No matter whether they work for investment firms, international organisations, NGOs, private security companies, government intelligence agencies, the military or the police – intelligence analysts are the true experts when it comes to making the best use of limited available information. This minor covers various aspects of intelligence work in both domestic and international contexts, including the major fields of political, military and criminal intelligence. Students will be familiarised with basic techniques of espionage and surveillance, counterintelligence, and technologies used for the collection of information. They will understand how foreign intelligence services operate, how the military analyses aerial photography, and how intelligence-led policing is used in the battle against organized crime. Practical exercises in information analysis are based on the same structured analytic techniques that are employed within the international intelligence community.

The Minor Intelligence Collection & Analysis encourages students to apply skills and methods of intelligence collection and analysis in a multitude of professional contexts. The curriculum covers many topics and problems of paramount contemporary relevance from an intelligence perspective. These issues include terrorism, maritime piracy, money laundering, human trafficking, privacy issues, civil wars, and peace operations. In the end, students will have achieved a profound understanding of the benefits of intelligence tradecraft in a variety of security-related working environments.

The course content comprises of the necessary theoretical background to intelligence, including the connected academic disciplines of intelligence studies and intelligence history. However, the emphasis is upon intelligence methodology and the practical application of intelligence analysis to international security, foreign policy, and law enforcement. In this context operational case studies are presented and sessions are devoted to intelligence lessons learned.

• Students can use international key terminology from the field of intelligence studies.
• Students can explain the universal tools and basic models of intelligence tradecraft, such as the intelligence cycle, the collection plan, and the gathering disciplines.
• Students can employ specific key methodologies from the fields of criminal intelligence, military intelligence, financial intelligence and counterintelligence.
• Students can apply selected structured analytic techniques (SATs) for intelligence analysis.
• Students can compare and contrast different national approaches to intelligence and counterintelligence work.
• Students can develop their own case studies and scenarios for intelligence analysis on the basis of international academic literature.

Students can professionally operate at least one OSINT cyberintelligence tool.

This course is offered as a faculty minor. The application process will be open to any student registered to a Public Law and Safety (PLS) faculty program. In addition, five spots will be made available to KOM students. Successful enrollment to the minor will be contingent upon the merits of the individual application, which is now a standard procedure for Safety, Security and Management Studies (SSMS) minors.

Minimum entry requirements: 

1.    Completed application 

2.    Good command of English (oral and written) 

Dover, R., Goodman, M.S, & Hillebrand, C.  (Eds.). (2015). Routledge companion to intelligence studies. London: Routledge 

Term(s): block 1

Scheduling: 4 days per week

• Report (VERSLAG): 35%
• Group presentation (PRESENTATIE): 25%
• Written exam (SCHRIFT): 45%
• Reading quizzes (OPDRACHT): P/F
• Attendance (PRESENTIE): P/F