Augusta University will be launching a Ph.D. in Intelligence, Defense, and Cybersecurity Policy after receiving approval from the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.
The program, which will be known as AU’s Ph.D. in national defense, is the first Ph.D. program offered by the Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. The program will have required credit hours in intelligence studies, research methods, strategic cybersecurity and traditional studies.
“It makes sense to extend what we are doing with the Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies program by adding a first-of-its-kind PhD in national defense,” said Kim Davies, Ph.D., dean of Pamplin College. “Dr. Craig Albert and the faculty involved in building this new Ph.D. have done a tremendous job creating a rigorous, state-of-the-art program that will provide students with a strong, broad-based understanding of security studies, especially as it pertains to the United States’ national security and its stature in the international arena.”
The program was created as a professional degree for academic and government professionals. The program’s aim is to improve the knowledge of students who are already working in national defense, along with students who are looking to get a career with the Department of Defense, other federal agencies or other entities with the defense community.
The program has a hybrid online instructional method that will have a mixture of synchronous courses, along with some asynchronous options. This will open the program to applicants nationwide, especially those already in the workforce.
“The Ph.D. in Intelligence, Defense, and Cybersecurity Policy is the first of its kind in the world, and it fills a gap in the educational market and within the defense industry,” said Craig Albert, Ph.D., graduate director of AU’s Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies (MAISS) program and soon-to-be director of the new Ph.D. program. “The program is designed to be a renaissance of security studies, where every student will learn the full spectrum of the genre, from intelligence analysis, propaganda and disinformation/misinformation operations to data analytics and methodology, as well as more traditional coursework, including terrorism studies, counterterrorism, theories of warfare, and cyber intelligence and policy.”
Georgia plays a major role in the intelligence community due to the state being the home of multiple federal agencies, 13 Department of Defense sites. One of these sites is Fort Eisenhower, which is home to the U.S. Army Cyber Command, and Fort Moore, home of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation Army Maneuver Center of Excellence. Offices of the National Security Agency and Central Security Service can also be found at Fort Eisenhower.
“Georgia and specifically Augusta are already firmly established at the center of the United States’ intelligence and cybersecurity mission, and it is our vision for Augusta University to become the academic hub for intelligence studies worldwide,” said Albert said. “We already have a solid foundation with the MAISS program, and this new Ph.D. in Intelligence, Defense, and Cybersecurity Policy will make AU a favored destination for students seeking an opportunity at the forefront of innovative education for intelligence professionals.”
