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CONTENTS 

2020-21 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

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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Updating Records.....................................................................................................................18

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

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

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

Attendance................................................................................................................................19

Reporting Class Session Absences .................................................................................................... 19

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

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

Time Limits on Coursework .............................................................................................................. 20

Grading ......................................................................................................................................20

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

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

In Progress (IP) .................................................................................................................................. 21

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

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

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

Waiver (WV) ..................................................................................................................................... 22

Grade-Point Average Calculation...................................................................................................... 22

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thesis and Thesis Process.......................................................................................................27

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

Academic Freedom ..................................................................................................................29
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Intellectual Property Rights Policy.........................................................................................30

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

Copyright Compliance for Faculty and Students ..................................................................32

Fair Use .............................................................................................................................................. 32

Copyright and Foreign Works ........................................................................................................... 33

Responsibilities .................................................................................................................................. 33

Obtaining Copyright Permission........................................................................................................ 34

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

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

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

Academic Integrity ...................................................................................................................35

Self-Plagiarism ................................................................................................................................... 36

Actions for Suspected Academic Integrity Violations....................................................................... 36

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 .................................................................................................................. 39

National Intelligence Press ................................................................................................................ 39

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

SPECIAL UNIVERSITY SERVICES ....................................................................... 42 

Disabled or Special Needs Students ......................................................................................42

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

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

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

Student Honor Society: The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi .............................................43

ACADEMIC AWARDS ......................................................................................... 44 

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence Enterprise Award ............................................. 44

The Lieutenant General Vernon A. Walters Award for International Affairs ................................... 44

The Elizebeth S. Friedman Award ..................................................................................................... 44

The Intelligence Integration Award ................................................................................................... 44
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The Lieutenant Colonel Michael D. Kuszewski Award .................................................................... 44

The Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Archival Research Award .................................................... 44

The Judge Allan Nathaniel Kornblum Award ................................................................................... 45

The Barton Whaley Research Award ................................................................................................ 45

The National Intelligence Science and Technology Award .............................................................. 45

The Scientific and Technical Intelligence Committee Award........................................................... 45

The Cyber Intelligence Research Award ........................................................................................... 45

The Lyman B. Kirkpatrick, Jr., Award .............................................................................................. 45

The National Military Intelligence Foundation Award ..................................................................... 45

The A. Denis Clift Award.................................................................................................................. 45

Leadership and Academic Achievement Awards .................................................................46

The Dr. David R. Ellison, Rear Admiral (ret) Leadership Award..................................................... 46

The Ann Caracristi Intelligence Award for Leadership and Academic Achievement ...................... 46

The General John R. Allen Award for Leadership and Academic Achievement.............................. 46

The Staff Sergeant Josh Stone Memorial Award for Leadership and Academic Achievement........ 46

NIU ACADEMIC PROGRAM OVERVIEW ............................................................. 47 

One Year in Residence, Full-Time .................................................................................................... 47

Two-Year, Part-Time......................................................................................................................... 47

Evening Format.................................................................................................................................. 47

Monthly Executive Format ................................................................................................................ 47

Continuing Education: Lifelong Learning Opportunities.................................................................. 47

Academic Opportunities ..........................................................................................................47

Student Research Funding ................................................................................................................. 47

Joint Professional Military Education Studies Program.................................................................... 48

U.S. Army Professor of Strategic Intelligence Program.................................................................... 48

NIU Academic Centers.............................................................................................................48

NIU Academic Center at Ft. Meade .................................................................................................. 49

NIU European Academic Center (EAC)............................................................................................ 49

NIU Southern Academic Center (SAC)............................................................................................. 49

NIU Quantico Academic Center (QAC)............................................................................................ 49

Registration and Credit Hours ................................................................................................49

Degree Status..................................................................................................................................... 49

Non-Degree Status............................................................................................................................. 49

Assignment of Credit Hours .............................................................................................................. 50

Academic Load .................................................................................................................................. 50

Electronic Learning and Assessment ....................................................................................50
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MASTER OF SCIENCE OF STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE ....................................... 52 

MSSI Degree Learning Outcomes..................................................................................................... 52

MSSI Degree Requirements....................................................................................................52

Required Courses (15 credit hours) ................................................................................................... 52

General Electives and Concentration Courses (21 credit hours) ....................................................... 52

Thesis Courses (7 credit hours).......................................................................................................... 53

MSSI Departments ...................................................................................................................53

Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Department (CAC)................................................... 54

Regional Security and Intelligence Department (RSI) ...................................................................... 55

Intelligence Enterprise Department (INT)......................................................................................... 58

Defense Intelligence Department (DEF) ........................................................................................... 59

Transnational Issues Department (TRN) ........................................................................................... 60

The MSSI Thesis................................................................................................................................ 61

CERTIFICATE OF INTELLIGENCE STUDIES ........................................................ 62 

Africa ................................................................................................................................................. 62

China: Intelligence Concerns............................................................................................................. 62

Counterintelligence ............................................................................................................................ 63

Eurasia................................................................................................................................................ 63

Homeland Intelligence ....................................................................................................................... 63

Leadership and Management in the Intelligence Community ........................................................... 64

Strategic Intelligence in Special Operations...................................................................................... 64

Strategic Warning Analysis ............................................................................................................... 65

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN INTELLIGENCE ....................................................... 66 

BSI Degree Learning Outcomes........................................................................................................ 66

BSI Program ..............................................................................................................................66

BSI Concentration Designation ......................................................................................................... 68

MASTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INTELLIGENCE ................................ 69 

MSTI Degree Learning Outcomes..................................................................................................... 69

MSTI Degree Requirements ....................................................................................................69

S&TI Concentrations ................................................................................................................70

Weapons of Mass Destruction Concentration (WMD)...................................................................... 70

Cyber Intelligence Concentration (CYI)............................................................................................ 71

Data Science in Intelligence Concentration (DSI)............................................................................. 72

Emerging Technologies and Geostrategic Resources Concentration (ETGR) .................................. 72

Information and Influence Intelligence Concentration (I3) ............................................................... 73
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The MSTI Thesis ........................................................................................................................74

S&TI Certificate Program.................................................................................................................. 75

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS .................................................................................... 76 

Master’s Core Courses.............................................................................................................76

Master’s Thesis Courses..........................................................................................................77

Program Requirement: Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence ................................78

Program Requirement: Master of Science and Technology Intelligence (MSTI) .............78

College of Strategic Intelligence Electives...........................................................................78

Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Department............................................................... 78

Defense Intelligence Department....................................................................................................... 81

