This article is for students interested in national security, intelligence, counterterrorism, homeland security, defense policy, cyber security and conflict management at the graduate-level.

The Masters in Intelligence and Security Studies focuses on Canadian national security structures, policies, and issues. It integrates the study of intelligence management within the broader context of security studies including terrorism, transnational crime, cyber-security, espionage, conflict resolution, national defense and foreign affairs. The program’s full-time format is designed to meet the needs of both working professionals and committed individuals who are able to balance coursework demands with their personal schedules.

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Masters In Intelligence And Security Studies In Canada

Intelligence And Security Studies Program

The intelligence and Security Studies degree offered at the University of Salford is the longest-running non-governmental postgraduate course in the UK in the area of contemporary intelligence and security issues.

The Graduate Diploma in International & Security Studies provides Master’s and Doctoral students the opportunity to specialize in the area of international and security studies, and to have this specialization noted on their transcripts.

The diploma is pursued concurrently with the Masters or Doctoral degree for which the student is registered. To apply for entry to this concurrent diploma, complete the registration form.

What are the objectives of intelligence and national security studies in higher education? Certainly not to provide training in actual intelligence tradecraft. That is something best left to the national intelligence and security community itself. Rather, the aim of university-based programs is to contribute to the building of public knowledge about the mandates, strategies, structures, and functioning of intelligence and security organizations in statecraft: historically and contemporaneously. The programs also serve to educate students about intelligence and national security matters, whether they are seeking to pursue careers in the intelligence community itself, or whether they choose to work elsewhere in government or the public sector, in education and research, in the media, in civil society organizations, in the legal profession or in the private sector.

Arguably, intelligence studies programs structured within an international affairs framework can offer an especially valuable educational purview for aspiring intelligence analysts (26). In certain professions, like engineering or management, exposure to intelligence and national security studies can even help impart specialized expertise for working in technical fields like critical infrastructure protection. Over and above the vocational aspect, educating people about their own country’s intelligence history can go a long way toward demystifying the secret services, while acquainting the public with their national experience in deploying intelligence for national security, defense, and foreign policy.

University-based research represents an especially valuable means of building knowledge at the leading edge of historical and policy-oriented intelligence and security studies. As compared to the professional analytical work taking place within the intelligence and security community, most of which remains classified, the thrust of academic research is precisely to offer an outside perspective based on open sources that allow new insights, comparative assessments, analytical reviews, or experiential accounts pertaining to intelligence and security policies, organizations and activities.

In the past, intelligence services were uneasy about research inquiries into their secretive domains, but in most democracies today, academic research is recognized as contributing added value to broader governmental and public knowledge of, and ability to address the requirements of, the security and intelligence community. Indeed, some research output might even be found to be of value by the community itself for developing policies, strategies, and activities pertaining to emergent requirements. Academic research may, furthermore, prove useful for improving operational capabilities, especially in the domains of intelligence analysis, community outreach, and human resource management (27).

Yet, symptomatic of the challenges facing intelligence studies in the contemporary research environment is the Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC) template, introduced in March 2008 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Statistics New Zealand for monitoring research activities in the two countries. It omitted any reference to intelligence studies among the thousands of recognized fields of study in the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, arts, and humanities (28). That came in a jurisdiction (Australia) that was wont to give high policy priority to intelligence and national security affairs.

To meet their objectives, academic programs in intelligence and security studies must be able to sustain their trustworthiness apropos all the key stakeholders, most notably their students and faculty colleagues, civil society and the interested public, and their subjects of study, the combined intelligence and security community. Probably more than for most other fields of public policy, trust will take time to build and veracity to uphold.

