This program is offered in-person or online.
For a complete list of admission and program requirements,
please refer to The Citadel Graduate College’s website or The Citadel Graduate College Course Catalog.
You may also email Dr. Melissa Graves for more information
With its history, reputation, and affiliation with the military, The Citadel is uniquely positioned to help students develop leadership and scholarship in the analysis of intelligence. The program is designed to give students a broad understanding of Intelligence Analysis issues, and to enhance leadership capabilities for those people now working in local, state, and federal government, and others who are interested in gaining greater knowledge about the field of intelligence.
This program introduces students to Intelligence Analysis concepts, applicable management principles, policy analysis, critical thinking and enhanced critical leadership skills necessary to successfully address security and intelligence challenges facing the United States.
The Intelligence Analysis Certificate program is designed for working professionals who want to increase their knowledge of Intelligence Analysis issues, who seek to understand the role and importance of effective leadership in national security matters, and who wish to apply leadership strategies and tactics to complex intelligence issues.
The Citadel’s Intelligence Analysis Certificate program can be completed in the classroom or 100% online. The convenience of distance learning allows working professionals and military service members to pursue a graduate certificate online without interrupting their careers.
You’ll learn from internationally recognized experts, with real-world experience at agencies like the FBI, CIA, DHS and at the White House.
Learning Outcomes
Students in the Intelligence Analysis Certificate program will be expected to:
- Display insight into the interworking of Intelligence Strategy and Interagency Collaboration and National Security Policy development
- Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the Intelligence Operational Cycle
- Show an awareness of current intelligence threats such as domestic and international terrorist groups
- Make analytical decisions based on sound intelligence analysis by demonstrating skills in critical thinking, cultural understanding, and historical examination.
- Conduct open source research by gathering appropriate information, collecting necessary data, performing valid assessment and communicating through oral and written presentations
Admission Requirements
- Complete the online graduate application along with the appropriate non-refundable application fee.
- Submission of all official transcripts (bachelor’s degree earned and higher). Students must be able to demonstrate an earned undergraduate degree from an accredit institution with a competitive grade point average. (We no longer can restrict accreditation to regionally accredited only. We no longer require all undergraduate official transcripts, only where the bachelor’s degree was earned and any graduate coursework).
- Submit a letter of intent, no more than two pages, which answers the following questions:
- How has your education and experience prepared you for graduate courses in intelligence analysis?
- How will your knowledge, skills, and experiences contribute to this program’s learning community?
- What do you hope to gain from this Intelligence Analysis graduate certificate program?
- Submit the names and contact information for three (3) references familiar with your work.
Students who are currently admitted to a graduate degree program at The Citadel are automatically eligible to pursue the graduate Certificate in Intelligence Analysis but are required to apply for acceptance into the certificate program.
All material must be received by the CGC office to receive consideration for admission to this graduate certificate program.
Certificate in Intelligence Analysis Academic Requirements
Students must complete 15 hours of graduate study (5 courses). The program consists of three required intelligence courses (3 hours each) at the graduate level and each student must choose two electives from a specified list of criminal justice, political science, and homeland security courses. A stand-alone certificate in Intelligence Analysis is provided to individuals who are not enrolled in a degree program at The Citadel but are interested in receiving a Certificate in Intelligence Analysis.
Students who are simultaneously enrolled in both the Master of Arts in Social Science (MASS degree) and the Intelligence Analysis graduate certificate may count the five Intelligence Analysis courses as their Cluster A requirements for the MASS degree. Simultaneous MASS degree/Intelligence certificate must meet all the requirements (admission, declaration, by course completion without substitution) of the simultaneous MASS degree/Homeland Security certificate.
Students may NOT enroll in the simultaneous MASS/Homeland Security AND MASS/Intelligence certificate programs (since both would fill the Cluster A requirements) but MAY enroll in a simultaneous MASS/Leadership and MASS/Intelligence certificate programs (since the former fills the Cluster B and the latter fills the Cluster A) as currently outlined in the CGC catalog. All courses can be applied to the MA program in Intelligence and Security Studies.
Required Intelligence Analysis Courses
INTL 580 Introduction to Intelligence (Three Credit Hours)
This course provides an introduction to the field of intelligence and national security. We will examine the history and development of United States intelligence community. Specific topics include the intelligence cycle, the relationship between intelligence professionals and policy makers, the restructuring of the U.S. intelligence community, oversight and accountability, and covert action as a policy option. The moral and ethical implications of intelligence practices will also be discussed.
INTL 581 Intelligence Research and Analysis (Three Credit Hours)
This course seeks to develop in students the skills and abilities necessary for conducting basic intelligence analysis. A variety of exercises and practical applications are used to foster critical thinking skills, the planning and coordination of data collection from a variety of sources, and the use of analytic tools to establish connections between people, places, events and other entities. Students are exposed to computer software programs that visually depict complex relationships.
INTL 582 Intelligence Theory Application (Three Credit Hours)
This course introduces the student to the discipline of intelligence and provides the student with an understanding of how intelligence systems function and how intelligence estimates and products are derived. By understanding the basic psychology of intelligence, organizational trends and cognitive cultural difference, the student will gain insight to how intelligence analysis actually transpires.
Elective Courses (Select two):
- CRMJ-515/ INTL-515/ PSCI-515 Topics in Homeland Security (Three Credit Hours)
- CRMJ-555 Leadership Application Courses in Criminal Justice (Three Credit Hours)
- CRMJ-562 Comparative Criminal Justice System (Three Credit Hours)
- CRMJ-568/ INTL-568/ PSCI-568 International and Domestic Terrorism (Three Credit Hours)
- CRMJ-583 Transnational Organized Crime (Three Credit Hours)
- HIST-591 Special Topics in European History (Three Credit Hours)
- INTL-560 Intelligence and Homeland Security Administration (Three Credit Hours)
- INTL-569/PSCI-69 National Security Policy (Three Credit Hours)
- INTL-570 Homeland Security (Three Credit Hours)
- INTL-572 Legal and Ethical Dimensions of Intelligence and Homeland Security (Three Credit Hours)
- INTL-585 Topics in Intelligence (Three Credit Hours)
- LDRS-750 Evolution of Military Leadership Thought (Three Credit Hours)
- LDRS-751 Survey of US Military Leaders (Three Credit Hours)
- LDRS-752 Survey of World Military Leaders (Three Credit Hours)
- LDRS-753 Strategic & Contemporary Military Leadership Issues (Three Credit Hours)
- PSCI-510 Topics in Political Science (Three Credit Hours)
- PSCI-564 US Foreign Relations (Three Credit Hours)
- PSCI-565 International Politics (Three Credit Hours)
- PSCI-566 International Political Economy (Three Credit Hours)
- PSCI-571 Comparative Politics (Three Credit Hours)
- PSCI-572 International Organizations (Three Credit Hours)
- PSCI-573 International Political Theory (Three Credit Hours)
- PSCI-575 US Foreign Policy Leadership (Three Credit Hours)
- PSCI-576 International Law (Three Credit Hours)
Total Required Courses: 15 credit Hours
Descriptions of the courses are listed in The Citadel Graduate College Course Catalog.
If students complete this certificate and would like to continue their graduate education, all courses from the Graduate Certificate in Intelligence Analysis count toward a Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies.