National Security and Intelligence

To be recommended for graduation, the student must have a 2.7GPA or a 2.5GPA with the Program Director's approval.  The Program Director will conduct an annual review of the academic progress of all students enrolled in the program.  Students whose GPA falls below 2.7 or who might otherwise exhibit behavior that is not conducive to securing employment in this field will be placed on probation or dropped from the program depending on the outcome of the review. 

It is the mission of the Fairmont State University National Security and Intelligence Program to educate the next generation of leaders in the national security and/or intelligence communities. The NSI Program’s mission is to create knowledge, inspire intellectual curiosity, share wisdom, and inspire action to seek a more just and better world. The NSI major produces graduates who are skilled in utilizing a variety of sources of data and analytic techniques to lead the collaborative development of high-quality written and oral analytic national security and/or intelligence products that inform decision-makers, thereby fostering an appreciation for the dignity of service and commitment to serving a cause greater than oneself.

• The National Security and Intelligence Program strives to meet the needs of our national, state and local community by preparing all majors for immediate entry into government positions or related fields, as well as graduate programs.
• The National Security and Intelligence Program strives to recruit highly qualified students to begin in each start term (fall and spring).
• The National Security and Intelligence Program strives to retain current students and to foster timely graduation by all of our majors.

Students who complete the Bachelor of Arts degree in National Security and Intelligence will be able to:

1. Identify the agencies and departments of the US intelligence community and their commensurate roles as well as their interaction with Congress and the Executive Branch and describe key event trends that impacted the relationships’ evolution.
2. Identify the role of US intelligence agencies in assessing and countering threats to US/global security and recognize the major intelligence events in history and describe the “lessons learned” derived from intelligence (including covert action) successes and failures.
3. Identify the types, strengths, and weaknesses of intelligence collection methods and differentiate data, information and intelligence.
4. Identify the ethical challenges encountered in intelligence operations.