A program coordinator warns it's no James Bond 101, but has high expectations for a new, rigorous intelligence studies program being proposed at UNM.
The program is in the approval process and two of its undergraduate courses should be available this spring, said J.F. Holden-Rhodes, an honor's program professor who will be its director.
He said the spring courses will focus on terrorism and the history of U.S. intelligence.
The intelligence program is a three-tier undergraduate and graduate suite of studies designed to prepare students for positions as intelligence and research analysts, as well as in federal, state and local law enforcement, according to Holden-Rhodes' program proposal.
"It was important before Black Tuesday," Holden-Rhodes said, referring to the Sept. 11 attacks. "Now it's doubly important."
He said the program's focus is on critical thinking and warned that it will be demanding.
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The minor in intelligence studies program is modeled after the Research/Intelligence Analyst Program that began at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., in 1992 and is the only program of its kind in the United States, according to Holden-Rhodes' proposal.
"When students graduate they have a diploma in one hand, and already have a job in the other," he said.
Students from all areas of study are encouraged to enroll in the program, he said.
"We need new people coming in with new ideas from different backgrounds," Holden-Rhodes said. "One size does not fit all in this thing."
He said 80 percent of students who graduate get jobs in the national security community and about 20 percent take jobs in top companies in the nation. The average beginning salary for graduates of the program is $35-$45,000.
He said UNM will receive grants for the program from the Department of Defense because it has ties with the intelligence community and is a minority institution.
Holden-Rhodes said the master's part of the program, which focuses on intelligence, international relations and public policy won't be in place until fall 2002 or spring 2003.
For more information and a survey sheet, contact Holden-Rhodes at 277-8373, at ats1@unm.edu or in Woodward Hall Room 137.
