within the IC.
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• Assess the applications and limitations of data science within the context of strategic intelligence.

• Calculate statistics and algorithmic output from intelligence data sets.

• Interpret and communicate the meaning of information inferred from data.

Students must take four courses from the following:

• MST 688 Data Science Applications

• MST 690 Data Science Mathematics

• MST 691 Data Science Tools and Techniques

• MST 692 Data Science Visualization and Communication

• MST 698 Directed Study/Special Topics

And students must also complete:

• MST 699 Graduate Certificate Capstone (1 credit)

Emerging Technologies and Geostrategic Resources (ETGR)

The coupled intelligence problems of evolving technology andresources must be grappled with to forestall strategic 

surprise. One of the most daunting challenges in strategic intelligence is to anticipate the progress of science and

technology, compounded by the strategic importance of various resources and environmental forces. Estimating

the potential ofspecific resources, theoretical sciences, emerging disciplines, and hypothetical capabilities to shape 

the future requires new approaches and broad awareness. Successful completion of the certificate topic prepares 

students to provide strategic intelligence support within other S&TI disciplines, including cyber andWMD.

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Emerging Technologies and Geostrategic Resources (ETGR) Learning 

Outcomes:

• Analyze emerging technological trends and disruptive events and their implications, including global or 

regional conditions and environments.

• Analyze market- and economic-based drivers for technological development and supply chain challenges.

• Evaluate the process for and execution of state and non-state research, development, and acquisition life 

cycles and the resources required to support, complement, or counter them.

• Evaluate how environmental changes, geostrategic resources, power systems, access routes, supply chain, 

critical and rare materials, manufacturing, technology transfer, and other critical drivers may influence 

disruptive and emerging technologies.

Students must take four courses from the following:

• MST 653 Advanced Science and Technology

• MST 655 Advanced Conventional and Non-Conventional Weapons (dual-listed)

• MST 656 The Economics of Technology
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• MST 657 Case Studies in Technology Transfer

• MST 658 Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessment

• MST 665 The Biological Threat (dual-listed)

• MST 672 Intelligence and the Changing Global Resource Environment

• MST 674 Identity Intelligence (dual-listed)

• MST 675 Electrical Power Systems and Distribution

• MST 698 Directed Study/Special Topics

And students must also complete:

• MST 699 Graduate Certificate Capstone (1-credit)

Information and Influence Intelligence (I3)

The Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Information and Influence Intelligence (I3) educates students on the 

principles, foundations, threats, and dynamics of using information in the cognitive dimension of the information 

environment to shape the opinions, choices, and behaviors of others to gain an intelligence advantage. The denial 

and deception (D&D) component addresses foreign programs designed to counter U.S. technological superiority 

or significantly affect U.S. national security interests. The information power component addresses intelligencerelated issues and equities in the use of information to affect the understanding, will, and behavior of selected target 

audiences. The identity intelligence component addresses the intelligence enterprise in intelligence operations and 

attribution of actors. The overarching goal of the certificate is to enable students to analyze, evaluate, and solve 

the IC’s current and emerging concerns regarding the use of information in the cognitive dimension of the 

information environment. 

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Information and Influence Intelligence (I3) Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the role of I3 in strategic intelligence.

• Understand foreign I3-related capabilities, methods, and intentions.

• Analyze adversarial I3 activities.

• Evaluate foreign I3 strategies, capabilities, methods, and activities.

Students must take four courses from the following:

• MST 660 Introduction to Denial and Deception: History, Concepts, Issues, and Implications

• MST 662 Denial and Deception: Psychological/Cultural Aspects and National Security

Decision-Making

• MST 664 Denial and Deception: Adversaries, Organizations, Activities, and Countermeasures

• MST 674 Identity Intelligence (dual-listed)

• MST 680 Information Power
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• MST 681 Propaganda

• MST 685 Social Networks and Intelligence (dual-listed)

• MST 687 Advanced Information Power Seminar

• MST 698 Directed Study/Special Topics

And students must also complete:

• MST 699 Graduate Certificate Capstone (1-credit)
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COURSE DESCRIPTIONS 

The following is a list of all NIU courses. Not all courses are offered every year, or in every location. Please check 

the course schedule for course offerings each academic year. Unless otherwise noted, SVTC attendance may be 

available, except for courses offered at USINDOPACOM. Please verify VTC options with the instructor in 

advance of the course.

Master’s Core Courses

All master’s degree students are required to take the following courses.

MCR 607 Intelligence Reasoning and Analysis

This course focuses on the art and science of analysis and explores the concepts and processes of developing 

effective intelligence analysis. Students will explore the elements of logic, critical thinking, and argumentation as 

the fundamental components of assessing and estimating threats and opportunities in the national security 

environment. Students will also examine analytical concepts and practices with the goal of mitigating traditional 

analytic pitfalls and enhancing the accuracy of assessments. Throughout the course, students will explore the 

numerous organizational and ethical issues associated with improving intelligence analysis in today’s highly 

dynamic and increasingly complex environment.

MCR 608 Leadership and Management in the Intelligence Community

This course examines the practices and theories of leadership, then looks at the dynamics of organizational

management and change to identify “best practices” that can be applied to the unique challenges and missions of 

the IC. The course examines corporate and governmental leadership as a process: the people who become leaders,

the influence leaders wield in motivating followers, the psychology of organizations—including culture, structure, 

and communications—and the goals that give groups purpose. The course then examines corporate management: 

creating a vision, developing a strategy,implementing lasting change and transformation, and assessing risk and 

performance. The course endeavors to relate the best available theory and scholarship to the specific attributes of

the ICin a unique interdepartmental government construct. This course concludes with an examination of how the 

IC can organize, prioritize, collaborate, and operate in a rapidly changing global environment.

MCR 609 Intelligence Collection

Collection includes a dynamic and integrated set of activities to acquire intelligence information needed to satisfy 

national intelligence requirements andis performed through five primary means:

1. Human intelligence (HUMINT).

2. Signals intelligence (SIGINT).

3. Geospatial intelligence (GEOINT).

4. Measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT).

5. Open-source intelligence (OSINT).
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Collection must continuously produce the right data and information for successful and aggressive all-source 

analysis. This course analyzes HUMINT, SIGINT, GEOINT, MASINT, and OSINT collection disciplines to 

determine their structures, technologies, capabilities, and limitations, in the context of interacting with and 

providing evidence for analysts. Case studies drawn from classified intelligence literature provide the 

substantive backdrop for analyzing the capabilities and limitations of each collection discipline.

MCR 611 Intelligence and National Security Policy

Emerging trends that have manifested in the threats and opportunities of globalization have altered collective 

national interests and national security policy formulation. The country’s success in meeting ever increasing 

asymmetric and transnational challenges depends on effective transformation, reorientation, and coordination 

of the IC to support the requirements of national security policy. This course examines national security policy 

formulation, the factors that influence and constrain policy choices, and the role of intelligence in this process. 

Changing intelligence relationships with policymakers continue to serve as benchmarks for national security 

engagement. Students analyze and evaluate the future political, cultural, and institutional changes facing the 

IC as it supports national policy.

Master’s Thesis Courses

The course requirements for the master’s degree thesis are described in the subsections that follow.

MCR 701 Thesis Methodology and Design

This course teaches students the graduate-level research skills they need to complete a MSSI or MSTI thesis on a 

topic related to U.S. intelligence and national security. The course exposesstudents to the fundamentals of research 

design and teaches them how to identify a research problem, develop a research question, write a synthesized 

literature review, formulate hypotheses, utilize basic research methodologies, apply analytic frameworks, and 

describe the results of their research. Students also learn about human subjects research/Institutional Review Board 

(IRB) standards and procedure. During the course, students prepare and peer review each other’s research designs 

and, as the final assignment, complete a draft research proposal.

MCR 702 Thesis Proposal

Under the thesis chair’s guidance, the student develops a thesis proposal and completes their committee while

beginning IRBapproval and research. Proposals must be submitted for approval no later than the fifth week of the 

quarter and must be approved before students complete the course.(Prerequisite: passing MCR 701 with a score of 

80 or higher.)

MCR 703 Thesis Research

Under the thesis chair’s guidance, the student produces a major portion of the draft thesis. The thesis chair works 

with the student to set the deliverables for the course. At a minimum, students must show continued progression 

in research and writing. (Prerequisite: completion of MCR 702 with a pass.)

MCR 704 Thesis Completion

Under the guidance of the thesis chair and reader, the student completes the master’s thesis. (Prerequisite: 

completion of MCR 703 with a pass.)
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Program Requirement: Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence (MSSI)

All MSSI students must successfully complete the MSSI program requirement, MSI 601.

MSI 601 Analyzing the Global Strategic Environment

To best understand how intelligence challenges develop and evolve, it is critical to view the world both as a regional 

and country-specific level and as a global and international system of connected states. Many challenges facing 

intelligence professionals cross traditional sovereign state boundaries; this course prepares master’s degree 

students to examine the world at both a systemic level and at the traditional state-centric level. This course includes

a solid grounding of major theoretical debates that influence national security strategies and national intelligence 

priorities, an examination of the existing state-centric system and its strengths and challenges, the role of regional 

and international organizations and how they both enable and constrain analysis and actions, and emerging issues

and opportunitiesin the globalstrategic environment.

Program Requirement: Master of Science and Technology Intelligence (MSTI)

All MSTI students must successfully complete the MSTI program requirement, MST 613.

MST 613 Science and Technology

This program requirement course is designed to develop a common knowledge and comprehension of current and 

future S&T threats and issues. It explores the concepts, principles, and applications of S&TI to collection and 

analysis—focusing on:

1. Developing the ability to understand threats to U.S. national security posed by adversarial use of S&T.

2. Appreciating the effect of emerging and disruptive technology advances.

3. Identifying effective threat indicators and collection capabilities to monitor S&T advances.

4. Understanding the use of S&T capabilities in U.S. intelligence collection and analysis.

The course examines S&T from a global perspective—studying its use and potential use by adversaries,

understanding the S&T of important weapons and intelligence systems, and exploring the capabilities or relevant 

U.S. and global S&T organizations. The course is designed to provide an information foundation for the MSTI 

degree and its concentrations.

College of Strategic Intelligence Electives

In addition to the courses required for the concentration, MSSI students are required to take three additional 

electives. Students should select these electives to support their thesis research, in coordination with their advisers.

Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Department

CAC 601 Advanced Methods of Intelligence Analysis

To meet the objectives of the National Intelligence Strategy, analysts must anticipate developments of strategic

concern and identify opportunities by rigorously applying techniques that explore alternative analytic views. This 
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course focuses on developing and integrating analysis concepts and techniques to provide effective estimates of 

opportunities and threats to U.S. national interests. Students learn to use key challenges in the national security 

environment as practical frameworks to apply and assess estimative analysis methods, explore issues associated 

with analytic processes, and develop estimative skills.

CAC 602 Applied Collection and Analysis for Strategic Warning

This course is designed to allow students to evaluate, synthesize, and apply theoretical concepts of collection 

and analysis to a real-world strategic warning problem. Students apply an advanced analytical methodology to 

examine a real world problem incorporating collection and analysis priorities while also considering foreign 

intelligence concepts, adversary D&D, and the unique challenges of effective strategic warning that allow 

strategic decision-makers ample time to make effective, proactive decisions.

CAC 610 Advancing Intelligence Collection

Developing advanced intelligence collection resources to address the most difficult intelligence problems requires 

understanding the broader contributions of individual collection systems. This course leverages material presented 

in Intelligence Collection (MCR 609), with a focus on advancing future collection systems and a particular 

emphasis on hard targets. (Prerequisite: MCR609.)

CAC 611 Signals Intelligence Resources, Methods, and Operations

This course is designed to present a holistic approach to SIGINT activities and their support to the National 

Intelligence Priorities Framework (NIPF). The business of America is conducted mostly on the Internet, which

makes that network a national interest. NSA must carefully and skillfully integrate its missions to achieve an

effective, persistent, pervasive presence on the Internet. This course is designed to educate the intelligence 

professional about NSA’s operational missions and how they are leveraged in a new operational architecture

that mirrors the global network environment. Students learn how NSA is integrating all missions into a single 

enterprise that gives the IC a distinct advantage over its adversaries. (Prerequisite: MCR 609)

CAC 612 Geospatial Intelligence: A Strategic Introduction

GEOINT is the use of imagery, imagery intelligence, and geospatial information to describe, assess, and depict 

geographically-referenced activities and physical features on Earth. GEOINT’s power to develop and support 

strategic intelligence resides in its ability to enhance the situational awareness of policymakers, defense planners,

and military operators by gathering information and presenting complex problems in a spatial, geographical 

context. This course examines the historical foundations of military geography and aerial reconnaissance, then 

evaluates the ways in which GEOINT provides decision advantage to policymakers and military leaders. It also 

dissects current GEOINT collection capabilities and analytic approaches and explores future challenges in the 

discipline. (Prerequisite: MCR 609)

CAC 613 HUMINT

Collecting intelligence from human sources—HUMINT—is one of the core intelligence collection disciplines. 

