Security and Strategic Intelligence, B.S.
Study trends in intelligence gathering surrounding such critical and timely topics as terrorism, homeland security, and cybercrime with a Bachelor of Science in Security and Strategic Intelligence offered through Saint Louis University's School for Professional Studies. Our robust curriculum includes the option to specialize in business continuity, global corporate security or strategic intelligence.
You will learn industry best practices and the critical thinking skills needed for securing data and facilities against external threats. Students graduate with the security, intelligence, and computer information systems skills needed to compete for highly coveted positions in a burgeoning strategic intelligence market.
Curriculum Overview
As part of the School for Professional Studies, this 120-credit degree program offers future and current leaders like you a flexible option to meet your personal career goals. With six accelerated, eight-week terms each year offered by SLU online, you can begin working toward your degree at any time, making advanced education more accessible for working professionals.
Careers
Business Continuity Track: Careers for graduates with a degree in security and strategic intelligence - business continuity track include business continuity planners, business intelligence analysts, business operations specialists, and emergency/risk managers.
Strategic Intelligence Track: Careers for graduates with a security and strategic intelligence degree - strategic intelligence track include intelligence analysts, investigators, intelligence officers, special agents, and criminal investigators.
Global Corporate Security Track: Careers for graduates with a degree in security and strategic intelligence - global corporate security track include security and asset managers, security management specialists, transportation security screeners, retail loss prevention specialists, loss prevention managers, and criminal investigators and special agents.
Admission Requirements
The School for Professional Studies welcomes adult learners whose educational journey has been interrupted by life's circumstances. This includes individuals with at least one of the following characteristics:
- Delayed enrollment in post-secondary education
- Attends part-time for at least part of the academic year
- Works full-time (35 hours or more/week) while enrolled
- Financial independence, has dependents other than a spouse, is a single parent, or has other demands that make traditional education less feasible
Application Requirements
- Work Experience: At least three years or the equivalent. Work experience may include a full-time/part-time job, internship, volunteer work, or comparable experiences.
- Education: High school diploma or composite GED score of at least 2250.
- Coaching session: Successful completion of a meeting with an academic coach (this can be done virtually or on campus).
- Grade Point Average: Minimum transfer cumulative GPA of 2.5 (unless qualified for conditional admittance).
- Transcript: An official transcript from the most recent institution attended.
Scholarships and Financial Aid
There are two principal ways to help finance a Saint Louis University education:
- Scholarships: Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, service, leadership and financial need. The School for Professional Studies offers numerous scholarships and awards specially for new students.
- Financial Aid: Financial aid is provided in the form of grants and loans, some of which require repayment.
To determine eligibility for financial assistance, submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) early for maximum consideration. FAFSA is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.
For information on other scholarships and financial aid, visit the student financial services office online at http://finaid.slu.edu.
Active Military and Veterans and First Responders
Honorably discharged veterans, active-duty military members, reserve members and first responders qualify for a reduced tuition rate of $295 per credit hour for any undergraduate program offered through the School for Professional Studies.
- Graduates will be able to describe the cycle of intelligence and components of global security.
- Graduates will be able to use analytics to inform risk management decisions.
- Graduates will be able to integrate computer information systems with security and intelligence domains.
- Graduates will be able to analyze the global factors that impact security and strategic intelligence.
- Graduates will be able to distinguish between the professional, ethical, legal, security and social dimensions of a strategic intelligence plan.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | 39 | |
| Major Requirements | 30 | |
| Foundations of Security and Strategic Intelligence | ||
| Threat and Risk Assessment | ||
| Coordination across Agencies, Organizations, and Departments | ||
| Analytics in Security and Intelligence | ||
| Trends in Strategic Security and Intelligence | ||
| Security and Strategic Intelligence Capstone | ||
| Information Systems and Technology | ||
| Workplace Ethics | ||
| Cybersecurity Principles | ||
| Database Analysis and Design | ||
| Major electives | 6 | |
| The Fundamentals of Computer Forensics | ||
| Cyber Threats and Defense | ||
CIS or SSI Elective | ||
| Concentrations (select one of the following) | 12 | |
| General electives | 33 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
Business Continuity Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| SSI 3010 | Business Continuity and Impact Analysis | 3 |
| SSI 3300 | Integrated Risk Planning, Strategy and Compliance | 3 |
| SSI 4090 | Resilience, Recovery and Contingency | 3 |
| SSI 4500 | Financial & Regulatory Considerations in Risk Planning | 3 |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Strategic Intelligence Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| SSI 3020 | Intelligence and its Use in National & Corporate Security | 3 |
| SSI 3200 | Terrorism: Causes, Tactics, and Mitigation | 3 |
| SSI 4010 | Diplomacy and Foreign Policy | 3 |
| SSI 4200 | Collection Assets and Capabilities | 3 |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Global Corporate Security Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| SSI 3010 | Business Continuity and Impact Analysis | 3 |
| SSI 3030 | Global Security Management | 3 |
| SSI 3200 | Terrorism: Causes, Tactics, and Mitigation | 3 |
| SSI 3600 | Tangible Asset Security | 3 |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Continuation Standards
Students must maintain a minimum 2.00 GPA.
