Bachelor of Science in
Global Security & Intelligence Studies
With persistent global security threats and instability, there is an increasingly high demand for security and intelligence specialists in the United States and throughout the world. Global Security & Intelligence Studies graduates are candidates for intelligence and security agencies (ATF, CIA, DHS, DIA, FBI, NGIA, all branches of the military, etc.), and for corporations (large and small) who must protected their personnel, assets and information at home and abroad. The Bachelor of Science in Global Security & Intelligence Studies program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University provides a rich learning environment that helps students develop critical thinking, analytic, research and problem-solving skills complemented with the scholarly breadth of a liberal arts foundation and foreign language proficiency.
ERAU students learn from experienced faculty members who have extensive professional, academic, and global experience in the field. Through hands-on, real-world simulations and practical knowledge, students become acquainted with international affairs and become sensitive to unforeseen threats to national security and global stability. They are therefore able to employ intelligence analysis and to apply security insights in order to tailor appropriate political and logistical responses. Global Security and Intelligence Studies students also conduct emergency management exercises relating to homeland security events and can participate as players in a capstone course that simulates an international or war crisis.
You will have opportunity to contribute to a student-produced intelligence newsletter, The Eagle Eye, which provides sound, real-time analysis of global affairs, particularly within the framework of foreseeing possible threats to regional or global stability. The Eagle Eye is distributed to agencies in the U.S. intelligence community as well as among political risk firms and competitive intelligence specialists in the private sector. The Eagle Eye Club also organizes debates during the academic year.
ERAU students are also encouraged to become involved with professional organizations including the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, American Association of Airport Executives, American Society of Industrial Security, and other related organizations. These organizations provide speakers on campus and enable students to network with professionals in their areas of interest.
DEGREE DETAILS
About Global Security & Intelligence Studies at the Prescott, AZ Campus
The B.S. in Global Security & Intelligence Studies degree program at our Prescott Campus blends both academic and professional studies to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become future leaders in intelligence, security, and law enforcement. Housed in the College of Security & Intelligence, the program provides students with a sound foundation in the liberal arts, including international relations, foreign languages and cultures, international law, foreign policy, political and military history, and other essential topics.
The College of Security & Intelligence at the Prescott Campus is the first of its kind in the nation. Learn from widely-published faculty members with extensive experience in the fields of intelligence and security, foreign and military affairs, and an overriding commitment to supporting our nation’s national security both at home and abroad.
Students choose one of three tracks: the standard integrated Security and Intelligence Track, the Chinese track, or Security Operations Management track
The GSIS Operations Center was designed by experienced faculty to provide training for real-world emergency response, mission readiness, and operational planning, and to simulate the environment graduates will find in their careers.
Students will meet and learn from U.S. experts from across the fields of intelligence and security as they gather here annually for the National Security and Intelligence Symposium.
Above all, students will be able to exhibit innovative problem-solving and critical-thinking skills in issues such as terrorism and asymmetrical warfare; security in transportation (particularly aviation and aerospace); private sector global security issues such as international personnel networks, global facility and trade management, computer and software security, and cross-border telecommunications infrastructure.
The Bachelor of Science degree in Global Security and Intelligence Studies (GSIS) is designed to develop future security and intelligence professionals with a broad understanding of global interrelationships in politics, law, government, economics, social change, science and technology, military developments, psychological dimensions of military and terrorist threats, cyber-security, environmental security issues, and human cultures. The program will explore the implications of these multiple factors to the security of nation-states and the future of human society in a global context.
The program provides the student with the interdisciplinary skills to analyze the interactions between all these elements and to communicate their ideas effectively in both written and oral contexts. Above all, GSIS students will be able to exhibit innovative problem-solving and critical-thinking skills in issues such as terrorism and asymmetrical warfare, transportation (especially aviation and aerospace) security, threats to corporate personnel and facilities, threats to computer and telecommunications infrastructure, trafficking networks in illicit services and substances, proscribed weapons technologies such as weapons of mass destruction, international crime, population migrations, natural disasters, pandemics, and homeland security.