Senior U.S. and national security policymakers look to HUMINT to provide detail, context, and adversary intent

unavailable through other collection disciplines. In addition, all-source analysts look to HUMINT to contribute to 
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the overall analytic perspective of national security threats. The course considers HUMINT to be a collection 

discipline within three disparate operational environments: traditional overseas, domestic, and war zones. In 

addition, the course provides perspective on congressional oversight of HUMINT operations and how

policymakers and senior analysts view HUMINT. The course also briefly addresses the foundational role 

HUMINT plays in covert action and CI.

CAC 615 Current Cryptologic Issues

This course serves as the capstone course for NSA students. It tests and challenges students to continue expanding 

professional and technical knowledge, while effectively using the full spectrum of previous coursework. 

Conducted as a research seminar, sessions are designed to provide an understanding of operations and decisionmaking within the U.S. cryptologic system. Students research, analyze, report, and present briefings on the 

assigned current cryptologic issues to demonstrate in-depth understanding of the full range of decisions associated 

with allocating resources, requirements, and production. (Prerequisite: MCR 609)

CAC 620 Counterintelligence

Foreign intelligence activities pose a significant threat to U.S. national security and economic interests at home 

and abroad. This course examines the U.S. CI effort from a strategic perspective, including the role of CI in relation 

to the larger IC, the law enforcement system, and U.S. national security strategy. The course also includes an 

overview of CI organizations, laws, and strategies and an overview of the foreign intelligence threat, including 

espionage, influence operations, economic espionage, and cyber intrusions.

CAC 621 Comparative Intelligence

A critical mission of U.S. CI organizations—and of the broader IC—is to assess the intelligence capabilities and 

activities of foreign powers and to describe their resources, plans, and methods of operation. This course provides

students with multiple approaches to analyzing foreign intelligence systems and services. Students are introduced 

to theoretical models drawn from academia and to analytic frameworks used by U.S. intelligence agencies. Later

in the course, the theoretical models and frameworks are applied in a series of case studies of the intelligence 

systems and services of both adversaries and allies.

CAC 630 History of Warning Intelligence

This course provides a historical perspective of the experiences of the United States and other nations in providing

warning to policymakers. It addresses both warning successes and failures and covers methodological and 

organizational lessons learned to place this critical analytical mission into perspective. The course also discusses 

the origins and development of strategic warning analysis in the United States and the obstacles to successful 

analysis within the context of the psychology of analysis and heuristics. The course is largely oriented around

student case-study presentations and class discussion.

CAC 631 Challenges in Strategic Warning

This course addresses the increasingly complex environment that has made the always difficult mission of strategic 

warning intelligence analysis all the more challenging since the end of the Cold War. The course is divided into 

three parts. The first discusses the revolutionary developments of globalization: phenomena such as emerging state
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and non-state actors; evolving structures within the international system; demographic and migration patterns;

expanding trading networks and financial flows; competition for natural resources; health and environmental

hazards; and disruptive S&T trends. This discussion particularly focuses on three transnational issues, which have 

proven especially challenging to warning analysis: threats related to cyber, terrorism, and proliferation of WMD. 

The second general topic involves examining the critical intelligence collection component of analysis, to 

understand the relationship between these two functions and how to maximize and coordinate the effort. Third, the 

course discusses both international and interagency intelligence collaboration, which studies have found to be 

critical to intelligence successes.

CAC 632 Warning Theory and Methodologies

This course surveys analytical techniques compiled since the 9/11 attacks that help address the challenges of 

producing effective warning intelligence. The course begins with an in-depth discussion of analytical pitfalls, 

then discusses methods to help overcome them. The course reviews the methodology developed during the 

Cold War, analyzes indicator-based scenarios, and discusses whether this methodology remains relevant. 

Students explore concepts and methods under consideration since 9/11, including enduring issues, emerging 

issues, strategic surveillance and reconnaissance, horizon scanning, and communities of interest for warning 

analysis. The class explores relevant structured analytical techniques compiled since 9/11—particularly those 

designed to enhance imagination and to challenge conventional wisdom—addresses the possibility of 

deception, and discusses decisionmaking theory to understand the dynamics of the target. Finally, the course 

addresses methodologies and analysis practiced in the business world and in the related field of futures analysis 

to provide relevant insights.

CAC 698 Special Topics

This course designation is used for new curriculum topics in strategic intelligence. Such courses may take

advantage of special expertise of visiting faculty or meet the needs of a timely intelligence topic. Special Topics 

are also candidate courses for permanent listing in future curricula.

Defense Intelligence Department

DEF 601 National Strategy: Theory and Intelligence Considerations

This course enables students to evaluate state and non-state actor strategies through the application of traditional 

and modern strategic theory and analytical frameworks suitable across the spectrum of conflict. Students analyze 

the use of intelligence in the formulation and evaluation of strategy as a key driver in the selection and use of all 

the elements of national power. Students examine their future roles as advisors to planners, commanders, and 

policy makers in the operational and global environment.*

*This course is mandatory for students seeking JPME I credit.

DEF 602 Joint Campaign Planning and Intelligence

This course exploresintelligence planning at the nationalstrategic and theater level for joint military expeditionary 

operations within the context of the joint planning process and the Joint Operational Planning and Execution 

System (JOPES). It assesses the complex problem of supporting joint and combined organizations and command 

relationships. Students evaluate new and emerging tools for adaptive planning and intelligence campaign planning, 
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both in rapid response and crisis modes, to gain a better appreciation of the role of intelligence in peacetime, crisis, 

and war.*

*This course is mandatory for students seeking JPME I credit.

DEF 603 Strategic Crisis Exercise

This course explores the application of intelligence to operational and strategic crisis planning. After six weeks of 

classroom instruction, students participate in exercises hosted by the Services’ war colleges, a combatant 

command, and/or combatsupport agency. Students enhance the intelligence value ofthe exercise by role-playing in

BLUE (friendly), RED (adversary), or WHITE (control) functions. Students are challenged by time-constrained 

decision-making as they evaluate policy and strategy options, assess the effects of threats, resolve conflicting 

information, and develop and revise intelligence estimates in a rapidly evolving crisis situation. Simulations and 

gaming help students understand the challenges inherent in effective intelligence planning across a broad spectrum 

of scenarios: regional wars, military contingencies, homeland defense, humanitarian assistance, and peacekeeping

operations. *

* This course is mandatory for students seeking JPME I credit.

DEF 604 Staff Ride

The Staff Ride Course integrates systematic preliminary study coupled with a site visit and student involvement 

to provide a synthesis of complex strategic thought and operational concepts. It effectively conveys the lessons of 

the past to present-day military leaders and illustrates the functions and factors of operational art. The two-hour inclass lecture and one-day field study support the theories presented in National Strategy: Theory and Intelligence 

Considerations (DEF 601) and thedoctrine discussedinJointCampaign Planning and Intelligence (DEF 602) to lay 

the groundwork for the application of the joint planning process in the Strategic Crisis Exercise (DEF 603). This 

is a one credit course.* 

* This course is mandatory for students seeking JPME I credit

DEF 621 Asymmetric Warfare

War is no longer restricted to the realm of the nation-state and conventional military operations. The 

complexities of asymmetric warfare require that students study the principles of military strategy across 

cultural and geostrategic boundaries. Transnational threats pose complex problems for societies, and faster 

global communication creates huge advantages for a variety of anti-Western groups, including al-Qaida and 

Hezbollah. Both fourth- and fifth-generation warfare are the results of the shift of social and political loyalties 

from nations to causes and movements. This process continues to be marked by increasing power devolving 

upon ever-smaller entities that prove capable of shaping perceptions of social constituencies with new or 

radical ideologies. Students assess fourth- and fifth-generation adversary strategies with a view toward 

understanding their functions, strengths, and weaknesses, and to identify identity intelligence (I2) challenges 

in advising combatant commanders on viable countervailing strategies.

DEF 622 Peacekeeping and Stability Operations

Intelligence plays a pivotal role in identifying, preparing, and executing peacekeeping and stability operations 

performed in a multinational context. Stability and peace operations are designed to prevent, contain, or resolve 
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regional conflicts. This course examines the concepts of nation-building, stabilization, reconstruction, and 

transition across the spectrum of peace operations and analyzes the roles of various actors—including 

nongovernment organizations (NGOs), intergovernmental organizations, and governmental organizations— and 

how they interact in the stabilization mission and environment.

DEF 623 Intelligence and Special Operations

Special operations play an important role in U.S. national security. Intelligence professionals need to fully 

understand and leverage the strong, mutually supportive relationship between special operations and intelligence to

successfully achieve national objectives. Special operations intelligence involves understanding an interlinked 

framework of concepts of the national security environment, the human domain in which special operations occur, 

and the tasked missions themselves. Students focus on and analyze these interrelated concepts to better understand 

the effects, benefits, risks, and intelligence needs of special operations.

DEF 624 Operational Capabilities Analysis

This course develops and applies a comprehensive strategy-centric conceptual framework for analyzing and 

forecasting the operational capabilities of state and non-state actors. It begins by analyzing the historical and 

current circumstances of the actors with how they develop and implement strategy, doctrine, and tactics. Students 

then use this background to understand how forces are raised, equipped, and deployed within the context of a set 

of missions defined by strategy. The course discusses variables, such as command, control, communications, and 

intelligence (C3I); defense economics, which may embrace the global economy; geography (terrain, political, 

ethnic); personnel; weapons and systems; individual and unit training; and medical support. Students complete an 

in-class practical exercise demonstrating proper framework application.

DEF 625 Intelligence and U.S.-China Great Power Competitive Strategies

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the role of intelligence in the emerging U.S.-China great power 

competition, as framed by the National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy. Students apply 

competitive frameworks to counter Beijing's goals and actions short of war that challenge U.S. and allied national

interests. The course is designed to prepare students to develop their abilities to think critically in the competitive 

environment by comprehending the nature of China's threats short of armed conflict, exploring options to achieve 

U.S. objectives in this environment, and assessing their effectiveness.

DEF 698 Special Topics

This course designation is used for new curriculum topics in strategic intelligence. Such courses may take

advantage of special expertise of visiting faculty or meet the needs of a timely intelligence topic. Special Topics 

are also candidate courses for permanent listing in future curricula.

Intelligence Enterprise Department

INT 601 The History of U.S. Intelligence

This course traces the evolution of U.S. national intelligence organizations and their missions in the context of 

evolving security threats since the beginning of the 20th century. It challenges students to critically evaluate 

various threats the United States has faced and the role of U.S. intelligence in meeting those challenges. Course 
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topics focus on the history of U.S. intelligence collection, analysis, operational support, and the intelligencepolicy nexus. The course connects legacy U.S. intelligence capabilities, limitations, achievements, and failures 

to the enduring intelligence challenges of today and tomorrow. Course content walks through a chronological 

narrative of U.S. intelligence organizations, national security challenges, and intelligence outcomes with case 

studies on topics of operational military intelligence, political analysis, advanced technology threats, 

economic/industrial intelligence, espionage/CI, and intelligence ethics/oversight. Covert action is not 

addressed in detail in this course.

INT 602 Strategic Decision Analytics and Methods

This course examines the use of applied decision sciences and business analytics in strategic intelligence decisionmaking to determine mission priorities, capabilities, and resources. These disciplines have changed the way senior

intelligence executives approach decisions on complex, interdependent systems. For the IC, these tools and 

methods must be adapted to an interdependent system combining collection, analysis, technology, infrastructure, 

workforce, and organizational dynamics of the diverse intelligence disciplines. The course introduces the 

fundamental methods for decision analytics and applies them to real problems in the IC through a case study 

approach supplemented with advanced textbook exercises.

INT 603 Intelligence Resource Management: Process, Politics, and Money

One of the primary means of implementing policy and achieving strategic goals is through the allocation of fiscal 

resources. The challenge lies in knowing how to effectively navigate competing priorities, personalities, and 

processes. Such knowledge is a critical part of understanding how the IC functions at the strategic level and a key 

attribute of effective senior leadership in the IC. This course focuses on the National and Military Intelligence

Programs, and the legal, political, bureaucratic, and interpersonal contexts that define and constrain the IC and 

DoD resource management processes.

INT 604 Professional Ethics

Ethics is the branch of knowledge dealing with human values. It is a mode of questioning that enables us to 

analyze the interaction of personal, societal, and professional values that often come into conflict. In contrast 

to legal analysis, which grounds action in what we can do, ethical analysis helps answer the question: What 

should we do, based on what we value? Sound ethical reasoning aids intelligence professionals in developing 

a deeper understanding of human values and the moral compass to navigate contentious and complex 

sociopolitical environments.