Intelligence Community Enterprise and Leadership Department...................................................... 83

Regional Security and Intelligence Department ................................................................................ 86

Transnational Issues Department....................................................................................................... 95

School of Science and Technology Intelligence Electives..................................................98

Bachelor of Science in Intelligence.....................................................................................105

Core Courses.................................................................................................................................... 105

Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Courses................................................................... 107

Defense Intelligence Courses........................................................................................................... 107

Regional Security and Intelligence Courses .................................................................................... 108

Science and Technology Intelligence Courses ................................................................................ 110

Transnational Intelligence Courses.................................................................................................. 111

Special Interest Courses................................................................................................................... 112

Acronym List............................................................................................................................113
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2020-21 ACADEMIC CALENDAR 

FALL TERM 2020 

Fall Term Begins

Convocation 24 August 

Last Day To Add a Class 28 August 

Reserve/Monthly Weekend 1 29-30 August 

Last Day To Drop a Class 4 September 

LABOR DAY HOLIDAY–No Class/Offices Closed

Student Census 8 September 

Reserve/Monthly Weekend 2 12-13 September 

Last Day To Withdraw 25 September 

COLUMBUS DAY HOLIDAY–No Class/Offices Closed 12 October 

Reserve/Monthly Weekend 3 17-18 October 

Last Day of Fall Term 30 October 

Last Day To Turn In Thesis for December Graduation

Reserve/Monthly Weekend 4 7-8 November 

Fall Grades Due for Full-time/Part-time Students 9 November 

VETERANS DAY HOLIDAY–No Class/Offices Closed 11 November 

Fall Grades Due for Reserve/Monthly Students 18 November 

WINTER TERM 2020-21 

Winter Term Begins 16 November

Last day To Add a Class 20 November

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY Break–No Classes

(Offices Closed 26 November)

23-27 November

Submittal of full T-1 Package to College/School Administrative Assistant 2 December-11 January

Last Day to Drop a Class 4 December

Reserve/Monthly Weekend 1 5-6 December

Last Day to Withdraw 18 December 

WINTER BREAK–No Scheduled Classes

(Offices Closed 25 December 2020 and 1 January 2021)

21 December-1 January

Reserve/Monthly Weekend 2 9-10 January

Research Week–No Classes 18-22 January

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR HOLIDAY–No Class/Offices Closed 18 January

INAUGURATION DAY–No Class/Offices Closed 20 January

Reserve/Monthly Weekend 3 30-31 January

PRESIDENTS’ DAY HOLIDAY–No Class/Offices Closed 15 February

Last Day of Winter Term 19 February

Reserve/Monthly Weekend 4 20-21 February

Winter Grades Due 1 March

7 September 

6 November 

24 August 
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SPRING TERM 2021 

Spring Term Begins 6 March

Reserve/Monthly Weekend 1 6–7 March

Last Day To Add a Class 12 March

Last Day To Drop a Class 19 March

Reserve/Monthly Weekend 2 27-28 March

Last Day To Withdraw 16 April

Reserve/Monthly Weekend 3 17–18 April

Last Day of Spring Term 14 May

Reserve/Monthly Weekend 4 15–16 May

Spring Grades Due 24 May

MEMORIAL DAY–No Class/Offices Closed 31 May

SUMMER TERM 2021 

Summer Term Begins 1 June

Last Day To Add a Class

No Change Allowed to Thesis Chair, Thesis Reader, and Research Topic 

for 31 July 2021 Graduation

4 June

2-Week Summer Intensive Program–Weekend/Reserve Program 7-18 June

Last Day To Drop a Class 11 June

Last Day To Withdraw 25 June

Last Day of Summer Term 2 July

INDEPENDENCE DAY–No Class/Offices Closed 4 July

Summer Grades, Awards, and Thesis Turn-in Due to Registrar 16 July

Graduation Rehearsal 29 July

Graduation 30 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 critical. 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 adversarial 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.

• Nonstate actors.

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

• The transforming digital world.

• The omnipresent threat of terrorism at home and abroad.

Students, faculty, and research fellows integrate their experience with 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 opensource intelligence and national security information. The NIU curriculum supports the degree learning outcomes 

expected of its students. These learning outcomes were informed and approved by the professional competencies 

across the IC. 

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 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 only accomplished 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 judgements 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, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104 (267-284-5000), an institutional 

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

Accreditation. NIU’s accreditation was affirmed in the summer of 2019. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 

Staff approved NIU’s Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) program in October 2012 and reapproved 

it in 2018. 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 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 NSA 

Graduate Centers, the Program for Reserves, and the DIA Cohort Program. 

• Some agencies have particular internal requirements as well. Please check with your home agency to 

determine if this applies.

• Nominations are not required for part-time study in the Evening, the Monthly Executive, EAC, QAC, 

SAC, or CE programs.

The application process, 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 admission applications with regard to the applicant’s education, academic preparation, and 

proven ability to excel in graduate work. NIU gives careful consideration to a variety of factors, including 

undergraduate and graduate grade-point averages, Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, and the applicant’s 

statement of purpose.

All graduate applicants must:

• Possess a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and provide undergraduate transcripts.

• Provide GRE scores if they do not already possess a master’s or doctoral degree from a regionally 

accredited institution. 

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 considered when the Board 
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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 part-time students.

Admission Notification

A prospective student must submit a complete application, official transcripts, GRE scores, 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 NIUadmit@dodiis.mil.

• 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 are mailed in June.

• Continuing Education and Certificate 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. If a prospective student has not 

been admitted, they must withdraw their application and resubmit a new application at a later date. 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 email 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. 

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 Office of Student Affairs, 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. 

During the 2020-21 academic year, as a result of COVID-19, students may not have access to all courses 

required to complete the certificate program on a given topic.

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 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.

Transfer Hours—Undergraduate Level 

NIU accepts 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. 

Because the transfer credits are a required part of the undergraduate application process, separate requests for 

formal credit evaluation are not required. Students are encouraged to take part in admissions counseling before 

submitting a formal application.

Foreign transfer credits must be evaluated by a foreign accrediting service before being presented for transfer credit 

consideration. The Enrollment Services Office reviews and acts on all transfer credit requests.
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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. In addition, general policies, such 

as dress requirements, leave passes, and research funding can be found in the student handbook.

Official University Communications

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

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

posted on the NIU website and Blackboard website, 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 and MS Teams as platforms for student communication while COVID19 conditions demand.

