Master of Arts (Intelligence Analysis)

What is this course about?

CSU's Intelligence Analysis program is intended to provide intelligence professionals, whether they are in law enforcement, national security, public or private sectors with the opportunity to undertake studies at postgraduate level in the area of intelligence through CSU's Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security (AGSPS).

These courses are designed particularly to meet the growing needs of the public and private sectors that increasingly require effective intelligence analysis to support decision-making in a rapidly changing security environment. The subjects in the course cover a range of areas relevant to promoting sound industry relevant practice in the intelligence office.

Specific areas include but are not limited to the following; an understanding of criminology and criminal justice, strategic, operational and tactical intelligence theory and practice, crime analysis, critical thinking, analytical tools and tradecraft, contemporary professional debates, advanced research skills, imagery and geo-spatial intelligence, risk management and national security issues.

Master of Arts (Intelligence Analysis)
The Master of Arts aims to produce graduates capable of successfully completing a research dissertation or a special studies project which results in a distinct contribution to knowledge in the intelligence field. Students can also choose free electives at Master level from either the terrorism safety and security, leadership, investigations, fraud and financial crime prevention, emergency management or anti-money laundering / counter terrorism financing programs.

This course articulates with the Graduate Diploma of Intelligence Analysis and normally students would complete these subjects first before moving on to complete the Master of Arts (Intelligence Analysis).

Graduate Diploma of Intelligence Analysis
The Graduate Diploma offers students the opportunity to further specialise in various aspects of intelligence practice, including intelligence management, national security intelligence, strategic intelligence and imagery and geo-spatial intelligence. Students can also select electives relevant to their course including fraud and leadership, management and counter-terrorism.

Graduate Certificate in Intelligence Analysis
The Graduate Certificate is suitable for current and future intelligence practitioners and provides them with a theoretical and practical foundation with a best practice approach to intelligence. This course is primarily focused on those currently or wishing to work as analysts in either the national security, law enforcement, regulatory and private sector contexts. Students will study topics with a focus on foundation principles of intelligence, intelligence and analytics and operational intelligence. This course can be completed in one year of full-time study.

Academic expectations

For each 8 point subject at CSU, students should normally expect to spend between 140-160 hours engaged in the specified learning and assessment activities (such as attending lectures or residential schools, assigned readings, tutorial assistance, individual or group research/study, forum activity, workplace learning, assignments or examinations). The student workload for some subjects may vary from these norms as a result of approved course design.

Students will be assessed on the basis of completed assignments, examinations, workplace learning, or other methods as outlined in specific subject outlines.

Where applicable, students are responsible for travel and accommodation costs involved in workplace learning experiences, or attending residential schools (distance education students).

Expectations relating to academic, workplace learning, time and cost requirements for specific subjects are provided in the subject abstracts and in course materials.

Credit and articulation

The Graduate Certificate in Intelligence Analysis articulates fully with the Graduate Diploma of Intelligence Analysis, which articulates fully with the Master of Arts (Intelligence Analysis).

Students who have satisfactorily completed the Graduate Diploma requirements with a credit average are eligible to apply for admission to the Master of Arts (Intelligence Analysis). Upon admission to the Master degree, students are awarded credit for the Graduate Diploma and upon completion of the dissertation or special studies project for the Master degree (a further 32 points), students graduate with the award Master of Arts (Intelligence Analysis).

Master of Arts (Intelligence Analysis)
No special arrangements apply.

Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate in Intelligence Analysis
Students who successfully complete the National Strategic Intelligence Course (NSIC) run by CSU in collaboration with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Crime Commission (ACC) will be entitled to the equivalent of 16 points transfer credits or JST492.

The Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security (AGSPS) regularly liaise with a number of other national security, law enforcement and other agencies to assess credit packages based on internal industry courses that allow articulation into the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma of  Intelligence Analysis. These credit and articulation arrangements are progressively being established and details will be available on the course's official website as they are finalised. In addition to these industry-based credit arrangements, the Course Coordinator may offer credit based on professional experience.

More information about credit and pathways.

Residential School

Please note that the following subject may have a residential school component.