INT 605 Intelligence and National Security Law

Constitutional issues—such as separation of powers and preservation of civil liberties in light of rapidly evolving 

surveillance and other collection technologies—and U.S. obligations to other nations under treaty and custom play

critical roles in creating effective national security legislation and in trying to anticipate and avoid unintended

consequences ofsuch legislation. Although a solid grasp of intelligence-related statutes and regulations is essential 

to today’s strategic intelligence professional, the underlying constitutional issues continue to inform ongoing 

national debate about the balance—for those who avow that such a balance exists—between national security and 

civil liberties. Students analyze and evaluate the Constitution and a range of national security-related statutes, case
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law, treaties, and commentaries, in light of their own experiences as intelligence professionals (both actual and 

potential). Post-9/11 legislation and subsequent court challenges form the basis for an examination of how national 

security law is developing and how strategic intelligence professionals can—or should—attempt to predict, if not 

influence, its path.

INT 606 Covert Action

Covert activities and sensitive operations are integral parts of war, conflict, and counterterrorism operations. 

Intelligence officers, operators, and policymakers must understand covert activities and the contributions they can

make to achieving broader foreign policy or national security objectives. This course explores covert action—from

propaganda and psychological or influence operations,throughthe range of covert politicaland economic activities,

tosubversion and paramilitary programs. It also examinesthe procedures under which covert actions are developed

and the oversight established to ensure that covertinitiatives are consistent with broader objectives. The course also 

discusses factors that differentiate the development and implementation of special operations and some 

information operations from covert activities.

INT 698 Special Topics

This course designation is used for new curriculum topics in strategic intelligence. Such courses may take

advantage of special expertise of visiting faculty or meet the needs of a timely intelligence topic. Special Topics 

are also candidate courses for permanent listing in future curricula.

MSI 501 Leadership and Intelligence

This course explores and applies the tenets of leadership within the context of the IC. The course examines current

challenges affecting IC leaders, leadership theories and roles, organizational culture, motivation theory, building 

trust and influence, and leadership philosophy. The sessions combine seminar instruction with experiential

activities, case studies, facilitated group discussions, and personal reflection exercises.

MSI 502 Leadership, Intelligence, and National Security Decision-making

This course examines national security policy formulation, the factors that influence and constrain policy choices, 

and the role of intelligence in this process. Students examine relationships among primary actors using a 

combination of theory and real-world examples. Participants better understand and appreciate how the interagency 

processes, resource management, and IC oversight affect the process of developing and executing U.S. national 

security policy.

MSI 503 National Security Law and Ethics

Senior intelligence officers, responsible for leading mission-oriented organizations and managing public resources, 

require an appreciation for the complex legal and ethical issues they may encounter. Senior officers further require 

an appreciation for the roles and responsibilities of attorneys in government, including agency general counsel and 

the inspector general, as critical team members who enable mission accomplishment consistent with American 

laws and values. This course facilitates lifelong learning by introducing students to the complex interaction of 

issues, theories, and concepts facing senior intelligence officers.
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MSI 504 Organizational Management and Change

This course explores and applies tenets of business management to the IC by studying group dynamics, 

organizational change theories, business decision-making, business analysis, strategic communications, and 

marketing. During the session, attendees combine materials from previous sessions with organizational 

management applications to examine issues within the IC. Attendees complete an IC case study analysis,

combining leadership and change management theories, before the next session.

Regional Security and Intelligence Department

RSI 601 Africa: Principles and Continuity Through Time

African history is replete with themes and events, which inform current events. Root cause analysis of government, 

demographic shifts, and social norms will be explored to understand their modern impacts.

RSI 602 U.S. Policy Toward Africa

The U.S. relationship with Africa and African countries has been fluid and yet consistent. This course unpacks 

the complexities between the United States and individual countries, regional entities, and with the region as 

a whole.

RSI 603 Conflict and Complications in Africa

This course examines the spectrum of conflict from political contestation to all-out war to post-conflict 

peacebuilding, including conflict management strategies, negotiation spoilers, and the complexities surrounding 

external interventions.

RSI 604 International Development Intricacies in Africa

This course analyzes development concepts and how the concepts have been implemented before assessing 

their success. Aspects of governance, democracy, transparency, economics, and the security sector will 

be examined.

RSI 605 The Technical Side of Africa

This course examines scientific advancement, cyber capabilities, and industrial manufacturing as well as the 

contribution of African resources to the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear markets of the world.

RSI 606 Futures of African Countries

This course uses futures analysis techniques to examine potential effects of climate change, population explosions, 

urbanization, and resource exploitation on African people, African countries, and the world.

RSI 610 Introduction to China Intelligence Studies

This course provides a foundation for strategic intelligence work on the People’s Republic of China by 

equipping students to formulate and critique contextual explanations for Beijing’s policies and regime 

behavior. The course begins by preparing students to employ the lenses of China’s modern history (Sessions 

1-3), institutional structure (Session 4), and elite politics (Sessions 5-6). The course then applies these 
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frameworks to examine three key challenges facing China’s leaders that are not the subject of separate NIU 

China studies courses: the economy (Session 7), internal political stability (Session 8), and the Taiwan issue 

(Session 9). The course culminates with student briefings on historical case studies (Session 10) in which they 

individually demonstrate the analytic toolkit acquired in the first six sessions and practiced as a group in the 

latter three to dissect China’s behavior in crisis and conflict. The course serves as a grounding for China’s 

National Strategy and Foreign Policy (RSI 611), China’s Military Capabilities and Strategy (RSI 612), and 

China’s Intelligence and Information Warfare (RSI 613).

RSI 611 China’s National Strategies and Foreign Policy

This course equips students to dissect Beijing’s domestic and international strategies and evaluate the implications 

for U.S. policymakers. It begins with the Communist Party of China’s depiction of its aims (Session 1). The course 

then details the processes by which the Party formulates, articulates, and implements its national strategy (Session 

2). It examines the 19th Party Congress as a critical juncture (Session 3) and the Party’s long-term commitment to 

integrated military and civilian development (Session 4). Turning to foreign policy, it identifies the Party’s views 

of the current international order (Session 5), the evolution of its alternative vision for the world (Session 6), and 

how Beijing tailors its approach to different international constituencies (Sessions 7-8). The course then examines 

problems of policy coordination, national security crisis decision-making, and strategic signaling (Session 9). It 

culminates with student briefings on case studies of the Party’s strategy and policy in specific functional and 

regional areas—situating them in the context of Beijing’s overall aims and then evaluating the implications for 

Washington and in the international order. 

RSI 612 China’s Military Capabilities and Strategy

This course covers the characteristics, drivers, and objectives of China’s military modernization, reform, 

capabilities, proficiency, and strategy. The course examines China’s military force modernization and trends across 

a range of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) offensive and defensive capabilities. These capabilities include space, 

air, missile, maritime, land, electronic warfare, and cyber forces. Students examine China’s global and regional 

security activities and military engagement, with an emphasis on analyzing China’s ongoing military development 

of expanding roles and missions for the PLA. Students assess China’s options for using military capabilities to 

signal, deter, compel, coerce, or prevail in resolving conflicts in its favor. The course emphasizes PLA capabilities 

that could deter Taiwan’s independence or influence Taiwan to settle the dispute on Beijing’s terms while 

simultaneously attempting to deter, delay, or deny U.S. support for the island. The objective of the course is to 

produce a future-oriented campaign concept that is phased over time, space, warfare domains, and levels of 

intensity to achieve specific political and military objectives.

RSI 613 Chinese Intelligence and Information Warfare

This course examines the composition, missions, capabilities, and operations of China’s intelligence, influence, 

cyber, and internal security organizations. A primary objective is to enable students to assess the nature of the 

threat to national security and economic interests posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) intelligence and 

information warfare capabilities. The course also includes discussion of the role of intelligence and information 

warfare in PRC national security policy and covers U.S. efforts to counter PRC intelligence and information 

warfare. The course draws on readings from a variety of perspectives, including IC products, other government

publications, academic writings, and media reports.
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RSI 614 China in the Future

This course explores the drivers, objectives, and strategies associated with China’s modernization and reemergence as a great power. Students examine key aspects of how China is expanding and using hard and soft 

power, both regionally and globally. Students also discuss the influence of China’s history, culture, geography, 

and its social, political, and economic development on China’s internal stability. The course also analyzes goals in 

foreign and military diplomacy; intelligence and information operations; trade, financial and economic 

cooperation; acquisition of S&T; expanding participation in multinational organizations; and China’s military 

capabilities and intentions within the regional and global security environment.

RSI 615 The Chinese Economy: Intelligence Concerns

This course provides students with the key background, concepts, and topics of inquiry for China’s political 

economy and economic modernization strategies, competitiveness, and power. The course emphasizes the priority 

macroeconomic, domestic, and international aspects of China’s economy emphasized in strategic intelligence 

analysis. Key themes include macro-level analysis of China’s party-state system’s role in directing socio-economic 

development strategies, policies, and planning. The sector-level analyses of the course include domestic Chinese 

business and industry models, organization, and practices, as well as Chinese finance, banking, investment, and 

international aid. The course also emphasizes China’s global integration into business and commodity trading 

networks, science and technology sectors, global economic governance, the Belt and Road Initiative, and China’s 

national economic security strategy of military-civil fusion linking commercial economic and technological 

innovation with defense industries. The course concludes with students assessing current and future topics of the 

U.S.-China economic relationship, global competition and influence, and Chinese economic power, growth, and 

sustainability.

RSI 621 Northeast Asia: Geostrategic Intelligence Issues

This course examines the history, geography, and culture of northeast Asia to determine its effects on current and 

future geostrategic intelligence issues in the region. Students appraise the region’s historical geostrategic trends as 

a critical part of framing the discussion for current and emerging security challenges, priority intelligence issues, 

and potential opportunities in northeast Asia. Students evaluate geostrategic intelligence issues, including North 

Korea’s cycle of provocations and nuclear programs; proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons 

technology; democratization and alliance evolution in South Korea and Japan; sources of convergence and 

divergence in bilateral and multilateral relations; Russia’s reorientation towards east Asia; and the sub-region’s 

response to the rise of China as a major regional power and global actor.

RSI 622 South Asia Intelligence Issues

Students explore the historical and contemporary political cultures of Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan and their 

resultant interactions and conflicts, both internally and with each other. This course provides students with a basic 

understanding of the drivers and causes of conflict and instability in south Asia, focusing particularly on the 

intertwined relations between India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The course explores the historical and cultural 

sources of the region’s extremism; its ethnic, communal, and sectarian conflict; and its potential flashpoints, 

including Kashmir. The course examines the historical and contemporary decision points and challenges that 

have brought India global stature as an economically dynamic democracy, yet have yielded a struggling and 
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conflict-ridden state in Pakistan. Students also explore the growing role of China in the region, Afghanistan’s 

current and future prospects, and Indian-Pakistani competition there for influence. The course concludes with a 

look at the region’s future prospects and the enduring nature of U.S. strategic interests there.

RSI 623 North Korea: Geostrategic Intelligence Issues

This course examines the modern history, geography, and culture of Korea to determine its effects on current and 

future geostrategic intelligence issues for the United States. The initial appraisal of the modern history of Korea 

includes the rise of Japan, Japan’s colonization of Korea, and Kim Il Sung’s guerrilla activities in Manchuria and 

the Russian far east. Understanding these events frames the discussion of key geostrategic intelligence issues 

related to the founding of North Korea, the Korean War, consolidation of power by Kim, the rise of his son Kim

Jong Il, the nuclear crises, the cycle of provocations, and Kim Jong Un’s survival strategy.

RSI 631 Europe: Intelligence Partner and Analytic Subject

Europe is the source of the most trusted, most like-minded global allies and partners for the United States, and the 

continent provides a critical strategic platform for pursuing U.S. national security and global political strategy. 

This course focuses on the reality of contemporary Europe and how U.S. allies meet U.S. expectations in 

contributing to multilateral and coalition efforts. European cooperation depends on agreement with overall U.S. 

strategic aims, the capacity and will to assist, and the ability to cope with burgeoning domestic challenges. Students 

explore NATO and EU cooperation and competition, disputes among various European states, and the extent to 

which Europe remains a major factor in determining the efficacy of U.S. strategic, political, cultural, and military 

leadership in the 21st century.

RSI 632 Russia: Geostrategic Intelligence Issues

This course assesses the current and future policies and direction of Russia as it continues to redefine itself and its 

role in the world after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The course examines major political, economic, 

military, cultural, and social issues affecting regional stability and U.S. interests. Topics include traditional and 

newly emerging political cultures, leading personalities and institutions, economic reforms, and foreign policies. 

Other key issues include nationalism and ethnic conflict, separatism and terrorism, civil society, the emergence of 

the rule of law, and the relationship of Russia to its neighbors. This course develops critical thinking and an 

understanding of Russia’s perspective in the context of globalization. It is designed to provide students with a 

broad conceptual framework for analyzing key intelligence questions.

