AU to launch new PhD in Intelligence, Defense, and Cybersecurity Policy

Augusta University has received approval from the University System of Georgia Board of Regents to offer a first-of-its-kind PhD in Intelligence, Defense, and Cybersecurity Policy that will be known as AU’s PhD in national defense.

The new program, the first PhD program offered by Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at AU, will offer students extensive core work with required credit hours in research methods, intelligence studies, strategic cybersecurity and traditional security studies. The aim of the program is to give students a broad-based understanding of security 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, PhD, dean of Pamplin College. “Dr. Craig Albert and the faculty involved in building this new PhD 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.”

Developed as a professional degree, it is designed for academic and government professionals and includes coverage of theory and practice. The program is designed to enhance the strategic and practical knowledge of students already working in national defense, as well as those who are looking to secure careers with the Department of Defense (DoD), other federal agencies or academic institutions and think tanks aligned with the defense community.

The program’s hybrid-online instructional method will feature a mixture of mostly synchronous courses with some asynchronous options, opening the program to interested applicants nationwide, particularly those already in the workforce. This expands its potential reach to the entire nation, including all DoD sites, bases and federal agencies.

“We already have a solid foundation with the MAISS program, and this new PhD 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.”

Craig Albert, PhD, director of AU’s Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies (MAISS) program and soon-to-be director of the new PhD program

The PhD in Intelligence, Defense, and Cybersecurity Policy is designed to give students a comprehensive understanding of theory, policy, doctrine and strategy to help bolster the nation’s security and help protect its vital national interests. This program is not about coding, mathematics and computer and cyber sciences, but focuses on security studies, U.S. national security and intelligence analysis and prediction.

“The PhD in Intelligence, Defense, and Cybersecurity Policy is the first of its kind in the world, and fills a gap in the educational market and within the defense industry,” said Craig Albert, PhD, graduate director of AU’s Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies (MAISS) program and soon-to-be director of the new PhD 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.”

As the nation and intelligence community seek new paths forward in areas like combatting propaganda, cyberwar and cyberterrorism, influence and social media operations, great power competition, medical intelligence and traditional coursework in security and national defense strategy and policy, AU has designed the program to produce graduates who can support Georgia’s vital role in national security.

“As a graduate of the MAISS program at Augusta University and an employee of the DoD, the AU PhD program will allow me to not only further my own education but better help protect the United States from potential threats,” said Grayson LaHatte, a 2022 MAISS graduate. “The MAISS program provides incredible opportunities for students and I have no doubt the PHD program will help solidify Augusta University as a top tier national defense university.”

According to the Jobs EQ Education Report, there are roughly 36,000 jobs available in Georgia within intelligence analysis, cyber security and national security. The growing number of national security-related jobs, as well as those related to cybersecurity, highlight the need for advanced training to support the workforce need.

Georgia plays a pivotal role in the intelligence community, particularly in national defense, as the state is home to several federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control, as well as 13 Department of Defense sites. Among those sites are Fort Eisenhower, 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. Fort Eisenhower also hosts offices of the National Security Agency and Central Security Service.

“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. “We already have a solid foundation with the MAISS program, and this new PhD 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.”