Intelligence Programs Ranking

[sterlingarcher]

I wanted to know if there was a ranking of the following intelligence and security studies programs I applied to:

 

Johns Hopkins (SAIS)

Georgetown (SFS)

GW (Elliott)

Mercyhurst

Pitt (GSPIA)

Denver (Korbel)

 

I have been accepted to Mercyhurst and Denver, and I wanted to at least try to gauge my order. I have seen many people consider Mercyhurst "second tier" to the APSIA schools, and am wondering if anyone knows how agencies and businesses view Mercyhurst in comparison to these other schools. I was impressed with Mercyhurst's program and facilities, as I thought it offered as much or more than the two APSIA schools I visited. The faculty doesn't boast Chuck Hagel or anything, but the people there were serious about intelligence and definitely knew what they were talking about.

 

I don't want to pick a school and end up struggling in two years because its reputation is lacking, especially if I could have gone to a more prestigious/reputable school that would have made me far more competitive.

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

[Gov2School]

I would talk to Mercyhurst (if possible Mercyhurst students) about their career services and also do a LinkedIn search to see what kind of jobs graduates from that program currently hold.  That can at least give you an idea of where Mercyhurst students end up, and maybe there's an alum in your area who would be willing to give you the benefit of their opinion.  

 

I live and work in DC, and what I can say from my experience, is that it's not so much the namebrand of your school that helps launch your career as it is your professional network.  So in that sense, DC graduate schools have an advantage for those who want to ultimately work in DC because you can build or further develop that network while you're getting your degree.  You can get internships during term time, when intern programs are less crowded (and less competitive), so you can build relationships with coworkers and bosses.  You get a sense of the lay of the land in DC, how different organizations relate to each other, what different kinds of jobs are out there.  It's easier for schools to bring recent alums in to speak, as well as to attract DC luminaries to teach or do presentations.  And yes, usually people are more willing to do informational interviews with students who are from their own alumni network, so in that sense it can help to go to a school with large graduating classes who stay in DC, like SAIS, GW, or Georgetown.  But then again, as anyone who works in DC will tell you, there's no silver bullet combo of perfect degree/perfect school to land the perfect job.  A lot of it is still luck, timing, and more luck. 

 

But that's not to say that an outside of DC school can't introduce you to a good network.  And Mercyhurst is, as far as I know, the only school you listed with a specific intelligence degree, so they may have special intel community ties that the other schools can't boast.  Also, if you've already spent a lot of time in DC, or you already feel you have a strong basic network of professional contacts, you may not need the "DC Experience" that you would get at GW or Georgetown or SAIS. And schools outside of DC sometimes have generous support for students who want to do internships, so that could help alleviate some of the pain of moving to DC in the summer to intern (or moving abroad).  You just have to gauge what the trade offs are for you personally.    And you have to think about where you really want to spend your time and money.  If you go to a big name school, but hate the curriculum or end up really in debt and just waste two years, that's not to my mind a better bargain than going to a smaller name or cheaper school.  And it wont' automatically lead to a better job. 

[student@dss]

This is to help anyone else looking for programs in defense/intelligence/security studies. I applied to the Monterey Institute, Georgetown, George Washington, Institute of World Politics, and Missouri State University Defense and Strategic Studies-in Fairfax VA. All of the schools except Monterey are in the DC area. I didn't get into Georgetown but got in everywhere else. I had a tough time finding programs that were more than just a generic  IR program. I would recommend looking into all of them plus the ones mentioned above. I ended up selecting Missouri State Defense and Strategic Studies. It is a small school that I just stumbled across on gradschools.com, but it fit my field of interests and is in the DC area. Most importantly it's affordable. The program is directed by a former Georgetown professor who decided he wanted to see a program that offered the same level of education as the big expensive schools while still being affordable. MSU DSS also offered me the most financial aid. I pay about a tenth of what Monterey would have cost and about a fifth of what the other schools cost. If you somehow don't get any financial aid MSU is still only half as much as the top ranked schools in DC.

 

I've enjoyed classes so far. I'm in my second semester. The faculty are on par with the best of any other program. The professors are still working professionals and range in experience from ambassadors, retired general, CIA, and other government positions. The program also hosts students from the National Defense University. I've had the privilege of taking classes with army majors and captains who bring years of experience to the classroom discussions. Basically, you don't have to go to a big expensive school with name recognition to get the real deal.

[YankinOz]

Instead of APSIA, I would check out the International Association for Intelligence Analysis Education [website www.iafie.org] - it lists programs that will prepare you for a career in business, government and law enforcement as an intel analyst.   Some of the programs include Mercyhurst in Erie, which is probably the world's largest and most reputable in the intelligence field that strictly teaches application and little theory, National Intelligence Uni (gov't only), The Citatel, JMU, U of South Florida, U of Texas- El Paso, U of Ok, AMU, etc.  Other programs, like those listed with APSIA might offer one course in intelligence methods or analysis but they are usually embedded in a security studies, foreign policy, political science, criminal justice, etc. programs.  As mentioned earlier, location (around the beltway) brings in working professionals, retired professionals, etc.. and greater access to possible internships, travel, scholarships, and grants.  However, I would try to see what courses they offer and then call them directly. It's a buyers' market now... the various programs likely will be extremely helpful and flexible in terms of your application process and career interests.  Finally, when you call them, talk to one of the professors there... to get a feel for the program and follow up with a contact with one of the students.