RSI 633 Central Asia: Geostrategic Intelligence Issues

This course is designed to develop a deep knowledge and understanding of the complex environment governing 

central Asia today. This region is located in the critical area between Iran, Russia, China, and Afghanistan. It is a 

corridor between Europe and Asia that encompasses the historic Silk Road. With the U.S. military drawdown in 

Afghanistan, central Asia has a special strategic importance to the United States and the IC. Students examine the 

five nations of the area—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—and their relations 

with neighboring regions. The course further identifies the various challenges and opportunities that the region 

presents to the IC. The course objectives involve expanding students’ knowledge about an important geostrategic 

area, the issues facing it, and evaluating U.S. intelligence activities and existing analysis of this region.
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RSI 634 The Caucasus

This course is designed to develop a deep knowledge and understanding of the complex environment governing 

the Caucasus today. The Caucasus region is in the critical neighborhood of Iran, Russia, and Turkey, between 

Europe and Asia, and it represents strategic importance to the IC. This course examines four countries of the 

Caucasus region—Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia—and three unrecognized, but self-proclaimed 

independent states—Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia—and identifies the various challenges and 

opportunities that the region presents to the IC. The course examines the changing environment in select states of 

the former Soviet Union and U.S. relations with the region. The course objectives are to expand students’ 

knowledge about an important geostrategic region and the various issues facing it and to develop analytic and 

critical thinking skills with regard to U.S. intelligence activities and analysis of this region.

RSI 635 The Near Abroad

This course examines the changing environment in the states of the former Soviet Union and relations with the

region. The first part of the course examines the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the resulting 14 independent

states, including the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), the Western Republics (Belarus, Moldova, and 

Ukraine), the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia), and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, 

Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). The second part of the course examines cross-regional issues and 

problems that have arisen since the dissolution and how they affect the United States. The objective is to expand

students’ knowledge and encourage critical thinking with regard to U.S. policies toward these states. This course is

designed as a follow-on to Russia: Geostrategic Intelligence Issues (RSI 632); however, the content stands alone 

and does not require RSI 632 as a prerequisite.

RSI 636 Russian Intelligence

This course examines the organization, missions, capabilities, and operations of Russia’s intelligence

organizations. A primary objective is to enable students to assess the nature of the threat to U.S. interests posed by 

Russian intelligence and information operations (IOs) and the role of intelligence and IOs in Russia’s government 

and society. In addition, the course covers U.S. efforts to counter Russian intelligence and IO activities. The course 

draws on readings from a variety of perspectives, including IC products, other government publications, academic 

writings, and Russian documents.

RSI 637 Russian Foreign Policy

The course assesses Russian foreign policy in terms of its historical development, key ideas, and responses to both 

internal and external developments. Topics to be discussed include the effects of Russia’s history, the bumpy 

transition from being a superpower to the era of Yeltsin, and the Russia of Vladimir Putin, who has dominated 

Russian politics for 16 years. The course analyzes key topics, including Russia’s current objectives, its instruments 

of hard and soft power, its relations with the Near Abroad, the Middle East, China and Asia, the European Union, 

and the United States. A recurring theme will be how much of Russia’s foreign policy is Putin’s and how much is

traditionally Russian. This course develops critical thinking and the ability to evaluate Russia’s foreign policy

objectives from an intelligence perspective.
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RSI 638 Europe’s Extremes—Terrorism and Political Violence in the Modern Era

Terrorism has been on everyone’s minds since the attacks of 9/11, but nowhere more so than in Europe, which has 

itself witnessed horrific terrorist attacks in the first two decades of the 21st century. Europe is, in many ways, the 

epicenter of contemporary terrorism. The French Revolution introduced the modern concept of “terror”—in this 

case, violence perpetrated by a revolutionary regime against so-called “enemies of the people.” In the intervening 

centuries, radical groups at the extremes of the political and ideological spectrum have used terror to further 

nationalist agendas, protest government policy, express grievances, sow discord, and hammer at the bonds of civil 

society. Today Europe once again faces a grave threat from terrorism and political violence, particularly from 

Islamic extremists and far-right groups. Yet, as several recent studies have noted, Europe’s existential struggle 

with its extremes, and its aggressive approach to meeting these threats, has gone largely unnoticed in the United 

States, despite direct and dangerous implications for U.S. national security. This course aims to shed light on this 

complex problem set, from a European perspective. The course begins by examining the place that terrorism and 

political violence has held in the general context of European affairs in the modern period, the typology of terrorists 

in Europe, and the various forms that terrorism has taken there. Next, students consider the current context and 

issues that have contributed to the recent surge in extremist activity and violence. Through case studies and selected 

readings, students analyze contemporary instances of Islamic terrorism and right-wing violence in Europe. 

Students then consider these developments as an intelligence problem and analytic subject for the United States 

and European partners. Finally, students explore European domestic and international responses to terrorism and 

the nature of U.S.-European bilateral and multilateral counterterrorism efforts.

RSI 641 Latin America: Geostrategic Intelligence Issues

This course examines the current and future threats, challenges, and opportunities for the United States in Latin 

America and the Caribbean and provides a greater understanding of recent developments within their historical, 

political, and cultural contexts. The course focuses on the vital role of intelligence in understanding and handling 

critical security issues, including political and economic instability, government corruption, mass migration, 

transnational organized crime, insurgency, terrorism, and foreign influence in the region.

RSI 642 Mexico and Central America Intelligence Issues 

The threats and opportunities of globalization have dramatically affected Mexico and Central America and have 

consequently altered national security and intelligence policies for each of those countries as well as the United 

States. This course examines the domestic and international impact and future political, cultural, and institutional 

challenges of these changes on Mexico and Central American nations. However, this course will also focus on 

national, operational, and tactical intelligence requirements and strategies for these nations and issues.

RSI 643 The Caribbean Basin: Intelligence Issues

This course examines the current and future threats, challenges, and opportunities for the United States in the 

Caribbean and provides a greater understanding of recent developments within their historical, political, and 

cultural contexts. The course focuses on the vital role of intelligence in understanding and handling critical 

security issues, including political and economic instability, governmental corruption, mass migration, 

transnational organized crime, insurgency, terrorism, and foreign influence in the region. This graduate 

course complements and builds upon Latin America: Geostrategic Intelligence Issues (RSI 641) by fostering 

in-depth understanding of the social, political, economic, and cultural diversity and complexity of individual 
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Caribbean basin countries—as well as the regional dynamics—as they impact U.S. interests and shape U.S. 

intelligence planning.

RSI 644 South America Intelligence Issues

The South American nations represent a special challenge to policymakers and the IC that supports them. 

Although the South American nations are on the same continent, their politics, economics, and culture have 

evolved by quite different means from each other and in quite different directions, based in part on geographic 

accessibility to global markets and the demographics of their populations. Consequently, proper intelligence 

collection and analysis on these nations requires a sophisticated understanding of regional and national 

histories, including their modernization; educational, social, economic, and political systems; ideologies 

(especially fascism, populism, communism, and militarism); and treatment of racially and ethnically diverse 

populations. This graduate course complements and builds upon Latin America: Geostrategic Intelligence 

Issues (RSI 641), by fostering in-depth understanding of the social, political, economic, and cultural diversity 

and complexity of individual South American countries—as well as the regional dynamics—as they impact 

U.S. interests and shape U.S. intelligence planning. This course does not cover Colombia and Venezuela, 

which are addressed in The Caribbean Basin: Intelligence Issues (RSI 643).

RSI 651 Broader Middle East Strategic Security and Intelligence Environment

This introductory, graduate-level intelligence course aims at a more empathetic, in-depth, systematic, and 

comprehensive understanding of the strategic security environment of the broader Middle East region. From this 

knowledge base, students are better able to produce strategic intelligence—to evaluate the nature of various threats, 

to estimate the region’s trajectory, and to identify opportunities for U.S. policy and strategy. To achieve this goal, 

the course constructs and applies a conceptual framework for security and stability. At the event level, the course 

examines the more relevant history and present dynamics. At the social structural level, the course examines the 

various sub- and trans-regional human security structures—economic, demographic, resource, and 

environmental—and the political or power structures. At the cultural or ideological level, the course examines the 

various challenger governmentalities and conflict ideologies, including the ideological megatrends of Islamism, 

pan-Islamic nationalism, caliphatism, pan-Salafism, defensive jihadism, takfirism, and Mahdism. Finally, the 

course examines the non-challenger ideologies and their conflicts, including sectarianism, the regional cold war, 

Zionism, and the Israeli-Arab conflict. From this knowledge base, students produce segments of strategic 

intelligence estimates for regional issues that are common to many of its states.

RSI 652 Iran: Strategic Security and Intelligence Issues

This intelligence course aims at a more empathetic, in-depth, systematic, and comprehensive understanding of the 

strategic security issues related to the Islamic Republic of Iran. From this knowledge base, studentsare better able 

to produce strategic intelligence—to evaluate the nature of various threats from its structures and strategies, to 

estimate its trajectory and reactionary tendencies, and to identify opportunities for U.S. policy and strategy. To 

achieve this goal, the course constructs and applies the following seven-part conceptual framework:

1. The view from the local elite, world’s experts, and the IC as to what the main security issues are.

2. The historical and cultural contexts leading to the state’s political cultures.
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3. The economic and other human security structures and trends—demographic, resource, and 

environmental.

4. The political or power structure, including the patronage networks, the deep state, and state institutions.

5. The internal societal challenger movements and associated security strategies.

6. The external threats and alliances and the regime’s security capabilities and strategies.

7. U.S. intelligence collection strategies and effectiveness with respect to these countries.

Additionally, students produce segments of their own strategic intelligence estimates that forecast these factors of 

state stability, security, and strategy.

RSI 653 The Near East: Strategic Security Issues

This course aims to foster a more empathetic, in-depth, systematic, and comprehensive understanding of the 

strategic security issues related to the states of the historical Near East, just to the west of Iran, including Iraq, 

the Sunni de facto state claimed by ISIS, Turkey, and the Levant. From this knowledge base, students are better 

able to produce strategic intelligence—to evaluate the nature of various threats from its structures and 

strategies, estimate its trajectory and reactionary tendencies, and identify opportunities for U.S. policy and 

strategy. To achieve this goal, the course constructs and applies the following five-part conceptual framework 

for security and stability for each state:

1. The historical and cultural contexts leading to the state’s political cultures.

2. The economic, demographic, resource, and environmental human security structures and trends.

3. The state’s political or power structure, including the patronage networks, the deep state, and state 

institutions.

4. The internal challenges, societal movements, and associated internal regime security strategies and 

conflicts.

5. The external threats, alliances security strategies, foreign policy, conflicts, and hard and soft power 

capabilities.

Additionally, students produce segments of strategic intelligence estimates that emphasize these factors of state 

stability and security.

RSI 654 Arabian Peninsula and North Africa: Strategic Security and Intelligence Issues

This course aims at a more empathetic, in-depth, systematic, and comprehensive understanding of the strategic 

security issues related to the states of the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa. Fromthis knowledge base,students

are better able to produce strategic intelligence—to evaluate the nature of various threats from its structures and

strategies, estimate itstrajectory and reactionary tendencies, and identify opportunities for U.S. policy and strategy. 

To achieve this goal, the course constructs and applies for each state the following five-part conceptual framework 

for security and stability:

1. The historical and cultural contexts leading to the state’s political cultures.
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2. The human security structures and trends—economic, demographic, resource, and environmental.

3. The state’s political or power structure, including the patronage networks, the deep state, and state 

institutions.

4. The internal challenges, societal movements, and associated internal regime security strategies and 

conflicts.

5. The external threats, alliances, and security strategies, foreign policy, conflicts, and hard and soft power 

capabilities.

Additionally, students produce segments of strategic intelligence estimates that emphasize these factors of state 

stability and security.

RSI 655 Islamism: Strategic Security Issues

Understanding the ideology of Islamism is fundamental to strategic intelligence that supports U.S. policy, strategy, 

and operations in today’s global theater. Drawing on historical and contemporary patterns, the course examines 

the intelligence implications of interaction between Islamism and the West, including sources of legitimacy, 

relationships between religion and the state, the nature of jihad, human rights issues, and questions of political and 

economic development. As a matter of emphasis, the course explores ideological megatrends of Islamism, panIslamic nationalism, caliphatism, pan-Salafism, defensive jihadism, takfirism, and Mahdism within their local, 

regional, and global contexts. From this knowledge base, students produce strategic intelligence estimates and 

assessments on selected contemporary security issues related to Islamism.