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, name-calling, or cursing; guess or decrypt passwords of other users; deprive authorized users 

General Policies of access; secure a higher level of privilege than allowed by the University; read, copy, change, 

or delete another user’s files or software without his/her 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 NIU’s information technology support personnel are 

authorized 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 University 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/Defense Intelligence 

Agency 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 University 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. 

Disciplinary Actions 

Anyone found to have violated this Computer Use Policy may be subject to suspension of computer privileges and 

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

Updating Records

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

telephone numbers, and 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 
19

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 students’ 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 eligibility. 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, Army and 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 JPAS SMO CODE: DAC3C.

• 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.

Attendance

Students must 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. A student who misses three or more sessions and does not withdraw faces removal from the course and a 

failing grade.

Reporting Class Session Absences

Students cannot miss more than two class periods without penalty. Students are responsible for calling the 

Enrollment Services Office (301-243-2093) to report an absence when emergencies or illness prevent them from 

attending class. Absences that are planned should be coordinated with the instructor in order to make up any missed 
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work. 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 Office of the Registrar, Agency Chairs, 

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

administrative warnings or, if the case warrants, charge 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 have two years to complete all coursework and thesis requirements; for example, resident 

students entering in August 2020 must finish by the last day of the summer quarter of 2022. If a student exceeds 

this amount of time, an extension must be granted by the appropriate Dean.

Students’ parent Services or agencies may require them to finish the thesis in the 1 year allotted or receive a 

negative report—that is not an NIU requirement. 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 have a total of three years to complete all coursework and thesis requirements. Parttime students must complete all requirements by the last day of the summer quarter of the third year, or July 2023 

for those students beginning their classes in August 2020. If a student exceeds this amount of time, an extension 

must be granted by the appropriate Dean.

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. Students may 

appeal negative decisions through the Provost.

Grading 

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

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

have the right to a grade that is based on their actual performance against an articulated standard applied to all 
21

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 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 quarter, or the seventh week of an eight-lesson quarter.

The faculty member must turn in the final grade by the tenth 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 only used 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 

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 capstone courses or Thesis Completion 

(MCR 704), in which the coursework is not completed within one quarter by design. The in progress (IP) remains 

as an official grade on the transcript. Theses must be completed within the specified timelines.
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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, such as the end of the fifth session of a

ten-session course, or the end of the fourth session of an eight-session course. Students receive a notation of W on 

the transcript if a student withdraws from a course 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 and previously 

audited courses may not be taken later for credit.

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 Research and Methodology 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, 
23

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. Activities include, but are not limited to, academic integrity 

issues, grade appeals, student dismissal appeals, student grievances, and admissions appeals. For more information, 

see NIU policy memorandum: Academic Policy and Standards Committee (https://ni-u.edu/wp/studentacademic-policies/).

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. A claim that a faculty member graded too severely is not a reason to appeal a grade, 

provided that all students in the class were 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. 

NIU seeks to resolve any disagreements over grades at the lowest possible level. If disagreements arise, the 

University expects that the student and faculty member make every effort to resolve differences in a professional 

and mutually respectful manner. The student and faculty member may elect to return to consultation or mediation 

at any point in the appeal process outlined as follows. 

Recognized Grounds for Challenging a Grade 

Clerical Errors: All appeals are considered for clerical errors, such as a mathematical computation or a recording 

error that was committed by the faculty member. In the case of a clerical error, where no dispute exists between 

the faculty member and the student, the faculty member shall complete the NIU Grade Adjustment Form, available 

in the Registrar’s Office. The faculty member stipulates, in a written attachment, the exact circumstances that 

resulted in the clerical or mathematical error. Copies are provided to the student, Program Director, Registrar, and 

appropriate Associate Dean. 

Integrity: Any student may challenge the reduction of a grade for alleged scholastic dishonesty. Formal challenges, 

other than cases in which both parties agree that a mathematical error has occurred or cases of alleged dishonesty, 
24

are entertained only in instances in which the student receives a final numeric grade of 79 or lower for the course. 

Individual assignments are not reviewed for purposes of a grade appeal unless a violation of academic integrity or 

misconduct has been levied by, or against, the faculty member. 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 

Within five working days after the posting of the final grades by the Registrar, the student should convey his or 

her concerns about the grade, in writing, to the faculty member who assigned the grade and request a meeting to 

discuss the matter. 

Within five working days of receiving such a request, the faculty member contacts the student and addresses 

the student’s concerns. If the faculty member is not available within the quarter in which an appeal is initiated, 

the Program Director may act in lieu of the faculty member of record. In cases of unanticipated, short-notice 

deployment, mobilization, or transfer, the student must indicate intent to pursue an appeal in writing within 

30 days.

The purpose of the consultation is for the faculty member to explain the basis for the student’s grade. At the 

consultation, the student explains his or her concerns about the grade. The faculty member explains the standard 

that he or she used for grading in the particular course and how the student’s grade was determined based on 

application of that standard. As noted previously, the faculty member may change a grade when a clerical or 

mathematical error is discovered. 

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 two working days, by submitting in writing a Memorandum for the Record justifying 

the grade appeal. 

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. 

• Detail the remedy or resolution sought (i.e., what the student feels is a fair resolution of the matter).
25

The Program Director notifies the faculty member that the student has filed a grade appeal. As soon as possible, 

but within three working days, the Program Director meets with the faculty member and the student to serve as 

mediator to resolve the dispute. 

If a mutually acceptable outcome cannot be reached within five working days, 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 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 their email accounts for registration 

announcements. Resident and cohort 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 obtaining the necessary approvals and by observing the published deadlines and procedures. 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 must complete and submit the diploma order form (available on Blackboard) no later than the first 

day of classes in the spring quarter in the year that they intend to graduate. Students are not cleared for graduation 

if the form is not submitted by the specified deadline.

Progress Toward Degree Completion

Requests for Extension

Graduate students may request an extension from their Associate 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

Students begin the process by submitting a request for extension in writing through the Registrar at 

(NIU_Enrollments@dodiis.mil); requests are forwarded to the appropriate Associate Dean for adjudication. The 

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 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.

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 at 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 University official 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 

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 school to amend a record should write the University official responsible 

for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should 

be changed.
27

• 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 are provided to the student when notified of 

the right to a hearing.

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

education records. NIU discloses education records without a student's prior written consent to school officials 

with legitimate educational interests. A school 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 school 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 school 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 DoD Instruction 3216.02, “Protection of Human Subjects 

and Adherence to Ethical Standards in DoD-Supported Research.” NIU’s Office of Research (OOR) oversees 

NIU policy compliance with U.S. Government regulations regarding human subjects research. 