Precisely because of the secrecy and political sensitivities attached to intelligence and national security, the academic enterprise must demonstrate – and be seen to demonstrate – transparency, scholarly propriety, and intellectual acuity in teaching, research, and public comment, and in performing advisory functions. At the same time, intelligence and security studies scholars would do well to eschew sensationalism for its own sake, likewise intellectual arrogance. Given the sensitivities on both sides, a ‘firewall’ is likely to be erected between the academic and practitioner communities. Yet, trustworthy relationships built on mutual respect, shared objectives, and professional propriety should be able to reach across the firewall.

The higher educational function of the university impels it to observe, study, explain, instruct and advise, and thus contribute to the advancement of knowledge in society and globally. With academic freedom to pursue these knowledge-building ends must come accountability and responsibility. Especially in a politically sensitive field like intelligence and national security, scholarship must distinguish itself from mere academic advocacy.

Simon Fraser University Terrorism, Risk & Security Studies Program

Program Outline

Cohort Special Arrangement (CSAR) Terrorism, Risk, and Security Studies Professional Master’s Program (TRSS) is a unique, interdisciplinary program, delivered completely online, that addresses public safety and national security challenges from a number of perspectives. The TRSS program leverages SFU’s recognized strengths in Terrorism Studies, Human Intelligence, Computation, Big Data, Risk Assessment, Decision Analysis, and Public Policy to address national security issues from a variety of diverse, yet complimentary, disciplinary perspectives. The program currently consists of eight courses (of 13 weekly modules) and a final MA written research project (not normally exceeding 50 pages in length – about 7,500 words of main text). These milestones are completed over nine consecutive semesters, a total of three years.

The Students

Current TRSS students come from a variety of national and state security backgrounds. These backgrounds include but are not limited to, the Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Defence Research and Development Centre (DRDC), and state police forces ranging from Vancouver to Ottawa, and security professionals – creating an engaging, interactive and dynamic ‘virtual’ classroom experience. Students are normally expected to hold a BA, however, in “exceptional circumstances, a student may be admitted with lower formal qualifications … when there is significant professional experience relevant to the proposed area of scholarship” (Graduate Regulation 1.3.3). Students will be exposed to the latest research that will not only enhance current skillsets but also build new capacities to critically approach and analyze current security threats. Students accepted to the TRSS Program will normally be invited to attend a three-day, in-person orientation and information session that takes place at SFU’s main campus in Burnaby, BC in the first semester of the Program. Reasonable travel and accommodation expenses are covered by TRSS.

The Faculty

Our faculty members are frequently consulted by national and international organizations, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the BC arm of its Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (BC INSET), the Canadian Security and Intelligence Services (CSIS), Public Safety Canada, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). They belong to associations such as the Canadian Association of Threat Assessment Professionals, the American Society of Criminology’s Division on Terrorism and Bias Crimes, and TSAS: The Canadian Network of Research on Terrorism, Security, and Society – a group supported by academic and government sources and tasked with creating the first Canadian Terrorist Incidents Database. Due to the unique and privileged access our program faculty have to local, national, and international security and intelligence groups, the CSAR TRSS MA Program will be able to offer a wide range of specialized course content to ensure the dissemination of industry best practices and also encourage a broader perspective among national security and intelligence professionals. In addition to SFU faculty, TRSS instructors also include current and retired members of the military, security, or police services who bring with them a ‘real-world’ perspective.

Program overview

This course-based master’s program combines a strong military-oriented, liberal arts core with opportunities to study more technical subject matter, placing the technicalities of war and defense-related subjects, past and present, within the context of the overall human experience. With flexible programs, leading scholars in a variety of disciplines, and generous funding opportunities, we strive to ensure students at the university’s Centre for Military, Security, and Strategic Studies achieve success in their pursuits.

Completing this program

• Core Courses: Classics of Strategy, Advanced Analysis of International Relations, and Strategic Studies.
• Block Week Course: Students will complete Military and Strategic Studies: Questions and Methods in the week preceding their first term.
• Additional Courses: May include arctic security, Canadian military studies, U.S. security, ethics and morality, intelligence, and other topics.
• Cooperative Education: Students complete an eight-month work placement in the second year, in place of three non-core courses.