RSI 656 Iranian Foreign Policy

The primary objective of this intelligence course is to provide a comprehensive survey of the Islamic Republic's 

international relations by identifying key drivers, principle decision-making institutions, the underlying threat 

perceptions, and essential actors exporting Iran's Islamic Revolution. Based on this conceptual framework, students 

will be able to internalize the nature of threats posed by Iran, assessing Tehran's potential future foreign policy 

trajectory and growing expansionist tendencies in order to identify opportunities/challenges for U.S. regional 

security calculus. The aim is to equip students to produce quality strategic-level intelligence papers relevant to 

policy, military, and intelligence communities.

RSI 661 Social Analysis

Strategic-level intelligence estimates and grand strategy for contemporary threats require that we know them both 

empathetically and sociologically in terms of all of the complex historical, structural, and agent-related factors that 

have shaped their emergence and growth. Key parts of our analytical tool kit for these threats are informed by the 

conceptual frameworks that have been formulated over decades of formal research and peer review in the social 

sciences. These analytical tools and concepts cover every category of social phenomena, including conflicts of 

various kinds, social and political movements, and extremism or radicalization. This course examines this 

conceptual toolkit to achieve three goals:

1. Critically evaluate the applicable sociological models for every broader category of strategic issue or 

threat.
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2. Discuss specific instances or cases of threats within those broader issues to evaluate the utility of the 

theoretical framework as part of our analytical tool kit.

3. Demonstrate the ability to creatively combine the relevant models and concepts to assess the threat for 

one particular regional or transnational security threat, estimate its trajectory, and appraise the 

opportunities to counter or contain it.

RSI 698J Iran: Military Capabilities and Doctrine

The primary objective of this course is to provide a comprehensive survey of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s military 

structure and capabilities, evolving way of war, and changing defense doctrine. Based on this framework, students 

will be able to examine and assess the nature of military threat Iran poses to its neighbors and to the United States

and its partners in the Middle East and beyond. The course will also offer an opportunity for students to appraise 

the trajectory of Iran’s armed forces development in the next three to five years as Tehran adopts new technologies 

and receives assistance from China and Russia. From this knowledge base students will be well prepared to 

produce quality papers and briefs that provide timely strategic warning and substantive assessments of Iran’s 

evolving dynamics.

RSI 698K Polar Security 

This course is designed to develop a deep knowledge and understanding of the complex security and 

intelligence issues in the polar regions. The Arctic and Antarctica, individually and together, are once again 

critically strategic regions for the United States. What happens in one polar region affects dynamics in the 

other region, as many of the same players address similar issues. For two and a half decades following the end 

of the Cold War, military tempo significantly decreased as relations between the two former rivals—the United 

States and the Soviet Union—improved. This new geopolitical environment combined with the climate 

dramatically warming, resulting in a significant increase in the number of stakeholders in the polar regions in 

the sectors of scientific research, natural resource extraction, fisheries, shipping, and tourism. After 2010, as 

relations between Russia and the West deteriorated, and as China exercised greater global influence, the polar 

regions once again are central to international diplomacy, law, economics, and security. This requires a more 

capable IC, as well as a clear vision for enhanced American engagement in the polar regions while preparing 

for increasing threats to national security.

RSI 698L Southeast Asia: Intelligence Issues

This course examines the ten nations of Southeast Asia, and their relations with other international actors in the 

region such as Australia, China, India, Japan, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It begins with the 

appraisal of the region’s history and assesses the region’s critical role in upholding a Free and Open Indo-Pacific 

(FOIP) region. The course then discusses the concepts of power and influence and evaluates how the various actors 

in the region seek to exercise them in a complex security environment. The course specifically examines the 

various challenges and opportunities associated with engaging partners and regional institutions, enhancing 

economic prosperity, ensuring peace and security, promoting good governance, and addressing transnational 

challenges. The course draws on readings from a variety of perspectives, including IC products, other government 

publications, academic writings, and media reports.
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RSI 698 Special Topics

This course designation is used for new curriculum topics in strategic intelligence. Such courses may take 

advantage of special expertise of visiting faculty or meet the needs of a timely intelligence topic. Special Topics 

are also candidate courses for permanent listing in future curricula.

Transnational Issues Department

TRN 602 Phenomenon of Terrorism

This course contributes to NIU’s mission by engaging and challenging students to think critically and 

creatively in order to appraise and render judgments on the terrorism phenomenon and thereby, to enhance 

intelligence production and relevancy to policymaker deliberations. The Phenomenon of Terrorism introduces 

and explores the key concepts and drivers of the terrorism/counterterrorism paradigm within the context of 

broader social movement theory. Initially, students analyze the current transnational threat environment in 

which terrorism is one of many undercurrents on the global stage, and then they evaluate how terrorism fits 

into this larger threat environment. The course then explores various ideas and concepts for how to analyze 

and schematize the terrorism phenomenon at the individual (micro), organizational (meso), and societal 

(macro) levels in order for the student to judge the efficacy of terrorism as an instrument within the 

asymmetrical warfare structure. Next, the course investigates the role of ideology in terrorism and the 

psychology of terrorism to enable the student to assess the overall stability of a terrorist organization with an 

eye to determining who joins, who remains, and who levels the organization, and why. Finally, the course

examines terrorist use of propaganda (messaging), social media (target audience), and their ability to finance 

(support) their activities. The course concludes with a critical evaluation of the efficacy of the terrorism 

phenomenon. Although this course stands on its own as an elective, it is designed to set the stage for the other 

three courses in the terrorism concentration. To that end, it is highly desirable that students enroll in this course 

first to set the foundation for the remaining concentration courses: Roots of Terrorism (TRN 603), The 

Dynamics of Terrorism (TRN 604), and The Dynamics of Countering the Terrorism (TRN 605).

TRN 603 Roots of Terrorism

Terrorism represents a critical threat to U.S. security interests today and well into the future. This course 

examines the terrorism phenomenon with particular emphasis on basic forms that the phenomenon may take, 

the influences and factors that may cause a given form of terrorism to occur, and how each functions within 

the physical, moral, and cognitive domains of social conflict. Students will be equipped with numerous 

theoretic approaches—motivational, structural, open systems, and revolutionary mobilization—to enable them 

to properly identify a specific form of terrorism and discern its strengths and weaknesses. Terrorism will 

continue to remain a serious threat to U.S. and allied national security interests for the foreseeable future. 

Intelligence analysts require the requisite skills to assess the capabilities and objectives of given terrorist 

movements and groups in order to anticipate and provide the support required to plan and execute a sound 

counterterrorism policy and strategy.

TRN 604 Dynamics of Terrorism

This course focuses on how to analyze, appraise, and reach critical judgments regarding the dynamics of the 

contemporary terrorist threat, which inform the students’ understanding of how to most effectively counter the 
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terrorist threat. Students examine origins of terrorism in the breaking away of splinters from larger upheavals 

driven by economic, social, and political grievances, hopes, and aspirations; followed by the strategic and 

operational choices faced by the splinter and its members. These culminate in the use of terrorism as a logic of 

action (pure terrorism) or terrorism as a method of action (that which is utilized by insurgency). Theoretical 

considerations are supplemented by in-depth examination of episodes of terrorism to emphasize that agency 

(individual choice) is bounded by structure, a web of social and personal factors, and constraints. Contingency 

(chance) also plays a role. All of these considerations will be thoroughly examined and discussed as we move 

through a series of case studies that will be first presented to the students (“See One”), and then we will collectively 

work on a case study (“Do One”), and finally the students will analyze and present a case study to the seminar 

(“Teach One”).

TRN 605 The Dynamics of Countering Terrorism

This course explores the structure, roles and missions, and policies of the U.S. counterterrorism community in the 

context of recent history, political factors, and human nature in order to assess the importance of perception in this 

course and in terrorism in general resulting from the consequences of U.S. counterterrorism action. This course

examinesspecific components of U.S. counterterrorism policy and the importance/roles of rhetoric, the media, and 

strategic and tactical indicators and warnings. The course will assess American and allied political, military, and 

cultural responses to threatened and actual terrorist attacks. Understanding the nature of collaboration among 

intelligence and law enforcement agencies further enhances students’ awareness of counterterrorism capabilities 

and limitations in a globalized world.

TRN 606 Economics and National Security

This course focuses on the events, forces, and ideas that have shaped the evolution of economics and world

economies by examining the parallel development of economic thought and conflict theory. The course uses

fundamental economic concepts and linkages to enhance students’ knowledge of global economic activity and

their ability to incorporate this phenomenon into intelligence analysis. Students evaluate international economic 

and financial relationships and their relevance to interstate competition and conflict. The course specifically 

examines cutting-edge research on the application of economic methods of analysis, both alone and in 

interdisciplinary contexts, such as international political economy, to the study of national security. It helps the 

student better analyze important economic and financial issues relevant to the missions of the IC and the national 

security and foreign policy communities.

TRN 607 Transnational Challenges

The dynamics of transnational threats against the complexity of globalization have resulted in significant security 

challenges that shape the intelligence mission. Fueled by globalization, transnational threats include terrorism, 

WMD proliferation, environmental degradation, pandemic disease, conflict over natural resources and/or energy, 

destabilizing migration of large groups of people across borders, and the effects of regional economic crises on 

global financial markets. How the IC assesses these new threats affects how effective decision-makers are in 

responding with policies and plans. This course highlights globalization’s interconnected effects on regional and 

local actors, distribution of power, and sources of stability and instability. Students are challenged to assess the 

transnational threat environment and recommend analytic and collection solutions.
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TRN 608 The Role of Intelligence in Counternarcotics

Drug trafficking is a global issue reaching into the economic, political, and human security of many regions. This 

course examines the nature of international drug trafficking and its interactions with other global issues—terrorism, 

illicit finance, trafficking in persons, and smuggling of other contraband. Drug trafficking groups can be small and 

local or they can be globally connected. They evolve and exert influence within their environments, reacting to the 

efforts to control them. They build networks and relationships that connect to other security issues. The U.S. 

interagency community has built a complex network of information sharing and support relationships to face these 

challenges. This course explores the threat and the U.S. responses to it from the perspectives of practitioners, 

policymakers, and policy implementers, and the nexus between these groups and the IC.

TRN 609 Intelligence to Protect the Homeland

This course focuses on strategic and operational threats to the U.S. homeland. Students examine friendly and 

adversarial centers of gravity, critical vulnerabilities, and offensive and defensive strategies consistent with the 

values of a free and democratic society. Students explore vital linkages, doctrines, and policies between law 

enforcement and intelligence and relationships among Federal, state, local, tribal, and private sector entities in 

homeland security.

TRN 612 Engaging International Partnerships

Globalization, the mounting challenges of transnational threats, access to hard targets, and the increasing 

complexity of the world security environment demand that the United States rely more on collaborative efforts 

with trusted partners. Defeating transnational threats, building coalitions, maintaining viable and trusted 

intelligence warning systems, monitoring compliance, and manning intervention forces require that the United 

States maximize its ability to collect, process, and analyze intelligence 24/7. This course examines the role of 

intelligence partnerships and addresses the need for coalition partner operations, sharing intelligence, and 

eliminating threats to national, regional, and global security.

TRN 613 Essentials of Conflict Analysis

The velocity of globalization can strain the political,social, religious, and cultural identity of individual groups and 

may result in challenges to the legitimacy and coherence of state and international structures. This strain places 

conflict analysis at the center of understanding the nature of today’s threats across the spectrum of conflict, which 

can range from nonviolent resistance and protest movements to the more violent terrorism, insurgencies, and 

conventionalwars within and between states. This course examines in depth the spectrum of conflict across the

globe from economic competition to differing levels and types of war, with a variety of relevant theoretical and

analytical approaches. The ability of intelligence professionals to anticipate and analyze conflict is essential to 

intelligence collection, indications and warnings, and analysis.

TRN 614 Homeland Intelligence Warning Field Engagement

This course focuses on the ability of intelligence to guide strategic and operational direction through the use 

of warning in the homeland, protection of which remains the IC’s ultimate responsibility. Students examine 

the nature of warning, study warning failures in the homeland, and evaluate the current construct for warning. 

By examining the complex relationships among Federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector 
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partners, students prepare to ensure that the homeland is protected, prevent adversary success, and apply 

warning concepts and practices to protect and save as many lives as possible, given current threats, threat 

actors, and their capabilities.

TRN 698 Special Topics

This course designation is used for new curriculum topics in strategic intelligence. Such courses may take

advantage of special expertise of visiting faculty or meet the needs of a timely intelligence topic. Special Topics 

are also candidate courses for permanent listing in future curricula.

TRN 698T Threat Finance

Intelligence analysis and targeting are central to U.S. efforts to use financial tools to coerce and counter 

threats from both state and non-state actors. This course will examine the operations, mechanisms, and 

vulnerabilities of illicit financial networks and the challenges they pose to U.S. and global financial systems, 

highlighting the role of intelligence analysis in informing the use of policy and regulatory authorities and 

tools to defeat the networks. Students will also gain experience using tools and financial data exploitation 

techniques that have proven effective in monitoring and assessing financial threats. The role and impact of 

economic and financial sanctions and the efforts of targeted entities to circumvent them will receive special 

emphasis as a category of analysis to inform policy decision-making. Course assignments will be modeled 

after typical threat finance intelligence products to help students develop the skills needed to support the 

threat finance mission.