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.

Thesis and Thesis Process 

Students complete the thesis process by taking 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, proposal, IRB review, approval, and thesis cataloging by the 

specified due dates for the academic year. Full-time graduate students take MCR 701, Thesis Methodology 

and Design.

• Complete the first half of NIU Form T-1 to enroll in MCR 702. 
28

• Complete a thesis proposal and submit it with a completed NIU Form T-1 to the respective Associate Dean 

by the deadline published in the NIU calendar, typically mid-December. The completed T-1 Form and 

thesis proposal are the deliverables for MCR 702. The student must receive a grade of pass to enroll in 

MCR 703, Thesis Research.

• The students enroll in and complete MCR 703, Thesis Research, under the supervision of their approved 

thesis committee chairs. The chair works with the student and sets the specific deliverables for the course 

based on the student’s topic and research timetable. The student must earn a grade of passto enroll in MCR 

704, Thesis Completion. 

• 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 1 preceding the desired July graduation 

date, or October 1 for December graduation. 

• 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 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. 

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 DoD 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” in this document.

Thesis Committee (Chair and Reader) and Thesis Topic 

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. Students should select their readers based on either subject matter 

expertise, professional experience, or methodological expertise. If the chair is a subject matter 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 the minor or tangential areas the thesis may cover.

If the reader is from outside the University, the student must establish the reader’s bona fides and receive 

approval from the appropriate Associate Dean. The student should submit a complete biography or curriculum 

vitae of the proposed reader with NIU Form T-1 and, in the case of MSTI students, obtain the thesis chair’s 

signature approval. 

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 
29

educational institution. The reader’s biography or curriculum vitae 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.

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 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 

controversial issues and opinions that have no relation to the classroom 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 has no relation 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 
30

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 DIA 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. 

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 

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. 

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

prepublication review, as specified in DIAI 5400.005, “Prepublication Review of Information Prepared for 

Public Release, November 19, 2013,” or subsequent ODNI release process. 

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

NIU author. 

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. DIAI 5400.005 also specifies that unclassified work intended for 
31

release to the public is still subject to prepublication security and policy review, as specified by NIU and DIA. 

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

Faculty contributions to research, scholarly activities, publications, and services for which faculty members 

both retain and do not retain intellectual property rights are considered by NIU in the performance evaluation 

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

such work.

Publication Procedures 

In accordance with DIAI 5400.005, “Prepublication Review of Information Prepared for Public Release,” 

information being 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 DIA, DoD, the IC, or the U.S. Government.

• Subjects of significant concern to DIA or DoD.

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

with NIU, DIA, DoD, 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. In accordance with DIAI 5400.005, both official 

and nonofficial products must undergo a review process, defined by the respective NIU Dean or Director, 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 DIA or DoD, or have an adverse effect on the security or foreign relations of the United States. DIAI 

5400.005 states: 
32

“DIA personnel must obtain their supervisor’s concurrence prior to the Dean’s submission of material to [DIA 

Office of Corporate Communications] 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 DIA.” 

As noted in paragraph 4.7.1.4 of DIAI 5400.005, DIA personnel may prepare information in a private and 

nonofficial capacity for disclosure in the public domain if such action “[w]ould reasonably not be expected to 

impair the author’s performance of duties, interfere with the authorized functions of DIA or DoD, or have an 

adverse impact on the security or foreign relations of the U.S.” 

DIA policy specifically recognizes academic freedom at NIU. As stated in DIAI 5400.005, “students and 

faculty members of the 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.” 

After completion of the NIU review, the Dean or Director submits the product to the DIA Office of Corporate 

Communications 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. 

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.
33

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 

2 pages.

• 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. 

The Copyright Clearance Center has many reciprocal licenses to allow use of materials from other countries.

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:
34

• 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 DIA 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.”

Obtaining Copyright Permission

When required, permission to use copyright-protected materials should be obtained before using those materials. 

The staff of the NIU 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 JTH_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.

• “Resources for Teaching Faculty—Using Copyrighted Works in Your Teaching—FAQ.” 

http://www.knowyourcopyrights.org/resources-for-teaching-faculty.
35

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. 

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.

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:
36

• “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. 

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 no more than 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. 
37

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: 

• 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. 
38

Dismissal From the University

Dismissal for conduct issues are addressed by the APSC. The University reserves the right to dismiss students for 

failure to:

• Maintain DIA, DoD, ODNI, 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 subject to dismissal, 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 NIU Office of Research (OOR) is the focal point for NIU research collaboration with the IC. OOR houses the 

Ann Caracristi Institute for Intelligence Research (CIIR), which includes the NIU Research Fellows Program, the 

National Intelligence Press (NI Press), and the University Library. OOR oversees the Human Protections 

Administration for the Human Research Protection Program/NIU’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) and ensures 

that appropriate oversight mechanisms, policies, and procedures are implemented to guarantee IRB compliance 

and assurance with the Department of Health and Human Services and DoD determinations.

The Ann Caracristi Institute for Intelligence Research

The Ann Caracristi Institute for Intelligence Research (CIIR) houses OOR faculty and fellows whose programs of 

research touch the spectrum of current and emergent intelligence and national security topics, from area and 

language studies to disciplinary, domain, and intelligence enterprise expertise to functional specializations in topics 

such as counterterrorism, political and military affairs, and weapons of mass destruction. The mission of CIIR is 

to foster top-quality research by NIU faculty, fellows, students, and other intelligence professionals in support of 

the IC and broader U.S. government.

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.

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 and our Five Eyes partners. Individuals are nominated by their home offices, and the application 

process is highly competitive. Usually, fellows are assigned to CIIR for one year but exceptions occur. 

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. The fellowships also offer research funding for data collection and analysis. All 

fellows produce an article, essay, technical report, or book. 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. 
40

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, all 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 manuscripts for 

publication. By including faculty and BOV members—and drawing on their varied backgrounds and expertise—

the NI Press has broadened its perspective and improved the 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, consisting of the main library located at ICC-Bethesda and the branch library located at 

DIA-HQ, serves as the all-source research and information resource for NIU and the analytical staff of DIA. The

library staff guide patrons through the library’s many all-source print and electronic resources to quickly and easily 

access the exact information needed. The 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 intelligence requirements of 

DIA. 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 main branch of the library is located inside Roberdeau Hall at ICC-B; a smaller branch is located at DIA-HQ. 