SPS Core Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Communication and Technology | 9 | |
| Igniting Success: Jesuit Education and the Adult Learner | ||
| Public Speaking in Org. Life | ||
| Business and Professional Writing | ||
| Critical Thinking and Problem Solving | 6 | |
| Discrete Methods and Models | ||
or CIS 2850 | Principles of Data Analysis | |
| Intro to Phil: Self & Reality | ||
| Ethics, Values & Spirituality | 9 | |
| Theological Foundations | ||
| Ethics | ||
THEO/SPR | One additional THEO or SPR course | |
| Engaging the Human Experience | 15 | |
| Ethics of Writing | ||
| Engaging the Human Experience | ||
One Humanities course | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Twentieth Century Art | ||
| Intro to Literary Study | ||
| Introduction to Short Fiction | ||
| American Literary Traditions: Special Topics | ||
| Origins of the Modern World to 1500 | ||
| Origins of the Modern World, 1500 to Present | ||
| U.S. Civil War and Reconstruction: 1850-1877 | ||
| The Saint Louis Region | ||
| Intro to Phil: Self & Reality | ||
| Science and Religion | ||
| Spirituality: Work & Vocation | ||
| Spirituality, Peace & Justice | ||
| American Christianity | ||
| One Natural Science course | ||
| Introduction to Ecology and Evolution | ||
| Biology of Health and Disease | ||
| One Social Science course | ||
| Introduction to American Politics | ||
| General Psychology | ||
| Survey of Economics | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| One Diversity course | ||
| Workplace Ethics | ||
| Professional Communication Between Cultures | ||
| Applied Personality | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Total Credits | 39 | |
Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.
Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.
This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester. Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| Fall 1 | ||
| PST 1500 | Igniting Success: Jesuit Education and the Adult Learner | 3 |
| SSI 1500 | Foundations of Security and Strategic Intelligence | 3 |
| Fall 2 | ||
| CIS 1300 | Information Systems and Technology | 3 |
| HUM 2000 | Ethics of Writing | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| Spring 1 | ||
| CIS 3250 | Cybersecurity Principles | 3 |
| CMMK 1210 | Public Speaking in Org. Life | 3 |
| Spring 2 | ||
| CIS 3300 | Database Analysis and Design | 3 |
| ENGL 4005 | Business and Professional Writing | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Summer | ||
| HUM 1500 | Engaging the Human Experience | 3 |
| PHIL 1055 | Intro to Phil: Self & Reality | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| Fall 1 | ||
| SSI 2000 | Threat and Risk Assessment | 3 |
| CIS 2700 | Discrete Methods and Models | 3 |
| Fall 2 | ||
| SSI 3000 | Coordination across Agencies, Organizations, and Departments | 3 |
| THEO 1005 | Theological Foundations | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| Spring 1 | ||
| PHIL 2055 | Ethics | 3 |
| SSI Concentration | 3 | |
| Spring 2 | ||
| SSI Concentration | 3 | |
| THEO/SPR | 3 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Summer | ||
| CIS 3150 | Workplace Ethics | 3 |
| Humanities Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| Fall 1 | ||
| SSI 3800 | Trends in Strategic Security and Intelligence | 3 |
| Social Science Elective | 3 | |
| Fall 2 | ||
| SSI 3100 | Analytics in Security and Intelligence | 3 |
| Natural Science Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| Spring 1 | ||
| SSI Concentration | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Spring 2 | ||
| SSI Concentration | 3 | |
| CIS or SSI Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Summer | ||
| CIS or SSI Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall | ||
| Fall 1 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Fall 2 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| Spring 1 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Spring 2 | ||
| SSI 4960 | Security and Strategic Intelligence Capstone | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Summer | ||
| General Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
For additional admission questions, please call 314-526-2825 or email sps@slu.edu.