MSI 699 Directed Readings

This course focuses on a specific aspect of strategic intelligence that is new or specialized so it is not offered 

in an existing course. The student must develop a written proposal, a list of readings, and assignments and have 

them approved by the sponsoring faculty member and the MSSI Program Director. Students may use a Directed 

Readings course to satisfy an elective course requirement.

School of Science and Technology Intelligence Electives

The MSTI electives within the MSTI degree program are described below:

MST 653 Advanced Science and Technology

This course is a follow-on to Science and Technology (MST 613), for students interested in the analysis and 

evaluation of current science and technology (S&T) topics of interest to national security. The course focuses 

on reviewing S&T topics that emerge from current events, policy interest, or enhanced intelligence focus. 

Intelligence topic areas include, but are not limited to, emerging and disruptive technologies, WMD (nuclear, 

chemical, and biological), missile systems, proliferation, cyber, conventional weapons, environment, health, 

space (and counter-space), and arms control. The course analyzes both foreign technology capabilities and 

S&T that can support U.S. intelligence collection and analysis missions. The course is a seminar where students 

research current S&T topics and present observations from their research for class discussion and assessment. 

(Prerequisite: MST 613.)
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MST 655 Advanced Conventional and Non-Conventional Weapons

This course is designed to provide a broad level of situational awareness into the essential S&T underpinning 

modern military capabilities. This course will not cover the specifics of WMD but will, in part, include their 

delivery systems. The unique capabilities of advanced weapons systems are the result of innumerable 

advancements in the basic and applied sciences, as well as the unique and creative problem-solving insights of 

systems integrators. This nexus between interdisciplinary technical advancement and practical application that 

results in new or enhanced military capabilities forms the basis of power projection and technological superiority. 

It is also, by definition, a set of areas that foreign adversaries specifically target in an effort to obtain military or 

economic advantage through a variety of espionage tactics.

MST 656 The Economics of Technology

This course examines resource allocation, intelligence collection, and strategic philosophies from an economic 

perspective, as they jointly apply to technology and innovation. At the completion of the course, the students will 

be able to assess how technological innovations are affected by various economic inputs and how those innovations 

are then applied to benefit the nation's ability to develop its defense. Practical knowledge gained in the application 

of this course will partially fulfill U.S. Congressional mandated reforms within the acquisition and intelligence 

interface. 

MST 657 Case Studies in Technology Transfer

Technology transfer is an often-misunderstood term that has multiple usages, ranging from the benign to the 

strategic. This course will define and assess the various meanings of that term but will pay specific attention to its 

tactical, strategic, and intelligence-related aspects. Case studies will be the primary learning vehicle whereby the 

science and technology-related implications of technology transfer will be explored. Particular focus will be given 

to its organizational, analytical, political, legal and economic dimensions. Through the use of specific case studies, 

the real-world implications of technology transfers—economic health of the nation—will become clear.

MST 658 Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessment

The new security threats that we face in the 21st century have repeatedly demonstrated that the United States can 

no longer rely on geographical distance and the protection from enemies afforded by two great oceans to ensure 

the safety of our citizenry. In fact, the documented growth of a variety of threats within the United States pose a 

unique series of problems that require intelligence officers to fully understand and appreciate the nature of strategic 

facilities throughout the country and the type and degree of damage that may result if they are successfully targeted 

for disruption or destruction. On the other side of the coin, acquiring such an understanding of key or critical 

infrastructures will help develop the analytical acuity to recognize and place into perspective potential threats to 

U.S. forces, missions or allies overseas, as well as the targeting expertise necessary to provide effective warning

and offensive advice depending on the circumstances.

MST 660 Introduction to Denial and Deception: History, Concepts,

Issues, and Implications

This course sets a historical, thematic, and contemporary context that provides a fundamental perspective and the 

foundational knowledge required to recognize and counter D&D activities. It focuses on fundamental principles,
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historical events, trends, supporting case studies, and U.S. organizational responses to the foreign D&D threat. 

Course material addresses the existing U.S. IC environment and national security issues that permeate and

influence the world of the D&D analyst. The course also focuses on the role and effect of D&D on U.S. strategic 

warning and national security objectives.

MST 661 WMD Terrorism

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of terrorism involving WMD. The course 

examines the history of WMD terrorism (WMD-T), introduces basic technical aspects of improvised and acquired

WMD, explores the costs and benefits of WMD-T attack scenarios, and assesses intelligence and policy tools 

available to combat the threat of WMD-T. At the conclusion of the course, students understand the relationship of 

political objectives, supporting technologies, required resources, and barriers to WMD-T. This in-depth knowledge 

enables students to more effectively leverage critical strategic intelligence methods that support collective efforts

to prevent, protect against, and respond to the many facets of WMD-T.

MST 662 Denial and Deception: Psychological/Cultural Aspects, 

and National Security Decision-making

Students will gain insight into the impact that the cognitive aspects of deception and self-deception play on 

effective intelligence analysis and the role that culture plays in perceived truth and falsity, and they will investigate 

the critical nodes of U.S. national security decision-making that are potentially vulnerable to foreign manipulation 

via D&D.

MST 663 WMD: Counterproliferation

This course outlines the structure and role of the U.S. counterproliferation effort within the IC, as well as current 

applications and future implications of the enabling functions stated in the National Strategy. The course focuses 

on specific components of U.S. counterproliferation policy and the vital role played by intelligence collectors and 

analysts working collaboratively toward the national counterproliferation effort. Chemical, biological, and nuclear 

threats are defined and future applications are discussed throughout the course.

MST 664 Denial and Deception: Adversaries, Organizations, Activities, 

and Countermeasures

In this course, students examine various adversarial threat organizations and their execution of D&D activities, 

gain insight into the effect of collection technologies on D&D, and investigate current techniques for countering 

foreign manipulation via D&D practices.

MST 665 The Biological Threat

This course addresses pathological, biological, biochemical, molecular, and medical laboratory features of living 

agents or organic products for potential use in warfare, terrorism, or criminal activities. The scope of biological 

agents and their potential for deployment against humans, animals, and plants, along with relevant aspects of

prophylaxis and therapeutics are examined. Attention is given to environmental issues causing certain biological 

agents to become special threats in specific geographical locations, laboratory diagnosis, and forensic 

investigation. Students distinguish properties of agents or organic products presenting dangers as strategic and
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tactical weapons of warfare fromthose with properties more suited to bioterrorism or crime, and become aware of 

efforts to prevent, contain or counter terrorist and criminal use of biological agents.

MST 667 The Nuclear Threat

This course provides students with an overview of the nuclear weapons threat, from the science and engineering 

behind special nuclear materials production, to their role as weapons of power and policy by the United States, 

nation states, and non-state actors. This course addresses technical, intelligence, and policy issues associated 

with nuclear weapons and is designed to provide an understanding of nuclear weapons and their impact on the 

IC and national security. Basic weapons physics is reviewed, and special nuclear material production is 

introduced, followed by nuclear weapons development and testing, and the threat from foreign nuclear 

programs. Intelligence issues associated with these weapons and their development are examined, along with 

the current state of the threat from various foreign nuclear-capable weapon states, proliferants, and non-state 

actors. Intelligence indicators associated with foreign nuclear weapons production activities are reviewed and 

discussed, as well as collection capabilities on adversarial nuclear programs. Unfortunately, this course cannot 

be offered via secure VTC.

MST 669 The Chemical and Explosive Threat

This course provides students with an overview of the chemical and explosive threat. This course addresses 

scientific and technical intelligence and policy issues associated with weapons, which may be used in warfare, 

terrorist actions, or criminal activity, and it is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the 

chemical and explosive categories of WMD. Distinctions are made between this and other classes of WMD. 

Effects of each type of weapon are examined, along with the current state of the art. Intelligence indicators and 

warning associated with adversarial systems necessary to develop and employ the weapons are reviewed and 

discussed. 

MST 671 S&TI Space and Missile Systems

This course is designed to provide the essential principles, components, and technologies of space and missile

systems. Further, space-based applications will be compared and contrasted to include orbital and interplanetary

propulsion and sensing systems, in both the military and civilian context. A fundamental understanding of 

propulsion systems and accompanying laws of thermodynamics will be supplemented with analyses of the range 

of physical manufacturing techniques and chemistry issues that make such vehicles possible. Guidance, control, 

warhead design, and delivery techniques—to include penetration aids—will provide a comprehensive 

understanding of the strategic aspects of this technology. Capabilities of U.S. and foreign systems are analyzed 

and related to implications of national security, along with the proliferation of ballistic missiles.

MST 672 Intelligence and the Changing Global Resource Environment

This course introduces the degree candidate to the complexities of global resource interdependencies and how 

they can impact national security and international stability. It takes an integrated approach to analyzing global 

resource issues using intelligence products and open-source materials in order to strategically identify and 

understand resource-related trends and interdependencies that can be disruptive. The course challenges the 

student to identify intelligence questions inherent to land, water, energy, food, health, and critical materials in 
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the context of national security, technology, geopolitics, and economics. Understanding resource trends and 

interdependencies in multiple contexts is essential to anticipating potential future disruptions triggered by or 

rooted in them. Furthermore, it is an essential starting point for understanding how resource issues can impact 

other strategically important intelligence issues.

MST 674 Identity Intelligence

This course provides operational-strategic/national (DoD/interagency/partner nation) understanding of identity 

intelligence (I2) terms, concepts, doctrine, and associated operations/activities. This includes knowledge of identity 

modalities and three enabling activities (biometrics, forensics, and DOMEX) and identity attributes (biologic, 

biographic, and behavioral). Students will learn the organizations, missions/functions, technology/tools, (current 

and emerging), databases and analytic tradecraft, and information coordination requirements including policy and 

legal considerations. Content spans the two primary I2 functions: identity discovery/reveal or denying threat 

anonymity and protect/conceal. Unfortunately, this course cannot be offered via secure VTC.

MST 675 Electrical Power Systems and Distribution

Modern electrical power generation, transmission, and distribution systems are the interconnected networks for 

delivering electricity from suppliers to consumers. They consist of generating stations, renewable and small-scale 

electricity sources, transmission systems, and distribution systems that deliver electric power to individual 

customers. Power generation systems represent a vitally important strategic resource because they provide the 

infrastructure for transmitting and transforming energy for industrial, communication, military, and transportation 

uses. At the same time, these systems are part of a larger, massively integrated system of critical infrastructure 

with numerous interdependencies and supply chain dependencies. This course introduces power generation, 

transmission, and distribution in the context of intelligence and national security and provides students with an 

understanding of the modern systems that provide electrical power. It also covers aspects of the history and 

economics of power production, modern power systems, smart grid technologies, and current worldwide regional 

trends in power production including threats and supply chain issues.

MST 680 Information Power

This course examines the information component of power from a strategic intelligence perspective. Students 

assess the intelligence-related aspects and issues of military information operations, critical information 

infrastructure and cyberspace, strategic communication and public diplomacy, and media war within the contested 

global information environment. The aim of this course is to enable the intelligence professional to analyze 

adversary information-related capabilities and activities to develop strategic intelligence requirements.

MST 681 Propaganda

This courseprovides anintensive examination ofthe techniques, methodologies, and strategies of influence for the 

purpose of discerning intelligence requirements. Topics include communication theory; social influence and 

persuasion; attitude formation; the history of propaganda; target audience analysis; media war, and practices for 

analyzing adversary propaganda. The aim of this course is to enable the intelligence professional to recognize and

analyze adversary influence activities and tactics to develop strategic intelligence requirements.
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MST 682 Cyber Intelligence

This course provides students a cyber-intelligence foundation from which they assess and evaluate the policies, 

functions, and analysis of intelligence issues related to the cyber domain. Topics covered in this course include:

How cyber works; its relevance to the IC; IC challenges and opportunities in cyber; and roles and 

responsibilities of government and nongovernment entities.

MST 683 Foreign Information and Cyber Strategies

This course examines information and cyber related strategies of selected threat actors in the global information 

environment. The course enables the student to comprehend foreign threat information warfare concepts and 

activities, their employment of cyber capabilities, and how they are used in concert to support an adversary’s 

information strategy and national security objectives. Students will understand how information technology is 

employed by adversaries in pursuit of their strategic goals and be able to assess the impact on U.S. national 

interests.

MST 684 Cyber Threat

The Cyber Threat course provides students the framework with which they will assess and evaluate cyber-threat 

actors, methodologies, and resources. Students compare a variety of threat models by assessing real world cyberscenarios. Topics include worldwide cyber capabilities, foreign state and non-state actor cyber strategies, cyberattack processes, attack vectors, exploitation, espionage, and denial and deception.