The library’s staff operating hours are 0700–1600, Monday through Friday. However, the library is accessible to 

users 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

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 Blackboard.
41

Collections

The library’s general holdings, split between the two libraries, include more than 70,000 books and reference 

materials, more than 300 journals and periodicals, an extensive map and atlas collection, audio CDs, and DVDs.

Electronic Resources

The library provides access to subscription databases, focusing on academic research resources. Among the 

library’s subscriptions are:

• ProQuest Research Library.

• JSTOR.

• Congressional Research Reports.

• EBSCOhost.

• Gale.

• Europa World Plus.

• e-book subscriptions, such as: 

• Praeger Security International Online.

• MilitaryNetBase.

• Ebook Central. 

These combined subscriptions put millions of research periodicals and books at users’ fingertips. For access 

information, contact the library staff. Contact information can be found on Blackboard. 
42

SPECIAL UNIVERSITY SERVICES 

Disabled or Special Needs Students

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 with disabilities who are in need 

of reasonable accommodation should identify the scope of their needs to the Admissions staff. If the disability is 

not obvious (e.g., learning disability), students must furnish documentation from a qualified medical professional, 

social worker, or vocational rehabilitation counselor, which identifies:

• The name, severity, and duration, or projected duration, of the impairment.

• The major life activities (e.g., hearing, concentrating, seeing, etc.) that are substantially limited by the 

impairment.

• Specific examples to support a substantial limitation of the major life activities identified.

• How the impairment affects the completion of coursework.

• Recommended accommodations.

The Admissions staff consult with the Equal Opportunity Office to ensure that appropriate and effective 

accommodations are provided to students submitting requests that pertain to obvious or documented disabilities.
43

STUDENT LEADERSHIP 

Student Senate

The Student Senate is the official representative body for all NIU students. The Senate is comprised of 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 towards improving 

the student life.

As a member of the Student Senate, it is your 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 responsible for acting 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.

Student Honor Society: The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi

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: 

• 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.
44

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 

Intelligence Community 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 the National Intelligence University from 1992-1995. 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. 
45

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 for Cyber 

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 
46

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 Intelligence Community (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 National Intelligence 

University president, who was the visionary for the National Intelligence University Leadership and Management 

Certificate program, and a champion of leadership and management education and research. This award is 

presented during the Leadership and Management Certificate graduation.

The Ann Caracristi Intelligence Award for Leadership and Academic Achievement

The National Intelligence University awards the Ann Caracristi Intelligence Award for Leadership and Academic 

Achievement based on superior leadership and academic achievement by a government civilian student. Mrs. 

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 the National Intelligence University and former 

commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces in Afghanistan. From 

successfully leading a Global Coalition to counter ISIL, 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 the National Intelligence University during the 2016-2017 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.
47

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. 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:
48

• Successful completion of MCR 701, Thesis Methodology and Design.

• In good academic standing.

• Approval from the Associate Dean.

• Secured an 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, either in 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, already have 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, 
49

accessible, 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 a node at Fort Gordon, GA.

Center Director: Bobby Lalley

NIU European Academic Center (EAC)

Located at the Joint Analysis Center, Royal Air Force (RAF) Molesworth, United Kingdom, with nodes at 

Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany, and U.S. European Command Headquarters, Stuttgart, 

Germany.

Center Director: Kevin Taliaferro

NIU Southern Academic Center (SAC)

Located at the Regional Joint Intelligence Training and Education Facility at MacDill Air Force Base, FL, with 

nodes at the U.S. Southern Command in Miami, FL, and at Fort Bragg, NC.

Center Director: Christopher Marshall

NIU Quantico Academic Center (QAC)

Located at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

Center Director: Janet Nelson

Registration 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_enrollements@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.
50

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.

Certain courses that involve original research projects carry a different number of credits:

• The Bachelor of Science in Intelligence (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 chair person 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 (Blackboard) to 

allow students and faculty to access information and instructional resources. Through Blackboard, each faculty 
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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 2020-21 academic year, NIU will 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). 
52

COLLEGE OF STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE 

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 decisionmaking 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 and Concentration Courses (21 credit hours)

Electives provide students with the opportunity to explore topics within the five discipline areas in more detail, or 

to select a broad array of courses across the offerings. In coordination with their faculty advisers, MSSI students 
53

select nine credit hours of electives from any of the University’s graduate-level courses. Due to the short duration 

of the program, students are encouraged to take courses that will support their thesis research. Any course that is 

not listed as a required core or program course can be taken as an elective. 

MSSI students are not required to select a concentration. Students who do not select a specific concentration are 

placed into the Strategic Intelligence Studies program. This program is designed to expose students to a diverse 

array of intelligence topics while still providing a cohesive, structured academic experience. Students enrolled in 

a specific concentration have priority when registering for courses within that concentration. 

Students choose a strategic intelligence topic for their graduate thesis and collaborate with faculty to select specific 

elective courses that optimally prepare them to produce a relevant body of research related to strategic intelligence.

In addition to the other degree requirements, the Strategic Intelligence Studies students take seven electives across 

the graduate catalog; a minimum of four must be within the MSSI program.

• Strategic Intelligence Studies students may choose from all electives offered across the University, 

however four must be selected from MSSI. 

• Concentration-specific students will have registration priority for courses listed as required for their 

concentration.1

• Concentration students cannot use their concentration requirements to meet elective requirements. 

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, 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.

Students with questions regarding their program are encouraged to speak to their Department Head, Track 

Lead, or Concentration Lead. 

 

1 For the 2020-21 academic year, concentrations are not guaranteed. The faculty and staff will do their best to align 

students interested in a particular area. 
54

The College of Strategic Intelligence (CSI) is aligned into five interdisciplinary departments: 

• Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence (CAC)

• Regional Security and Intelligence (RSI)

• Intelligence Enterprise (INT)

• Defense Intelligence (DEF)

• Transnational Issues (TNR)

Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Department (CAC)

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 disciplines and their interaction with 

one another. 

• The allocation of limited collection 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, analysis, and CI strategy to further the IC’s 

understanding of a specific strategic warning problem set.

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 
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• CAC 610 Advanced Intelligence Collection 

• CAC 621 Comparative Intelligence

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 organization 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

Regional Security and Intelligence Department (RSI)

The RSI Department is focused on developing regional expertise and understanding of critical issues impacting 

national security. Currently this department has concentrations in three areas—Broader Middle East, China, and 

Eurasia—with certificate topics in Africa, China, and Eurasia. This program prepares students to be regional 

experts regarding global issues in critical regions that shape national security. 
56

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

This program establishes an understanding of the historic context and strategic security environment within 

the Broader Middle East, social structures (including economic and political power structures), cultures, 

ideologies, movements, and the related conflicts within the broader region, including deep analysis of the 

multiple facets of Islamic religious ideology which directly affect regional governance and security. Students 

are able to understand and predict the future trajectory of the various strategic level security and intelligence 

issues within the countries of the region and identify strategic U.S. opportunities to contain or counter them. 

