Terra Incognita: Mapping American Intelligence Education Curriculum

For more than two decades, degree-granting intelligence programs have popped up around the U.S., representing the largest and perhaps most enduring investment in American intelligence education. Scholars have addressed issues in American intelligence education, but to date, there has been no focused study that has mapped and analyzed these programs. This article addresses this gap by answering the questions: What are the American intelligence programs and what content is being taught? We answered this question by systematically identifying all 17 American intelligence education programs (1992-2012). The picture that emerges is one of delayed, but rapid growth: most programs were founded after 2005. After collecting and analyzing hundreds of course descriptions using a widely-accepted qualitative data analysis method called constant comparison, we mapped the curricular structure of the intelligence programs in aggregate. The contribution of this research is to increase understanding of the structure of American intelligence curriculum for current and future intelligence educators as well as employers