Specializations

• Co-operative Education

Outcomes

Banking, Police Service, Government, Military Procurement, Oil and Gas, NATO, Advocacy Groups.

A course-based master’s degree in military and strategic studies is usually considered a final degree.

Course-based program

Three core courses and nine electives

Classroom delivery

Time commitment

Two years full time; six years maximum

Supervisor

No supervisor is required

Fees and funding

See the Graduate Calendar for information on fees and fee regulations, and for information on awards and financial assistance.

Admission Requirements

GPA

A minimum of 3.4 GPA on a 4.0 point system, over the past two years of full-time study (a minimum of 10 full-course equivalents or 60 units) of the undergraduate degree.

Minimum education

A four-year baccalaureate degree, or equivalent from a recognized institution.

Work samples

• A writing sample

Documents

None

Reference letters

Two

Test scores

None

English language proficiency

An applicant whose primary language is not English may fulfill the English language proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:

• TOEFL score of 97 with no section less than 20 (Internet-based). Our institution code is 0813
• IELTS score of 7.0 with no section less than 6.0 (Academic version)
• MELAB score of 83, or higher
• PTE score of 68, or higher (Academic version)
• Tier 3 of the International Foundations Program with minimum grades of B,B,B (Writing & Grammar, Reading Comprehension, Listening Comprehension & Oral Fluency)

Deadlines

For admission on September 1:

• Canadians and permanent residents: Jan. 15 application deadline
• International students: Jan. 15 application deadline

If you’re not a Canadian or permanent resident, or if you have international credentials, make sure to learn about international requirements.

short security courses in canada

1. Carleton University

Centre for Security, Intelligence and Defense Studies

The Year Ahead 2020: An International Security, Intelligence, and Defence Outlook for Canada. On December 6th, 2019, academics, practitioners, and experts will meet for the annual Year Ahead Conference at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. Panelists from across Canada, the United States, and parts of Europe will meet to discuss looming threats, future challenges, and Canada’s changing position in the world. This year, we are looking at the present-day threats of long-term security trends with a focus on the climate-security nexus, violent extremism, and current and future challenges to inclusivity and diversity in the field of security and defense. The final panel looks at immediate challenges to international security with a look at the situation in Kashmir, Afghanistan, and more.

The Year Ahead 2020 is a particularly special event this year as we not only enter the conference’s 5th year running, but the occasion also marks the first year that the conference is being supported by the newly established Canadian Defence and Security Network http://cdsn-rcds.com

This event has now taken place. Thank you for your support!

Registration – 0815 to 0845

Opening Remarks (0845 – 0900)

• Jeffrey Rice, Director, Centre for Security, Intelligence, and Defence Studies
• Stephen Saideman, Director, Canadian Defence and Security Network

Panel I – Violent Extremism (0900 – 1015)

Panel description: This panel examines the ways in which cultures of extremism are created and perpetuated and looks at what some of the current manifestations of extremist beliefs are. Topics covered in this panel will range from looking at anti-government militia groups in the United States to the rise of the far-right in Canada, the United States, and Europe, as well as how extremist groups may exploit vulnerable populations.

• Moderator: Leah West, NPSIA
• Sam Jackson, University of Albany
• Ashley Mattheis, University of North Carolina
• Micah Clarke, Moonshot CVE

Break (1015 to 1030)

Panel II – Climate Change and Environmental Security (1030 – 1145)

Panel description: Often, we think of climate change as still being a ‘future phenomenon’ yet the social, economic, and political consequences are already being felt. Increased drought, climate-induced forced migrations, and the melting of the polar ice caps has the potential to radically upset the current geopolitical order.  Rather than experiencing a single catastrophic environmental event – though catastrophic events may become more common – existing social, economic, and political tensions may be further exacerbated as the climate continues to change. This panel, therefore, looks at the present-day consequences of long-term climate trends.

