It’s a dangerous world. In addition to the conventional threats faced each day by governments and businesses in the United States, there’s also the increased risk of cyber-attacks powered by advanced technology. Combatting these risks requires threat analysis, global security, intelligence, and cybersecurity expertise.

Professionals aspiring to work in these areas must attain specialized knowledge of the latest security risks and the strategies used to defend against them. Point Park University offers that knowledge in its MA in Intelligence and Global Security program. The many successful careers launched by graduates reflect the effectiveness of the program.

Prepared for Leadership in Intelligence and Global Security

The skills graduate students learn in the MA in Intelligence and Global Security program apply to careers in private industry and government agencies. Public agencies alone have between 15,000 and 17,000 openings for security and protection jobs every year. The growing number of security threats drives this demand, including the security dimensions of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Graduates from the Point Park University program have gone on to work for the Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigations, National Security Agency, and Defense Intelligence Agency, among others.

Intelligence studies graduates also make excellent candidates for jobs in all branches of the military and corporations that hire security experts to protect information and assets. Job titles that program graduates qualify for include:

  • Intelligence Analyst. Examines and delivers information regarding security threats.
  • Information Security Analyst. Works to protect computer networks from cyber-attacks.
  • Surveillance Officer. Manages security systems.
  • Geospatial Intelligence Analyst. Collects and analyzes geospatial data for the Armed Forces.
  • Cyber Security Officer. Ensures protection of computer networks from cybercrime.
  • Protective Agent. Intelligence employees who conduct operations.  

Small businesses also require strong security, as they often suffer the most from cybercrime, including attacks using ransomware, phishing, password attacks, and denial of service. Cybercrime costs governments and businesses about $1 billion a year. Those damages will continue growing as criminals become more sophisticated in their strategies.

What Students Learn in Point Park’s Graduate Intelligence Studies Program

Students take 30 credit hours to earn the MA in Intelligence and Global Security. The flexible program takes from one to two years to complete, depending on the number of courses a student takes each semester.

The curriculum is designed with input from experts in global intelligence, focusing on essential topics in the field.

  • Research methods in security and intelligence studies
  • Strategic intelligence
  • Intelligence operations
  • Target centric analysis
  • Threat analysis
  • International terrorism
  • Cybercrime analysis
  • Homeland security

The program is open to all students with a bachelor’s degree, no matter their undergraduate degree. Experience in the field shows that students from all academic backgrounds do well in global security and intelligence studies programs.

In a recent interview, Michael Botta, D.S.S., professor and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Intelligence Studies, said a strong intelligence community needs people from many academic disciplines and professional experience. That includes people with backgrounds in the sciences, history, English, journalism, and political science. 

The Point Park University program has a strong track record of graduates finding good jobs in the intelligence and global security field. Dr. Sean Elliot Martin, an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Intelligence Studies, said he always enjoys learning about the success of program graduates.

“One of the things that I love the most, it never gets old,” he said, “is to get an email from a student or text from a student that says something like, ‘I can’t tell you exactly what I’m doing or where I am, but things are going great, thanks for everything.’”

Demand for intelligence and global security experts will only grow in the coming years. For those motivated to enter this exciting field, a master’s degree prepares them for the best jobs the profession offers.