JST530 Research Methodology and Dissertation Proposal

Workplace Learning

Please note that the following subject has a Workplace Learning component.

EMG505 Work Based Project

Course structure

The course consists of an articulated set of courses containing a Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Masters as follows:

Graduate Certificate (Intelligence Analysis)

JST450 Introduction to Intelligence
JST428 Operational Intelligence
JST495 Intelligence and Analytics

Plus students choose one 8 point subject from: intelligence; terrorism; fraud and financial crime; or, investigations and management programs at AGSPS

Graduate Diploma (Intelligence Analysis)

JST452 Intelligence Management

JST493 National Security and Intelligence Issues (16pts)

or

JST492 Strategic Intelligence Practice (16pts)

JST452 Intelligence Management

Plus one 8 point elective from: intelligence; terrorism, fraud and financial crime, or investigations and management programs at AGSPS.

Master of Arts (Intelligence Analysis)

At the Masters level, students will be given two streams they can choose follow. One will be a research project (via the research subjects JST530 and JST531 , and the other a 500-level 32 point course work stream.

Research stream

JST530 Research Methdology and Dissertation (16 points)
JST531 Dissertation (16 points)

OR

Coursework stream

Students will select one 16 point elective from subjects delivered across AGSPS

This will provide intelligence students with the benefit of developing expertise in other areas such as terrorism, fraud or investigations, relevant to their award and as practitioners. Many of our students like to follow a graduate diploma with another award, but also seek some flexibility in completing other non-intelligence subjects if possible.

plus

EMG505 Work Based Project (16 points)

The emphasis of a work based project is to improve a current situation through effecting change to a process, policy or practice. There is a strong focus, supported by a progressive assessment structure, on a student’s grasp of the applied research process. Students are therefore progressively assessed at major points throughout the project. Students are assigned an academic supervisor pertinent to their degree and are also required to work with an approved workplace mentor or advisor. Their project may be a part of a larger workplace project or a stand-alone one. The student’s research may result either in a comprehensive report or a smaller report plus a journal article, training program, policy recommendation or the like.

Enrolment pattern

Graduate Certificate (Intelligence Analysis)

Session 1

JST450 Introduction to Intelligence
JST428 Operational Intelligence

Session 2

JST495 Intelligence and Analytics

Elective

Students choose one 8point subject from: intelligence; terrorism; fraud and financial crime; or, investigations and management programs at AGSPS.

Graduate Diploma (Intelligence Analysis)

As for Graduate Certificate Plus

Semester 1
JST452 Intelligence Management

JST493 National Security and Intelligence Issues (16pts)

or
Semester 1

JST492 Strategic Intelligence Practice (16pts)

Semester 2

JST452 Intelligence Management

Elective

Students choose one 8 point elective from: intelligence; terrorism, fraud and financial crime, or investigations and management programs at AGSPS.

Master of Arts (Intelligence Analysis)

At the Masters level, students will be given two streams they can choose follow. One will be a research project (via the research subjects JST530 and JST531 , and the other a 500-level 32 point course work stream.

As for Graduate Diploma Plus:

Research stream

JST530 Research Methdology and Dissertation (16 points)
JST531 Dissertation (16 points)

OR

Coursework stream

Students will select one 16 point elective from subjects delivered across AGSPS

This will provide intelligence students with the benefit of developing expertise in other areas such as terrorism, fraud or investigations, relevant to their award and as practitioners. Many of our students like to follow a graduate diploma with another award, but also seek some flexibility in completing other non-intelligence subjects if possible.

plus

EMG505 Work Based Project (16 points)

The emphasis of a work based project is to improve a current situation through effecting change to a process, policy or practice. There is a strong focus, supported by a progressive assessment structure, on a student’s grasp of the applied research process. Students are therefore progressively assessed at major points throughout the project. Students are assigned an academic supervisor pertinent to their degree and are also required to work with an approved workplace mentor or advisor. Their project may be a part of a larger workplace project or a stand-alone one.The student’s research may result either in a comprehensive report or a smaller report plus a journal article, training program, policy recommendation or the like