Global Security and Intelligence Studies students will be very competitive in obtaining positions and performing
- with federal government intelligence, security, law enforcement, and emergency management agencies
- with the Department of Defense and the armed services
- with security, competitive intelligence and information protection departments in the private sector especially those involved in aviation and transportation security
- with state, county and local homeland security, law enforcement, and emergency management organizations
- as students in graduate schools focusing on intelligence and national security, international relations, regional studies
- as students in law schools
- as staffers for political leaders and legislative representatives specializing in national intelligence and security issues.
Degree Requirements
The GSIS program consists of seven interrelated components: general education, a GSIS core, area of concentration, electives, foreign languages, senior project, and an optional co-op or study-abroad experience.
The general education requirement provides the fundamentals in the sciences, mathematics, the social sciences and liberal arts, oral and written communication, and computer operations and applications.
The science requirement deepens the student’s knowledge and understanding of science and technology, key areas for the security/intelligence student.
Together, the GSIS core is a multidisciplinary array of courses that brings a number of fields to the study of security and intelligence, including geography, forensic science, the law, economics, psychology, government and foreign policy, and the history of intelligence.
The GSIS core and the designated electives are designed to demonstrate the ways in which societies and cultures, economies, systems of thought, military developments, and environmental concerns are shaping the international system.
In the senior year, the GSIS major will select one of four areas of concentration: Pre-Law and Government, Intelligence, Criminal Justice and Security, or Security and Intelligence. Each area of concentration contains at least five courses, allowing the student to gain a deeper understanding in a more specialized field. The fourth option for the area of concentration, Security and Intelligence, is to choose a total of five courses from both the Intelligence and the Criminal Justice and Security areas of concentration, two from one and three from the other.
GSIS students are required to complete a senior project prior to graduation. The options include a senior thesis (SIS 475), a senior internship including a research paper (SIS 470), or a semester-long capstone course including a simulated intelligence and security scenario using the GSIS operations center (SIS 415). The senior internship is designed to provide the students with practical experience and increase their employment opportunities. The capstone scenario will enable the student to demonstrate his or her knowledge and understanding gained in the GSIS Program in a simulated crisis situation in a real-world environment. The thesis will encompass significant research into a topic relevant to security and intelligence studies and provide original recommendations and conclusions.
The GSIS program encourages students to gain international experience through travel or study abroad. It promotes a strong grounding in history, a capacity for critical thinking, good writing and communication skills, and, in the selection of designated and open electives, a knowledge and appreciation of the arts and humanities.
Because knowledge of a second language, or indeed multiple languages, is an essential skill for the intelligence and security professional today, GSIS students must meet a foreign language requirement.
The Bachelor of Science in Global Security and Intelligence Studies (GSIS) requires successful completion of a minimum of 122 credit hours.
Three Degree Tracks
The GSIS degree program provides the student with three curricular tracks: the Standard track, the Security Operations Management track, and the Chinese track.