• Moderator: Yiagadeesan Samy, NPSIA
• Andrew Linke, University of Utah
• Wilfrid Greaves, University of Victoria
• Steve Brock, Centre for Climate and Security

Keynote (1230 – 1330)

Dr. Kathleen McInnis from the Atlantic Council of the United States will be giving this year’s keynote address. Dr. McInnis is the author of The Heart of War: Misadventures in the Pentagon and How and Why States Defect from Contemporary Military Coalitions.

• Kathleen McInnis, Atlantic Council of the United States

Break  (1330 – 1345)

Special Event – Fireside on Diversity and Inclusivity (1345 – 1445)

In our effort to make the security and defence fields more diverse and representative, we are once again holding a special fireside chat on diversity and inclusivity in security and defence. We have gathered some of the brightest people in security and defence across North America to hear about their professional and personal experiences and how to make security and defence a more diverse, representative, inclusive, and thereby stronger community.

• Moderator: Kristine St-Pierre, Women, Peace, and Security Network
• Bonnie Jenkins, Women of Colour Advancing Peace and Security
• Leila Adler, Bridging the Gap
• Shawn Skelly, Out in National Security

Break  (1445 – 1500)

Panel IV – Global Hotspots (1500 – 1615)

Panel description: This panel interprets the “Global Hotspots theme” slightly differently than in previous years. Rather than focusing on major sources of geopolitical contention that are dominant in the news media, this panel looks at areas of the world that have the potential to or are already impacting international security. Topics in this panel will cover the situation in Kashmir and an analysis of the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, where civilian casualties have reached record highs.

• Moderator: Stephen Saideman, NPSIA & CDSN
• Bonnie Jenkins, Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security
• Ayesha Ray, King’s College, Pennsylvania
• Megan Minnion, NATO Headquarters

2. New Brunswick Community College 

Information Technology: Cybersecurity

About the course

Security violations, data breaches, and privacy failures are an ever-growing threat to businesses and individuals. Through classroom theory and hands-on projects in our advanced diploma program, you’ll learn how to identify, analyze, and mitigate threats to internal IT systems and/or networks. You’ll explore the systems, tools, and concepts used to minimize the risk to an organization’s cyberspace, and the standards and procedures to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and information systems. As one of the world’s fastest-growing technology fields, the demand for cyber security professionals has never been greater.

Specific Considerations

This program is a Learning Integrated Virtually Everywhere (L.I.V.E) program that requires the use of a notebook computer as part of the learning experience. Your notebook computer should meet minimum technical specifications to ensure the software for your program operates effectively. Check specifications listed on the LIVE program computer specifications.

Students may be required by host agencies or employers to provide a current criminal records check and/or reliability or secret clearance from a service recognized by the host agency or employer before they may start their work placement.

Career Possibilities

You will be well prepared for positions in which you will identify and document requirements, assess physical and technical security risks to data, software, and hardware, and help develop policies, procedures, and contingency plans to minimize the impacts of security breaches. Cybersecurity and information security is an area with a shortage of skilled applicants, and industry demand is expected to continue to grow as cyber threats become more sophisticated.

In 2016, there were 331,535 vacancies across Canada (3,737 in New Brunswick) for positions that required cybersecurity knowledge or training. As a graduate of this program, you may find work in a range of positions such as cyber defense analyst, cyber defense infrastructure support, and vulnerability assessment and management consultant.

Entry Requirements

Post-secondary diploma in Information Technology, Network Administration, or Programming; or University degree in computer science or information systems; or equivalent work experience in computer network administration and applications.

Conclusion

The Masters in Intelligence and Security Studies at Toronto School of Theology is a great option for those who are interested in becoming intelligence professionals. The program is highly regarded and has a long history of producing exceptional graduates. If you are looking for a Masters that will provide you with a quality education while also giving you the chance to work in the field, this program might be right for you!