Illustration by LA Johnson
Eighteen graduates of The Catholic University of America’s Class of 2020 recently received certificates in Intelligence Studies, the highest number in the history of the growing program. The University’s Intelligence Studies Program helps students of all majors to prepare for potential careers contributing to solutions to our country’s national security challenges. Historian and CIA veteran Nicholas Dujmovic directs the program, which offers courses on a wide range of intelligence activities and missions.
“The word I hear from inside the U.S. intelligence community is that the agencies are hiring,” Dujmovic says, “and they are typically interested in young people with diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and skills — and who know something about intelligence.” Moreover, having the Certificate in Intelligence Studies on one’s record — which requires a sequence of six courses — indicates to hiring managers the student’s interest and commitment.
Over the last four years, Dujmovic is aware of at least 10 of his students entering jobs in the intelligence community.
Intelligence courses at Catholic University are open to all, regardless of major, and can be taken apart from the certificate. Students learn from professors who are former practitioners of intelligence from agencies including CIA, NSA, the FBI, and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Frequent guest speakers also provide perspectives from the State Department, the U.S. military, and other intelligence and security organizations. Course content challenges students to think like intelligence officers, analysts, and policy-makers.
The program is also diversified in its students. Most students seeking the certificate are politics majors, but recent recipients represented a gamut of other majors as well: Criminology, Psychology, International Economics, Anthropology, and Classics. Current students also include History, Computer Science, Marketing, Sociology, Philosophy, and Architecture majors.
“All these disciplines have potential applicability in the intelligence profession,” Dujmovic reports.
For more information on Intelligence Studies at Catholic, contact Dujmovic at dujmovic@cua.edu.