MST 685 Social Networks and Intelligence

This course covers the rapidly changing foundations and dynamics of the S&T of social networks and intelligence. 

Students gain a greater understanding of recent developments in social networks and S&T foundations. This 

enhanced perspective should enable the student to provide strategic intelligence support as it relates to social

networks. Unfortunately, this course cannot be offered via secure VTC.

MST 686 Network Operations Environment—Engagement

The Network Operations Environment—Engagement course focuses on understanding and assessing network 

operations, exploitation, and activities in a unique, standalone network environment. Unfortunately, this course 

cannot be offered via secure VTC.

MST 687 The Advanced Information Power Seminar

This seminar enables students to analyze strategic problems in information power affecting U.S. national interests, 

assess adversarial information strategies and tactics, create intelligence support requirements, and synthesize 

potential solutions to information-based confrontations in the global information environment. The course uses a 

tabletop strategic exercise for which BLUE-Force victory is not presumed. The seminar requires the students to 

analyze and integrate nested scenario-driven events to determine adversary information activities and intents, 

anticipate and counter asymmetric information advantages, generate intelligence requirements and assessments, 

and solve the complexities of strategic intelligence support for information conflict. The aim of this course is to 

prepare the intelligence professional to analyze, evaluate, and solve both anticipated and unexpected strategic 
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intelligence challenges in the increasingly contested global information environment. Unfortunately, this course 

cannot be offered via secure VTC.

MST 688 Data Science Applications

This course forces on an introduction to data science, covering the history, evolution, application, and philosophy 

of data science from inception into the data/digital age. The course addresses the use of tools and techniques with 

various data structures, including algorithms, extracting meaning from data, network graphs, visualization, and 

ethical components. Unfortunately, this course cannot be offered via secure VTC.

MST 689 Advanced Cyber Intelligence

This advanced cyber course builds on the use of cyber intelligence in the operational environment. The focus is on 

applying capabilities to assess data gathered in the field combined with other multisource intelligence. Students 

enhance their command of the cyber operational domain and system exploitation. (Prerequisite: MST 686.)

MST 690 Data Science Mathematics

Building on the concepts of Data Science Applications (MST 688), this course examines the underpinning 

role of mathematics in data science and intelligence. Students will review and assess the critical roles of linear 

algebra, statistical methods, elements of differential calculus, and graph theory in data science, and they will 

apply these mathematical tools to IC-relevant problem sets. This course is designed to develop common 

knowledge and comprehension of mathematics within the data science field, as it relates to intelligence 

collection and analysis.

MST 691 Data Science Tools and Techniques

Building on the concepts of MST 688 (Data Science Applications) and MST 690 (Data Science Mathematics), 

this course examines the tools and methods used in data science and intelligence. Students will use Python to 

solve a variety of data science challenges applicable to the IC, and they will become familiar with Python 

libraries useful in network analysis and graph theory, natural language processing, and convolutional neural 

networks.

MST 692 Data Science Visualization and Communication

Building on the concepts of MST 688 (Data Science Applications) and MST 690 (Data Science Mathematics), 

this course focuses on the rapidly changing foundations and dynamics of data science technology, visualization,

tools, and communication. Focused on key intelligence priorities, students will gain an enhanced perspective on 

how to apply effective data visualization to intelligence problems and trends, as well as forecasting. Students will 

learn to apply graphical designs to data and present effectively to a selected audience—using the right chart for the 

right data is key. By the end of the course, students will be able to explore, gather, manipulate, analyze, and 

communicate data sets focused on key intelligence attributes.

MST 698 Directed Study/Special Topics

This course focuses on a specific aspect of science and technology intelligence that is so new or specialized it is 

not offered in an existing course. Directed Study allows students to design and carry out an independent project, 
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working one-on-one with a faculty member. The student must develop a written proposal or experimental research 

plan, and a list of readings and assignments in conjunction with the sponsoring faculty member. The resulting plan 

of study must be approved by the SSTI Program Director.

Special Topics can be used for new curriculum topics that take advantage of unique expertise of visiting faculty or 

meet the needs of a timely intelligence topic. The lead instructor must develop a written proposal, a list of readings 

and assignments, and have them approved by the SSTI Program Director. Special Topics are also candidate courses 

for permanent listing in future curricula.

MST 699 Graduate Certificate Capstone

Upon successful completion of four certificate courses, students pursuing a CIS in an SSTI topic may enroll in this 

capstone course, which serves as a means of integrating the learning experience. The intention of the course is to 

provide a capstone assignment to ensure the achievement of the certificate’s learning outcomes. The Certificate 

Director will direct and assess the deliverable, which will result in a pass/fail determination.

Bachelor of Science in Intelligence

All bachelor’s degree seeking students are required to take the following core courses.

Core Courses

BCR 401 Global Security Environment

The course examines key global drivers and trends that impact intelligence in an increasingly interconnected world. 

The global security environment is rapidly evolving due to the velocity and linkages of local and world events as 

well as shifting roles of international actors. The course explores phenomena such as emerging state and non-state 

actors, evolving structures within the international system, demographic and migration patterns, expanding trading 

networks and financial flows, competition for natural resources, health and environmental hazards, disruptive 

science and technology development, and transnational threats such as terrorism, weapons proliferation, cyber 

disruptions, and crime.

BCR 403 International Political Economy

This course focuses on the introduction of international relations and economic theories and their impact on 

national policy and security. By examining the evolution of both international relations and economics in parallel 

with world events, the course will provide students with fundamental concepts and linkages to enhance their 

respective knowledge of global political and economic activity and the ability to incorporate this understanding in 

preparing for and implementing the entire range of intelligence cycle activities. This course will specifically 

examine international relations concepts, micro/macroeconomic theories, and economic indicators for application 

in conducting political and economic methods of analysis, both alone and in interdisciplinary contexts, toward the 

study of national security as a whole.

BCR 405 Analytic Methods

This course strengthens analytic tradecraft to foster critical thinking and provide the opportunity to develop and 

implement innovative approaches to analyzing complex intelligence problem sets. The course introduces tenets
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and functions of one or more advanced analytic methodologies and their application in resolving a significant 

intelligence problem set. The course is designed to support CAP 404 (Capstone Completion).

BCR 407 Intelligence Analysis

How does information become meaningful intelligence? As information is analyzed, meaning is created. This 

course examines the logic of reasoning, critical thinking, argumentation, and analytical methodologies applied 

against a wide range of intelligence problems. Assessing key intelligence failures lays the foundation for 

addressing methodologies and possible pitfalls, such as prejudice and preconceptions, mirror imaging, cultural 

bias, and other perceptual filters. The course examines the IC’s analytical process and organizational measures 

to focus on key issues, including the relationship of analysis to the policymaker, military commanders, and 

military planners, and the IC’s current efforts to improve analytical standards, assessments, collection, 

evaluation, and warning.

BCR 409 Collection Assets and Capabilities

This course evaluates key U.S. intelligence collection assets and capabilities that are applied to national intelligence 

requirements. Topics include the capabilities and limitations of assets corresponding to the five intelligence

collection disciplines: GEOINT, HUMINT, MASINT, OSINT, and SIGINT. Students examine intelligence 

collection assets to determine their organizational structure, the collection infrastructure (technologies, systems, 

and institutions), and the collection tasking system.

BCR 411 Intelligence and National Security Strategy

Today’s intelligence professionals must understand the role intelligence plays in formulating and executing the 

U.S. national security strategy. These strategies provide the intellectual framework for the evolution and 

application of U.S. instruments of national power. This course focuses on the tenets of U.S. national security, 

warfighting strategies, and the context of influencing national security strategies development. Globalization 

provides the backdrop to discuss contextual factors, along with the primary principles, doctrines, and theories 

underpinning successful and unsuccessful strategies, the interactive nature of warfare, and the evolution of 

strategies in conflict. Students develop a framework for thinking about conflict at the strategic and operational 

levels and examine the role of intelligence in formulating strategies.

BCR 413 Science, Technology, and Intelligence

This course introduces students to the basic physics (and selected other sciences) associated with S&TI. The 

application of these concepts includes exploiting S&T to generate intelligence understanding and assessment 

of technical capabilities and limitations. The course introduces terminology, principles, and limitations of 

specific scientific and technological applications that affect intelligence and national security. The aim of this 

course is to enable students to better understand the scientific “why” behind the technological “how” applicable 

to the practice of S&TI.

Capstone Courses

The course requirements for the Capstone Project are described in the subsection that follows:
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CAP 401 Capstone Research and Design

This course is designed to prepare students for the undergraduate-level research and design needed to complete 

their capstone project. The undergraduate capstone exercise is designed to bring reflection and focus to the whole 

of the college experience. This course encourages students to integrate facets of their coursework with important 

concepts from related intelligence disciplines. Students will learn and practice the skill of acquiring and 

synthesizing original research and empirical data that includes intelligence reports, academic literature, and 

seminar-based classes. This course provides the student with a starting point for successfully completing a capstone 

project on a national security and intelligence-related topic, thus making an important contribution to the body of 

intelligence knowledge.

CAP 404 Capstone Completion

Understanding the dynamic and complex relationships between analysis, collection, and warning is the key 

challenge facing the IC. This capstone project requires students to experience the dynamics of a significant 

intelligence problem, while integrating the challenges of analysis, warning, and collection. The goal of the course 

is for students to successfully apply research and data collection, carry out a comprehensive project, and complete 

a final written product.

Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Courses

CAC 420 Counterintelligence

Foreign intelligence activities pose a significant threat to U.S. national security and economic interests at home and 

abroad. This course examines the U.S. CI effort from a strategic perspective, including the role of CI in relation to 

the IC, the law enforcement system, and U.S. national security strategy. The course includes an overview of the 

CI organizations, laws, and strategies, as well as the foreign intelligence threat including espionage, influence 

operations, and cyber intrusions.

Defense Intelligence Courses

DEF 422 Intelligence: Building Stability and Peace

The United States conducts stability operations to prevent, contain, or resolve regional conflicts that threaten U.S. 

national interests. Stability operations have been designated a core U.S. military mission and are becoming a 

priority comparable to combat operations. The immediate goals are to provide conflicted societies with security, 

restore essential services, and meet humanitarian needs. The long-term goals are to help develop indigenous

capacity for securing essentialservices, a viable market economy,rule oflaw, democratic institutions, and a robust 

civil society. This course examines the challenges and requirements facing intelligence professionals engaged in

planning and supporting U.S. and multinational stability and peace operations in global regions, including how 

intelligence supports U.S. and multinational plans and operations for stabilization, security, reconstruction, and 

transition operations forsustainable peace.

DEF 423 Intelligence and Special Operations

Special operations play an important role in U.S. national security strategy. Moreover, there is a strong mutually 

supporting symbiotic relationship between special operations and intelligence that needs to be fully understood 
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and maximized by the intelligence professional. Intelligence support necessary to plan and execute special 

operations missions involves understanding an interlinked framework of concepts of the national security 

environment, the human domain in which special operations occur, and the mission sets themselves. Students will 

focus, critique, and hypothesize on the concepts and their inter-relations to better understand the impact, benefits, 

risks, and intelligence needs of special operations.

DEF 424 The Nature of Conflict and Conflict Capabilities

This course focuses on the definitions and fundamental causes of conflict, including inter-and intra-state crises; 

deterrence failures; hegemonic or colonial influences, economic and preemptive decisions; ideological and 

religious contention; balance of power and quests for dominance; resource access and scarcity; and relative 

deprivation factors. The spectrum of conflict examined includes gangster, surrogate/proxy, irregular, asymmetric, 

conventional, and national types of warfare. The course then examines and applies the principles of state and nonstate actors, analysis of operational and military capabilities, and key methods of studying the influence of 

nonmilitary factors that either enhance or degrade the ability of an actor to engage in conflict. To achieve an 

integrated perspective, the course employs a “system of systems” approach to define and analyze the complex 

relationships between key elements of conflict capability, including strategy, doctrine, geography, logistics, 

defense economics, technology, leadership, and order of battle.

Regional Security and Intelligence Courses

RSI 401 Africa: Intelligence Issues

The highly diverse and complex nations that make up the continent of Africa pose specific challenges for the 

intelligence, foreign policy, and national security communities. This course provides an understanding of the 

geographic, historical, social, cultural, religious, economic, political, and military factors affecting events in Africa. 

Students examine contemporary domestic and international problems confronting the people of Africa and their 

governments, NGOs, and social movements. This course highlights issues affecting U.S. national security interests 

on the African continent and the related challenges faced by the IC.