Standard Track
| General Education | 38 | |
| Standard Track Core Courses | 36 | |
| Foreign Language | 12 | |
| Designated Electives | 9 | |
| Area of Concentration | 15 | |
| Open Electives | 9 | |
| Senior Project | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 122 | |
Suggested Program of Study
| Freshman Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Credits | ||
| BIO 120 & 120L |
Foundations of Biology I | 4 |
| CI 119 | Introduction to Cyber Security for Non-Majors | 3 |
| COM 122 | English Composition | 3 |
| COM 219 | Speech | 3 |
| MA 120 | Quantitative Methods I | 3 |
or MA 140
|
College Algebra | |
| Lower-Level Humanities | 3 | |
| PSY 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| SIS 100 | Introduction to Global Security | 3 |
| SS 110 | World History | 3 |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Credits Subtotal | 31.0 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| BA 201 | Principles of Management | 3 |
| COM 223 | Intelligence Writing | 3 |
| Foreign Language I & II | 6 | |
| MA 222 | Business Statistics | 3 |
| Physical Science Elective | 4 | |
| SIS 200 | Introduction to the U.S. Legal System | 3 |
or SS 290
|
History of Modern Europe | |
| SIS 210 | Security Fundamentals | 3 |
| SS 120 | U.S. History | 3 |
| SS 204 | Introduction to Geography | 3 |
or GEO 210
|
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | |
| Credits Subtotal | 31.0 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| EC 210 | Microeconomics | 3 |
or EC 211
|
Macroeconomics | |
| Foreign Language III & IV | 6 | |
| SIS 315 | Studies in Global Intelligence I | 3 |
| SS 320 | Government of the U.S. | 3 |
| SS 327 | International Relations | 3 |
| Area of Concentration Courses | 6 | |
| Designated Electives | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Credits Subtotal | 30.0 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| PSY 313 | Personality and Profiling | 3 |
or PSY 306
|
Psychology of Deception Detection | |
| SIS 415 | GSIS Senior Capstone Course | 3 |
or SIS 470
|
Senior Cooperative Internship | |
or SIS 475
|
Senior Thesis | |
| SS 340 | Modern U.S. Foreign Policy | 3 |
| Area of Concentration Courses | 9 | |
| Designated Electives | 6 | |
| Open Electives | 3 | |
| Upper-Level Humanities or Social Science | 3 | |
| Credits Subtotal | 30.0 | |
| Credits Total: | 122.0 | |
Areas of Concentration (AOC)
Choose one of these Areas of Concentration or select two courses from one and three courses from the other for a joint AOC in Security and Intelligence.
Intelligence
| Select five of the following: | 15 | |
SIS 317 | Political Change, Revolution, and War | |
SIS 323 | Intelligence and Technology | |
SIS 325 | Foundations of Terrorism | |
SIS 328 | Intelligence Analysis, Writing, and Briefing | |
SIS 335 | Counter-Intelligence | |
SIS 400 | International Security and Globalization | |
SIS 405 | Environment and Security | |
SIS 406 | American National Security Policy: Theory and Practice | |
SIS 418 | Islam: Origins, History, and Role in the Modern World | |
SS 410 | International Human Rights | |
Upper-Level SIS course approved by the Program Chair | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Criminal Justice and Security
| Select five of the following: | 15 | |
SIS 220 | Investigative Methodology and Forensic Science | |
SIS 308 | Courts and Criminal Justice | |
SIS 312 | Global Crime and International Justice Systems | |
SIS 342 | Interview Techniques & Tactics | |
SIS 352 | White Collar Crime | |
SIS 365 | Project Management | |
SIS 411 | Procedural Laws and Evidence | |
SIS 414 | Government and Corporate Security Management | |
SIS 420 | Aviation Security and Technology | |
SIS 422 | Homeland Security and Technology | |
SIS 425 | Information Protection and Computer Security | |
SIS 428 | Supply Chain Security | |
SIS 430 | Emergency Management and Contingency Planning | |
SIS 431 | Incident Command System | |
Upper-Level SIS course as approved by the Program Chair | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Pre-Law and Government
| Select five of the following: | 15 | |
BA 390 | Business Law | |
SIS 308 | Courts and Criminal Justice | |
SIS 312 | Global Crime and International Justice Systems | |
SIS 411 | Procedural Laws and Evidence | |
SIS 416 | Middle Eastern Comparative Law | |
SIS 421 | History and Philosophy of Law/Jurisprudence | |
SS 410 | International Human Rights | |
Upper-Level Course as approved by the Program Chair | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Security and Intelligence
| Choose 5 Courses from the Intelligence and Criminal Justice and Security AOCs | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Designated Electives
Students must complete a minimum of 9 credit hours by selecting from upper-level SIS, SS, RS or HU courses or from the courses specified below with approval of their faculty advisor or the GSIS program chair:
| Upper-Level HU/SS/SIS/RS Elective | 9 | |
| Upper-Level Foreign Language | ||
AS 220 | Unmanned Aircraft Systems | |
ACC 329 | Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination | |
EC 210 | Microeconomics | |
EC 211 | Macroeconomics | |
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Security Operations Management Track
The Security Operations and Management track is geared towards those interested in a career in security and protection; either in private industry or with a governmental security and intelligence agency. Course requirements for this track include 12 hours of foreign language, general education courses, GSIS core classes and 33 credits in specialty courses.
