Entry-Level Certificate in Intelligence Analysis

This entry-level certificate is designed to give the student a more comprehensive understanding of how to employ sound critical thinking when examining and assessing the validity of various arguments and the value of diverse sources of information.  Students will learn various techniques for analyzing raw intelligence, evaluating source credibility, distinguishing “signal” from “noise,” and testing hypotheses.  Finally, students will learn to apply principles of sound research and evaluation to a wide spectrum of source materials, to identify and describe their strengths and weaknesses, and to interpret the material obtained from them properly, while keeping potentially large amounts of information organized and accessible.

Outcomes

Upon completion of this certificate, students will be able to do the following:

• Demonstrate a systematic approach to critical thinking and explain its concepts and governing rules with regard to the context in which thinking occurs.
• Distinguish between good and bad arguments.
• Distinguish the differences, and similarities, between intelligence writing and writing in other intellectual professions.
• Describe the various audiences for which intelligence professionals write and orally present, and the special demands and requirements of each.
• Demonstrate a solid understanding of the intelligence analysis process in order to successfully apply it in various intelligence production projects.

Course availability is subject to minimum class size requirements.