RSI 421 South Asia: Intelligence Issues

This course provides students with an understanding of the drivers and causes of conflict and instability in South 

Asia, focusing particularly on the intertwined relations between India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The course 

explores the historical and cultural sources of the region’s extremism; ethnic, communal, and sectarian conflict; 

and its potential flashpoints, including Kashmir. The course examines the historical and contemporary decision 

points and challenges that have brought India global stature as an economically dynamic democracy, yet have 

yielded a struggling and conflict-ridden state in Pakistan, nuclear proliferation, and safe haven for a range of 

militant Islamist groups. Students also explore the nature of Afghan governance, Afghanistan’s current and future 

prospects, and Indian-Pakistani competition there for influence. The course concludes with a look at the region’s 

future prospects and the enduring nature of U.S. strategic interests there.

RSI 422 East Asia: Intelligence Issues

This course explores key cultural, historical, political, economic, security, and intelligence issues for East Asia. It 

develops an understanding of East Asia’s current and emerging regional security challenges, including political 
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and societal instability, military developments, demographic shifts, trade, and tension over natural resources. 

Recognizing that China is emerging as a global power, the course addresses priority intelligence challenges, such 

as China’s grand strategy, the South China Sea, military modernization, Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula, ethnic 

tension, and regional security.

RSI 431 Eurasia: Intelligence Issues

This course focuses on Russia and its relations with five major regional and world groups: the successor states of 

the former Soviet Union, the nations of the former Warsaw Pact, Western Europe, NATO, and the United States, 

as well as other specific states, such as Iran. Current and emerging security challenges, including regional stability, 

terrorism, criminal activities, transnational threats, and socioeconomic factors that affect regional and global 

security, are discussed, along with implications for U.S. national security.

RSI 432 Europe: Intelligence Issues

Europe contains many of the U.S. allies who provide critical strategic platforms to pursue American national 

security strategies. This course focuses on the reality of contemporary European and American national security 

strategies. It also focuses on how U.S. allies meet U.S. expectations in contributing to multilateral and coalition 

efforts. European cooperation depends on agreement with overall U.S. strategic aims, the capacity and will to 

assist, and the ability to cope with burgeoning domestic challenges. Students explore NATO and EU cooperation 

and competition, disputes among various European states, and the effects of a resurgent Russia on NATO and EU 

cohesion. The course examines lessons learned in NATO’s operations in the Balkans and Afghanistan and focuses 

on the cyber and terrorist threats in the region.

RSI 441 Latin America: Intelligence Issues

The goal of this course is to increase awareness of threats and opportunities, both current and future, that 

originate in Latin America. Students gain a greater understanding of recent developments in Latin America 

and the historical, socio-political, and cultural fabric of this important region. This enhanced perspective should 

enable the student to intelligently collect, process, and analyze data on Latin American society, politics, 

economics, trends, and issues. This understanding should enable students to improve their ability to cogently 

articulate analytical assessments. The course focuses on the vital role of intelligence in understanding and 

dealing with critical Latin American security issues, such as increased Chinese, Iranian, and Russian influence 

in the region. The course also studies transnational criminal organizations, terrorism, insurgencies, and 

trafficking in humans, drugs, and arms.

RSI 451 Middle East: Intelligence Issues

This course examines cultural, social, political, and economic underpinnings crucial to understanding the 

challenges for U.S. national security and the role of intelligence warning, analysis, and collection in the region.

The course examines the importance of Islam, the history of Western involvement, and regional political and 

security issues, such as terrorism, the promotion of democracy, and prospects for economic development. The 

course also addresses specific issues, such as the Arab-Israeli conflict, Persian Gulf security (including issues 

pertaining to Iraq and Iran), WMD proliferation, and access to hydrocarbon reserves.
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RSI 461 Culture and Identity in an Age of Globalization

The highly distributed and dispersed global operations observed in recent years—from Timor to Bosnia, the 

former Soviet Republics, Baghdad, and Kabul—underscore the importance of conducting uniquely-tailored 

missions in different environments. The pressures of globalization challenge the ability of individuals and nations 

to maintain “identity.” The mix of cultural groups, languages, religions, customs, and beliefs occurring in nationstates can shape an official identity. However, individuals and non-state actors also seek to forge their own 

identities because identification with a particular group provides a sense of belonging, empowerment, and 

security. The lack of identity among minorities and outsiders can yield exclusion, intolerance, and conflict. The 

principal focus of this course is to learn to recognize the complexity and dynamics of national, ethnic, cultural, 

and religious identities. Understanding individual and group identities and practices is key to knowing both one’s 

adversaries and one’s allies.

Science and Technology Intelligence Courses

STI 460 Denial and Deception

The accuracy and credibility of the IC rest on its ability to determine ground truth in an environment characterized 

as information-competitive, with extensive foreign knowledge of intelligence sources, methods, and analytical

techniques. Deception analysis equipsthe intelligence analyst with the information and tools necessary to identify 

both deception and the larger strategic picture that drive potential adversaries to implement advanced deception

operations against the United States. This course establishes a historical, thematic, and contemporary context that

providesthe fundamental perspective and foundational knowledge required to successfully counter D&D activities.

This course is divided into three parts. Part I examines the fundamental principles and historical events through

supporting case studies by focusing on the effects of D&D that permeate and influence the world of the D&D 

analyst. Part II outlines operational and strategic deceptions and illustrates their effects on leadership and 

intelligence analysis. Part III focuses on influence operations, offensive CI, and the effect of D&D on surprise, 

strategic warning, and U.S. national security objectives.

STI 463 Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction

This course examines the role of intelligence in analyzing threats from adversarial state and non-state actors 

possessing or aspiring to acquire WMD to use against the U.S. homeland and global interests. It explores the 

capabilities and consequences of current and emerging revolutionary advances in S&T that can be used by 

adversaries to perfect nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. An overview of the intelligence analysis 

challenges surrounding the threats posed by state and non-state adversaries provides the framework to examine 

the basic technologies of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and the threats posed by WMD. The course 

explores the motives for and means of acquiring and developing WMD and encourages students to think 

analytically and critically about the causes and consequences of nuclear proliferation.

STI 480 Information Operations

The power of information lies at the heart of cooperation and conflict, while state and non-state actors, groups, 

and individuals adapt to, and exploit, the “global commons.” This course examines the global information 

environment and its effects on U.S. national security strategy and military operations. Students view essential 

paradigms and concepts, policies, doctrines, and practices of information operations (IOs) from a strategic 
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intelligence perspective supporting U.S. information operations planning and strategy. The course analyzes 

U.S., coalition, and adversarial IOs and examines the exploitation of the global information environment in 

conducting national security operations at the strategic and operational levels of conflict. Additionally, the 

course explores intelligence-related aspects of planning and executing in-theater, interagency, and international 

IOs across the physical, informational, and cognitive dimensions of the information environment.

STI 482 Cyber Strategy

This course provides students a foundation from which they will assess and evaluate U.S. policies and 

strategies related to the cyber domain within the context of national security. Topics covered in this course 

include: How cyber works; its relevance to the IC; current roles and responsibilities of government and 

nongovernment entities related to cyber; and the challenges and opportunities related to cyber applications in 

the national security context.

Transnational Intelligence Courses

TRN 403 Terrorism: Origins and Methodologies

Terrorism represents one of the most palpable threats to U.S. security interests. This course examines the terrorism 

phenomenon within the context of the social sciences. Particular emphasis is placed on introducing basic 

techniques for analyzing the causes, strengths, and weaknesses of key forms of terrorism, with a view toward 

facilitating intelligence capabilities to develop preemptive and countervailing strategies.

TRN 407 Transnational Threats

The growing prominence of transnational threats and capabilities of illicit transnational actors in the globalized 

world presents significant security challenges totheintelligencemission.Transnationalthreatsrange fromterrorism,

pandemic health issues, and international narcotics trafficking; through environmental degradation, human 

trafficking, WMD and weapons proliferation; to international smuggling of otherwise licit goods and trafficking 

in wildlife, antiquities, human organs, and art—all enabled by expert facilitators, manipulation of the global

financialsystem, and public corruption. IC responses to these many and often overlapping activities help shape the 

way policy and decision-makers consider and address the deepening effects of these transnational threats. This 

course highlights the profound, destabilizing effects of globalization on sovereignty, international regimes, and 

global security. Students are challenged to understand and explain this complex space and coherently describe the

threat from an IC perspective.

TRN 408 Drug Intelligence

This course examines the nature of international drug trafficking and its interaction with other transnational crime 

and security issues. It explores the effect of drug trafficking on global security by addressing its interrelationships 

with global issues. The potential and actual effect of intelligence processes and structuresin drug intelligence are

considered throughout the course. The course identifies, compares, and analyzes the challenges and successes of

intelligence within counterdrug and policy efforts. Related topics, such as human networks, money laundering, 

corruption, terror finance, trade, and tax violations, are considered in relation to counternarcotics and the role of 

intelligence in these complex issues.
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TRN 409 Homeland Security and Intelligence

This course evaluates the role, structure, composition, missions, capabilities, and limitations of homeland 

security, the IC, and key law enforcement institutions, in light of the strategic security environment and 

probable threats. Students apply national security strategy and policy to the homeland security environment. 

Students gain an understanding of how intelligence capabilities are applied to sharing information, preventing 

national security threats, protecting critical infrastructure, and protecting the economy in a world of 

interconnected global transportation systems. The course also examines threats and threat doctrines that 

adversely affect intelligence and law enforcement practices, including insider threats, and provides analytic 

frameworks for modeling threats, evaluating those threats against homeland security mission capabilities, and 

proposing intelligence strategies.

Special Interest Courses

BSI 498 Special Topics in Intelligence

This course designation is used for one-time-only courses on special topics in intelligence. Such courses may be 

created to take advantage of special expertise of a visiting professor or to meet the needs of a timely intelligence 

topic. Special Topics are also candidate courses for permanent listing in future curricula.

BSI 499 Directed Readings

This course focuses on a specific aspect of strategic intelligence that is so new or specialized it is not offered in an 

existing course. The student must develop a written proposal, a list of readings, and assignments and have them 

approved by the sponsoring faculty member and the BSI Program Director. Students may use a Directed Readings 

course to satisfy an elective course requirement.
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Acronym List 

ACE American Council of Education

AERS Army Educational Requirements System 

APSC Academic Policy and Standards Committee 

BOV Board of Visitors 

BSI Bachelor of Science in Intelligence 

C3I command, control, communications, and intelligence 

CAB Campus Activities Board 

CACI Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Department 

CBRN-E chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive 

CE continuing education 

CI counterintelligence 

CIA Central Intelligence Agency 

CIS Certificate of Intelligence Studies 

CJCS Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 

CONTU Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works 

CSI College of Strategic Intelligence 

CYI Cyber Intelligence Concentration 

D&D denial and deception 

DEA Drug Enforcement Administration 

DHS Department of Homeland Security

DI Defense Intelligence Department

DIA Defense Intelligence Agency 

DNI Director of National Intelligence 

DoD Department of Defense 

DOE Department of Energy 

DOS Department of State 

DSI Data Science in Intelligence Concentration

EAC European Academic Center

ETGR Emerging Technologies and Geostrategic Resources Concentration 

FAO Foreign Area Officer 

FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation 

GEOINT geospatial intelligence 

GRE Graduate Record Exam 

HUMINT human intelligence 

I&W indications and warnings 
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I2 identity intelligence 

I3 Information and Influence Intelligence 

IC Intelligence Community 

ICC-B Intelligence Community Campus-Bethesda 

IE Intelligence Enterprise Department 

IO information operation 

IRB Institutional Review Board 

JPME Joint Professional Military Education 

JWICS Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System 

L&M Leadership and Management Concentration 

MASINT measurement and signature intelligence 

MSSI Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence 

MSTI Master of Science and Technology Intelligence 

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization 

NCO noncommissioned officer 

NCR national capital region 

NDU National Defense University 

NGA National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency 

NGO nongovernment organization 

NIC National Intelligence Council 

NIO National Intelligence Officer 

NIPF National Intelligence Priorities Framework 

NIPRNET Nonsecure Internet Protocol Router Network 

NIU National Intelligence University 

NSA National Security Agency 

NSC National Security Council 

ODNI Office of the Director of National Intelligence 

OOR Office of Research 

OPSEC operational security 

OSINT open-source intelligence 

PEDs portable electronic devices 

PII personally identifiable information 

PLA People’s Liberation Army 

PRC People’s Republic of China 

QAC Quantico Academic Center 

RSI Regional Security and Intelligence Department 

S&T science and technology 
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S&TI science and technology intelligence 

SAC Southern Academic Center 

SCI sensitive compartmented information 

SIGINT signals intelligence 

SME subject matter expert 

SSO Special Security Officer 

SSTI School of Science and Technology Intelligence 

TDY temporary duty 

TI Transnational Issues Department 

USD(I) Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence 

USEUCOM U.S. European Command 

USINDOPACOM U.S. Indo-Pacific Command 

USSOUTHCOM U.S. Southern Command 

WMD weapons of mass destruction 

WMD-T WMD terrorism