| General Education | 38 | |
| Security Operations Core Courses | 36 | |
| Foreign Language | 12 | |
| Security Operations Mgmt Specialty Courses | 30 | |
| Open Electives | 3 | |
| Senior Project | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 122 | |
Suggested Program of Study
| Freshman Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Credits | ||
| BIO 120 & 120L |
Foundations of Biology I | 4 |
| CI 119 | Introduction to Cyber Security for Non-Majors | 3 |
| COM 122 | English Composition | 3 |
| Lower-Level Humanities | 3 | |
| MA 120 | Quantitative Methods I | 3 |
or MA 140
|
College Algebra | |
| PSY 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| SIS 100 | Introduction to Global Security | 3 |
| SS 110 | World History | 3 |
| Physical Science Elective | 4 | |
| Credits Subtotal | 29.0 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| BA 201 | Principles of Management | 3 |
| COM 219 | Speech | 3 |
| COM 223 | Intelligence Writing | 3 |
| EC 210 | Microeconomics | 3 |
or EC 211
|
Macroeconomics | |
| Foreign Language I & II | 6 | |
| MA 222 | Business Statistics | 3 |
| SIS 200 | Introduction to the U.S. Legal System | 3 |
or SS 290
|
History of Modern Europe | |
| SIS 210 | Security Fundamentals | 3 |
| SS 120 | U.S. History | 3 |
| SS 204 | Introduction to Geography | 3 |
or GEO 210
|
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | |
| Credits Subtotal | 33.0 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| BA 308 | Public Administration | 3 |
| or Upper-Level SIS | ||
| Foreign Language III & IV | 6 | |
| PSY 313 | Personality and Profiling | 3 |
or PSY 306
|
Psychology of Deception Detection | |
| SIS 315 | Studies in Global Intelligence I | 3 |
| SS 320 | Government of the U.S. | 3 |
| SS 327 | International Relations | 3 |
| SS 340 | Modern U.S. Foreign Policy | 3 |
| Upper-Level Humanities or Social Science | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Credits Subtotal | 30.0 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| ACC 329 | Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination | 3 |
| or upper-level SIS | ||
| BA 309 | Government Acquisitions and Contracting | 3 |
| or upper-level SIS | ||
| CS 304 | Introduction to Computer Forensics | 3 |
| SIS 335 | Counter-Intelligence | 3 |
| SIS 342 | Interview Techniques & Tactics | 3 |
| SIS 414 | Government and Corporate Security Management | 3 |
| SIS 422 | Homeland Security and Technology | 3 |
| SIS 425 | Information Protection and Computer Security | 3 |
| SIS 426 | Physical Security and Facility Design | 3 |
| SIS 440 | Security Operations Management Practicum ** | 3 |
or SIS 470
|
Senior Cooperative Internship | |
| Credits Subtotal | 30.0 | |
| Credits Total: | 122.0 | |
Chinese Track
Students who take the Chinese track will take the same subject area courses and the same number of credits as those in the Standard or Security Operations Management tracks. The overall difference is that, in the Chinese track, students will take 45 credits in courses that will be entirely in Chinese or have a significant Chinese component with supplementary reading and writing assignments in English, rather than the 12 credits in a foreign language required by the other two tracks. The Chinese track is not open to native speakers of Chinese. The 45 credits include the 12 required foreign language credits for the Standard track, the 9 credits in the Chinese Minor, and 24 additional credits which will be offered by teaching content courses in Mandarin Chinese with supplementary reading and writing assignments in English. Study abroad in the summer of the sophomore year is required for Chinese track students.