To this purpose, students research all-source information and produce segments of strategic intelligence 

estimates for selected trans-regional and state-level security 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.
57

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. 

• Outline the Communist Party of China’s national strategy and foreign policy, the processes by which it 

formulates, articulates, and implements them, the relationship between the Party’s overall strategic ends 

and its efforts in specific functional and regional areas, and 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 Warfare

This concentration examines internal, external, and informational characteristics and causal variables influencing 

China’s governance, domestic stability, diplomacy, and approaches to regional security challenges. Internal 

variables include domestic economic reforms, internal security and social stability challenges, leadership 

perceptions and governance issues, military modernization, and national strategies for comprehensive 

development. Students analyze external variables to evaluate the conditions, causes, effects, and likely future 

outcomes for a range of priority intelligence issues, including bilateral and multilateral state-to-state relations and 

foreign policies; economics, trade, and finance; regional and international institutions; transnational security 

issues; and military strategies, modernization, and operations. Particular emphasis is on the informational and 

operational characteristics and effects of China’s intelligence activities, cyber and information warfare, strategic 

influence, and other forms of soft power throughout the region and globally.

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 focuses 
58

on assessing the drivers and outcomes of Russia’s authoritarian assertiveness; the challenges and advantages of

European Union (EU) 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.

• 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 concentration focuses on the internal, external, and informational characteristics and causal variables 

influencing domestic stability, regional disputes and behaviors, and other key regional activities of Eurasian states, 

societies, and multilateral institutions. The program places particular emphasis on partner and hostile intelligence 

activities and prowess, cyber and information operations, strategic influence, and other applications of soft power 

across the region and globally.

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 

Choose from one of the following:

• RSI 633 Central Asia: Geostrategic Intelligence Issues 

• RSI 636 Russian Intelligence

Intelligence Enterprise Department (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 
59

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 and 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 Leadership and Management 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

Defense Intelligence Department (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.
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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

Additional one course of your choice:

• DEF 621 Asymmetric Warfare 

• DEF 622 Peacekeeping and Stability Operations

• RSI 661 Social Analysis 

• TRN 603 Roots of Terrorism (3)

• TRN 605 The Dynamics of Countering Terrorism (3)

• TRN 612 Engaging International Partnerships (3)

Transnational Issues Department (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. In 

essence, 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 ofterrorism.

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.

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.
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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 theses 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 Enrollments 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 

Enrollments 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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COLLEGE OF STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE 

Certificate of Intelligence Studies 

The College of Strategic Intelligence Certificate of Intelligence Studies (CIS) program allows non-degree seeking 

students the opportunity for an in-depth, graduate-level study of intelligence topics. CIS programs are conducted 

at the ICC-B NIU main campus and at designated offsite locations. Interested students or agencies may coordinate 

offerings, delivery locations, and timing of the specific certificate topics with NIU. Certificate programs 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. 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.

MSSI students may not use CIS courses to simultaneously satisfy both elective and CIS requirements. MSSI 

students who wish to earn a certificate while enrolled in the MSSI program should contact their track advisers to 

schedule the number and type of courses required. Certificate topics that are the same as degree concentrations 

share the same learning objectives, and therefore may not be listed below.

Certificate topics include:

Africa

• RSI 601 Africa: Principles and Continuity Through Time

• RSI 602 U.S. Policy Toward Africa

In addition to the three required courses, students may choose two of the following concentration courses: 

• RSI 603 Conflict and Complications in Africa

• RSI 604 International Development Intricacies in Africa

• RSI 606 Futures of African Countries

Capstone paper requirement must also be met for 1 credit hour.

China: Intelligence Concerns 

• 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
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Counterintelligence 

• CAC 621 Comparative Intelligence 

• CAC 620 Counterintelligence

• RSI 613 China’s Intelligence and Information Warfare 

• RSI 636 Russian Intelligence

Eurasia 

• 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 

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Homeland Intelligence provides an in-depth examination and evaluation 

of intelligence gathered and used domestically by the intelligence, law enforcement, and private sectors 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 integrates critical areas such as 

infrastructure protection, counterterrorism, and warning in a stimulating manner that enables student 

learning at the highest levels.

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.
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• 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 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.

The course requirements include: 

• MSI 501 Leadership and Intelligence

• MSI 502 Leadership, Intelligence, and National Security Decision-making 

• MSI 503 National Security Law and Ethics

• MSI 504 Organizational Management and Change

Strategic Intelligence in Special Operations

• INT 606 Covert Action

• TRN 607 Transnational Challenges

• DEF 623 Intelligence and Special Operations

Choose one of the following:

• DEF 621 Asymmetric Warfare

• DEF 622 Peacekeeping and Stability Operations 

• RSI 661 Social Analysis
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• TRN 603 Roots of Terrorism

• TRN 605 The Dynamics of Countering Terrorism 

• TRN 612 Engaging International Partnerships

Strategic Warning Analysis

The ability to provide leaders with the knowledge and awareness needed to anticipate and prepare for possible

events requires a very high order of analysis. This CIS in Strategic Warning Analysis provides the intellectual 

platform for this analysis. Students study historical successes and failures of warning intelligence, contemporary 

challenges, methodologies, analytical techniques, and a region or intelligence function where such practices can 

be applied. Students are better equipped to evaluate and analyze not only why an event happened, but also possible 

events in the future.

Certificate in Intelligence Studies: Strategic Warning Analysis Learning Outcomes:

• Explain the experience of the United States and other nations in providing strategic warning to

policymakers.

• Define from historical case studies the obstacles to successful analysis originating in the psychology of 

analysis and heuristics.

• Evaluate the increasingly complex environment that has made strategic warning more challenging since 

the end of the Cold War.

• Examine the multiplicity of emerging issues that challenge warning analysis such as cyber, terrorism, and 

proliferation of WMD and how warning analysis adjusts to address them.

• Apply traditional indications and warning methodologies and evaluate concepts and methods developed 

since 9/11 to adjust to the post-Cold War strategic environment Evaluate the impact of denial and 

deception on effective strategic warning.

