The intelligence profession is a very competitive field with employers looking for professionals with practical experience and specialized training and degrees of various emphases. An online intelligence degree can provide the added advantage for young professionals interested in a career in intelligence, or the experienced professional looking for career advancement or to make a career change. Distance or online education courses have been on the rise since 2000. The National Center for Education Statistics latest report on distance learning stated that during 2007-2008 about twenty percent of all undergraduates or 4.3 million students took at least one distance education course. Additionally, approximately 770,000 students, or four percent, were taking their entire undergraduate program through online colleges. The percentage increases to nine percent, or 302,000 students who are taking their entire post baccalaureate education online. Technology allows students to maintain a family and a career while continuing their education online.
The primary employers of intelligence professionals are members of the Intelligence Community (IC). There are seventeen member agencies within the IC focused on threats from terrorism, proliferation, chemical and biological warfare, information infrastructure attack, narcotics trafficking, and counterintelligence. It is important to note that these agencies are at the Federal level. Additionally, the intelligence profession can be expanded to law enforcement intelligence, which is not necessarily a new phenomenon, but has received significant focus in the last decade. Many law enforcement agencies employ an intelligence unit to assist their force in the prevention of crime, drug trafficking, and terrorism. The increased focused in the last decade can be attributed to the 9/11 Commission Report, which identified the growing role for state and local law enforcement agencies in support of National Security. Not only did this report spark new initiatives at the federal level, but also at the state and local level. The report identified that domestic terrorism is a local event that requires critical involvement of state and local government in prevention and response. The gap was filled with increased capabilities to collaborate and share information through several new groups consisting of Federal and state level officials.
There are seven primary categories of intelligence work: analysis, science and technology, information technology, intelligence collection, language, security, and acquisitions and financial management. Skills that are beneficial include strong oral and written communication, critical thinking, and analytical skills. Online intelligence degrees have evolved to meet this demand and develop future intelligence professionals. There are now degree programs for undergraduates and graduates in areas such as strategic security, counterterrorism, and intelligence management. These programs offer courses that cover a wide area of the intelligence profession such as intelligence operations, analysis, cyber terrorism, and corporate security. These programs also allow the student to communicate directly with professionals with vast amounts of experience in the intelligence field.
National Security will always be a priority in the U.S. Almost daily, there is a news article dealing with National Security, whether in the U.S. or abroad. For those looking to become an intelligence professional, an online intelligence degree offers the flexibility to study in intelligence while continuing to gain the practical and professional experience needed to be competitive in this field.
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Dan Sommer works for Henley Putnam University, a leading educational institution in the field of Strategic Security. For more info on Henley Putnam University, intelligence profession, online intelligence degree, visit us online at http://www.Henley-Putnam.edu
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