| General Education | 38 | |
| Chinese Core Courses | 36 | |
| Foreign Language Requirement Chinese Specialty Courses | 27 | |
| Area of Concentration | 15 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Senior Project | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 122 | |
Suggested Program of Study
| Freshman Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Credits | ||
| BA 201 | Principles of Management | 3 |
| COM 122 | English Composition | 3 |
| LCH 103 | Chinese I and II | 6 |
| LCH 203 | Chinese III and IV | 6 |
| SIS 100 | Introduction to Global Security | 3 |
| SIS 210 | Security Fundamentals | 3 |
| SS 120 | U.S. History | 3 |
| UNIV 101 | College Success | (1) |
| Credits Subtotal | 27.0 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| BIO 120 & 120L |
Foundations of Biology I | 4 |
| LCH 206 | Contemporary Chinese Literature | 3 |
| LCH 209 | Computer Communication and Applications in Chinese | 3 |
| LCH 303 | Intermediate Chinese I and II | 6 |
| PSY 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| SIS 200 | Introduction to the U.S. Legal System | 3 |
or SS 290
|
History of Modern Europe | |
| SS 320 | Government of the U.S. | 3 |
| Physical Science Elective | 4 | |
| Credits Subtotal | 29.0 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| COM 223 | Intelligence Writing | 3 |
| EC 210 | Microeconomics | 3 |
or EC 211
|
Macroeconomics | |
| LCH 205 | Modern Chinese Media | 3 |
| LCH 306 | Asian Literature | 3 |
| MA 120 | Quantitative Methods I | 3 |
or MA 140
|
College Algebra | |
| PSY 306 | Psychology of Deception Detection | 3 |
or PSY 313
|
Personality and Profiling | |
| SIS 315 | Studies in Global Intelligence I | 3 |
| SS 327 | International Relations | 3 |
| SS 340 | Modern U.S. Foreign Policy | 3 |
| Credits Subtotal | 27.0 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| LCH 400 | Eastern and Western Civilization | 3 |
| LCH 420 | Senior Review | 3 |
| MA 222 | Business Statistics | 3 |
| SIS 415 | GSIS Senior Capstone Course | 3 |
or SIS 470
|
Senior Cooperative Internship | |
or SIS 475
|
Senior Thesis | |
| Area of Concentration Courses | 15 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Credits Subtotal | 30.0 | |
| Summer Session | ||
| Summer Study Abroad between Sophomore and Junior Years | ||
| LCH 207 | Introduction to Geography | 3 |
| LCH 208 | Speech in Chinese | 3 |
| LCH 402 | Applied Cross-Cultural Communications | 3 |
| Credits Subtotal | 9.0 | |
| Credits Total: | 122.0 | |
GSIS Chinese track students in Air Force or Army ROTC may substitute SS 120 with SS 311 or SS 321, and BA 201 with an Upper-Level AF or MSL course.
General GSIS Program Notes
*Non Chinese track GSIS students may meet the foreign language requirement in several ways:
- Complete 12 credit hours of one foreign language at ERAU.
- Transfer 12 credit hours of one foreign language from another accredited institution of higher education.
- Transfer less than 12 credit hours of one foreign language from another accredited institution of higher education and complete the remaining credit hours in the same language at ERAU with the language instructor’s approval.
- Take an approved national foreign language examination such as those offered by Brigham Young Foreign Language Achievement Testing Service (FLATS) Examination ,DOD Defense Language Proficiency Tests or AP Advanced Placement Tests and apply for Advanced Standing.
- Take a Course Equivalency Examination receive credit for one or all of the equivalent language courses with the language instructor’s and the appropriate department chairperson’s approval.
**Senior Cooperative Internship must be with a federal, state, or local law enforcement or intelligence organizations or a corporate security organization and must be approved by the Program Chair.
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