The course requirements include: 

• 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
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COLLEGE OF STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE 

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 Globalization and the Intelligence Landscape 

• 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 
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• BCR 413 Science, Technology, and Intelligence 

• 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)

• CAC 420 Counterintelligence 

• DEF 422 Intelligence: Building Stability and Peace 

• DEF 423 Intelligence and Special Operations 

• DEF 424 The Nature of Conflict and Conflict Capabilities 

• RSI 401 Africa: Intelligence Issues 

• RSI 421 South Asia: Intelligence Issues 

• RSI 422 East Asia: Intelligence Issues 

• RSI 431 Eurasia: Intelligence Issues 

• RSI 432 Europe: Intelligence Issues 

• RSI 441 Latin America: Intelligence Issues 

• RSI 451 Middle East: Intelligence Issues 

• RSI 461 Culture and Identity in an Age of Globalization 

• STI 460 Introduction to Denial and Deception 

• STI 463 Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction 

• STI 480 Information Operations 

• STI 482 Cyber Strategy 
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• TRN 403 Terrorism: Origins and Methodologies 

• TRN 407 Transnational Threats 

• TRN 408 Drug Intelligence 

• TRN 409 Homeland Security and Intelligence 

• BSI 498 Special Topics 

• 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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ANTHONY G. OETTINGER SCHOOL OF SCIENCE 

AND TECHNOLOGY INTELLIGENCE 

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. A program that exposes students to the diversity of the S&TI world. 

All MSTI students must successfully complete the following:

Required Core Courses (12 Credits)

• MCR 607 Intelligence Reasoning and Analysis
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• MCR 608 Leadership and Management in the Intelligence Community 

• MCR 609 Intelligence Collection

• MCR 611 Intelligence and National Security Policy 

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 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 non-state 

actors, as well as potential terrorist threats involving all forms of WMD. The IC uses a wide range of techniques 

to identify and counter the various adversarial WMD programs and their delivery means. To address this critically 

important issue in an ever-changing global environment, the WMD concentration at NIU provides a graduate 
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education designed to introduce students to the technology involved in WMD threats, and the intelligence issues 

and challenges surrounding the full spectrum of WMD actors and their evolving capabilities.

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 

• MST 661 WMD Terrorism

• MST 663 WMD: Counterproliferation

• MST 665 The Biological Threat

• 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 (CYI) concentration educatesstudents 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
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• MST 684 Cyber Threat

• MST 685 Social Networks and Intelligence

• 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 (DSI) concentration 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 & 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 (ETGR) concentration 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 nonstate 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

• MST 656 The Economics of Technology

• MST 657 Case Studies in Technology Transfer

• MST 658 Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessment

• MST 665 The Biological Threat

• MST 672 Intelligence and the Changing Global Resource Environment

• MST 674 Identity Intelligence

• MST 675 Electrical Power Systems and Distribution

• MST 698 Directed Study/Special Topics

Information and Influence Intelligence Concentration (I3)

The Information and Influence Intelligence (I3) concentration 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 ofselected 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

• MST 680 Information Power

• MST 681 Propaganda

• MST 685 Social Networks and Intelligence

• 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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S&TI Certificate Program

Studentsseeking a graduate certificate in an S&TI area ofstudy may selectfour electives (12 credits) all from within 

one of the SSTI concentrations 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 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 Associate 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 program director.

The five SSTI graduate certificate topics share the same learning outcomes and elective offerings, as the degree 

concentrations:

• Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

• Cyber Intelligence (CYI)

• Data Science in Intelligence (DSI)

• Emerging Technologies and Geostrategic Resources (ETGR)

• Information and Influence Intelligence (I3)

And completion of:

• 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 PACOM. 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 his or her 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: completion of 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

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 from both 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 viewHUMINT. The course also briefly addresses the foundationalrole 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 nonstate 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 trans- national 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

National-level policy and decision makersrely on strategy to guide their actions in the pursuit of policy objectives. 

Effective strategies rely on intelligence to develop the proper understanding of the environment and all relevant 

actors in it. Successful national strategies at the highest level also effectively use all means necessary and available 

to achieve the desired ends. Strategy formulation is a continuous processthat evaluatesthe currentsituation and the

means available to shape the future. This course examines the formulationof national strategy, the factors that 

influence and shape strategic choices, and the role of intelligence in strategy formulation.*

*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 of the 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 

nongovernmental 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 nonstate 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 2017 National Security Strategy and 2018 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 Community Enterprise and Leadership 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 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 

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 
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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 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 denyU.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.

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 
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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 Chinese National Economy

This course examines the events, forces, and ideas that have shaped the evolution of the Chinese economy in the 

context of world economies. It helps the student better analyze important economic and financial issues relevant 

to the rise of China since 1979, and the implications for the U.S. national security and foreign policy communities.

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 conflictridden 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.
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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.

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 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.
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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 now to the Russia of Vladimir Putin, who has 

dominated Russian politics for 16 years. The course analyzes key topics, to include 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 (EU), 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.

RSI 638 Europe’s Extremes—Terrorism and Political Violence in the Modern Era

This course focuses on the spectrum of extremism in Europe today, from Islamic terrorism to white nationalism. 

The course encompasses all of Europe (including the United Kingdom) with special emphasis on those nations 

most affected by extremism.

1. The historical and cultural contexts leading to the state’s political cultures.

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.
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5. The external threats, alliances, and security strategies, foreign policy, conflicts, and hard and soft 

power capabilities.

In this course, students produce segments of strategic intelligence estimates that emphasize these factors of state 

stability and security.

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 

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 IC that supports them. While 

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 
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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.

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, 
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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.

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 
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intelligence implications of interaction between Islamism and the West, including sources of legitimacy, 

relationships between religion and the state, the nature of jihad, human rightsissues, 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 thisintelligence course isto provide a comprehensive survey of the Islamic Republic's

internationalrelations 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 tendenciesin orderto identify opportunities/challenges for

U.S. regional security calculus. The aim is to equip students to produce quality strategic-level intelligence

papersrelevant 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.

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 698E 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 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.
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Transnational Issues Department

TRN 602 Phenomenon of Terrorism

This course contributes to NIU’s mission by engaging and challenging the 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, we will analyze the current transnational threat environment in 

which terrorism is one of many undercurrents on the global stage, and then we will evaluate how terrorism fits 

into this larger threat environment. We will then explore 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, we will investigate 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, we will examine terrorist use of 

propaganda (messaging), social media (target audience), and their ability to finance (support) their activities. 

We conclude 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, what 

influences and factors 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 informs the students’ understanding of how to most effectively counter 

the 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 
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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

examines specific components of U.S. counterterrorism policy, and the importance/roles of rhetoric, the media, 

and strategic and tactical indicators and warnings. We 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.

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 
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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 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.
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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 nonstate 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 techniquesthat 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 courserequirement.

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.)

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.
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MST 656 The Economics of Technology

The 2017 National Security Strategy emphasizes the importance of strong economic policies: “For decades, the 

United States has allowed unfair trading practices to grow. Other countries have used dumping, discriminatory 

non-tariff barriers, forced technology transfers, non-economic capacity, industrial subsidies, and other support 

from governments and state-owned enterprises to gain economic advantages.” This course examines economic 

theories, technological innovation, and labor, as they apply to technology and innovation. In addition, this course 

assesses emerging technologies in the context of how they are adapted in society. Students assess how 

technological innovations impact an economy. Topics include (but are not limited to) the policy and 

macroeconomics of international trade, industrial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and geo-resources. 

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,

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 
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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, the role that culture plays in perceived truth and falsity, and 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 towards 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

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 nonstate 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 
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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 nonstate 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 SVTC.

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 is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding ofthe 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 

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 SVTC.
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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.

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.
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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 nonstate 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 SVTC.

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 SVTC.

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 

intelligence challenges in the increasingly contested global information environment. Unfortunately, this course 

cannot be offered via SVTC.

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 SVTC.

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.)
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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 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) 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 applicable to the IC, and 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, 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 699 Graduate Certificate Capstone

Upon a student’s successful completion of four certificate courses of their choosing, the student 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.

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, 

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 S&TI Program Director. Special Topics are also candidate 

courses for permanent listing in future curricula.
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Bachelor of Science in Intelligence

All bachelor’s degree seeking students are required to take the following core courses.

Core Courses

BCR 401 Globalization and the Intelligence Landscape

The dynamics of globalization have resulted in the development of new challenges shaping the intelligence 

mission. These challenges include the effects of global human migration, rapid information dissemination, 

environmental degradation, natural resource scarcities, disease, financial crises, terrorism, organized crime, and 

WMD proliferation. The information revolution and advances in S&T provide both threats and opportunities. This 

course explores the nature and dynamics of the emerging global environment in the context of U.S. national 

security and challenges for intelligence analysis and collection, both now and in the future. The course examines

globalization’s effects on transnational issues that affect regional stability, such as demographic shifts and 

migration movements, the environment and health, competition fornatural resources, ethnic and other forms of 

internal conflict, terrorism, WMD proliferation, and organized 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

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.
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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:

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 are the key 

challenges facing the IC. This capstone project requires students to experience the dynamics of a significant 
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intelligenceproblem, while integrating the challenges of analysis, warning, and collection. The goal of the course

is for studentsto successfully apply research and data collection, carry out a comprehensive project, and complete 

a final writtenproduct.

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 needsto be fully understood 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, 

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, and 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 
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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 comprise 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 highlightsissues affecting U.S. nationalsecurity 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 theenduring 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

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, the United States, and 

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.
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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.

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 nation-states can shape an official identity. However, individuals and nonstate 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.
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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 nonstate actors 

possessing or aspiring to acquire WMDs 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 nonstate adversaries provides the framework to examine the 

basic technologies of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and the threats posed by WMDs. The course 

explores the motives for and means of acquiring and developing WMDs 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 nonstate 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 from a strategic intelligence perspective

supporting U.S. information operations planning and strategy. The course analyzes U.S., coalition, and adversarial

information operations and examinesthe exploitation of the global information environment in conducting national 

security operations at the strategic and operational levels of conflict. Additionally, the course exploresintelligencerelated aspects of planning and executing in-theater, inter- agency, and international IO 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 non-governmental entities 

related to cyber; and the challenges and opportunities related to cyber applications in the national security context.
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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.

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.
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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 

American Council of Education ACE

Army Educational Requirements System AERS

Academic Policy and Standards Committee APSC

Board of Visitors BOV

Bachelor of Science in Intelligence BSI

Collection, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Department CAC

command, control, communications, and intelligence C3I

chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive CBRN-E

continuing education CE

counterintelligence CI

Central Intelligence Agency CIA

Certificate of Intelligence Studies CIS

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CJCS

Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works CONTU

College of Strategic Intelligence CSI

Data Science in Intelligence Department DSI

denial and deception D&D

Drug Enforcement Administration DEA

Department of Homeland Security DHS

Defense Intelligence Agency DIA

Defense Intelligence Department DEF

DIA Instruction DIAI

Director of National Intelligence DNI

Department of Defense DoD

Department of Energy DOE

Department of State DOS

Emerging Technologies and Geostrategic Resources ETGR

European Academic Center EAC

Executive Order EO

Foreign Area Officer FAO

Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI

foreign intelligence services FIS

General Equivalency Degree GED

geospatial intelligence GEOINT

Graduate Record Exam GRE
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human intelligence HUMINT

indications and warnings I&W

identity intelligence I2

Information and Influence Intelligence Department I3

Intelligence Community IC

Intelligence Community Campus-Bethesda ICC-B

Intelligence Enterprise Department INT

information operations IOs

Institutional Review Board IRB

Joint Professional Military Education JPME

Joint Services Transcript JST

Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System JWICS

Leadership and Management L&M

measurement and signature intelligence MASINT

Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence MSSI

Master of Science and Technology Intelligence MSTI

North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO

noncommissioned officer NCO

national capital region NCR

National Defense University NDU

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency NGA

nongovernmental organization NGO

National Intelligence Council NIC

National Intelligence Officer NIO

National Intelligence Priorities Framework NIPF

Non-secure Internet Protocol Router Network NIPRNET

National Intelligence University NIU

National Military Intelligence Foundation NMIF

National Security Agency NSA

National Security Council NSC

Office of the Director of National Intelligence ODNI

NIU’s Office of Research OOR

operational security OPSEC

open-source intelligence OSINT

permanent change of station PCS

portable electronic devices PEDs

personally identifiable information PII
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People’s Liberation Army PLA

People’s Republic of China PRC

Quantico Academic Center QAC

Regional Security and Intelligence Department RSI

science and technology S&T

science and technology intelligence S&TI

Southern Academic Center SAC

sensitive compartmented information SCI

signals intelligence SIGINT

subject matter expert SME

Special Security Officer SSO

School of Science and Technology Intelligence SSTI

temporary duty TDY

Transnational Issues Department TRN

Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence USD(I)

U.S. European Command USEUCOM

U.S. Southern Command USSOUTHCOM

weapons of mass destruction WMD

WMD Terrorism WMD-T