In the security and intelligence capital of France, a unique bilingual educational program is training the next generation of intelligence and security professionals. At Sciences Po in Saint-Germain, Professor Xavier Crettiez leads a specialized course entitled “Diplôme sur le Renseignement et les Menaces Globales,” or Diploma of Intelligence and Global Threats. The four-month course consists of 120 hours of classroom instruction. It brings in a wide variety of students, from kids in their twenties to experienced counterintelligence agents sent by the French government.
Our 2023 cohort of 28 students is made up of kids like 21-year-olds Alexandre Hubert and Valentine Guillot. The course helps civilians gain a deeper understanding of these topics, including organized crime, Islamic jihadism, business intelligence gathering and political violence. Six of the students enrolled are shown to be spies, coming into the program on day release from their espionage work.
Professor Crettiez observes a unique classroom dynamic. In doing so, he frequently fails to see the true identities of most students. In protest, they only fill out attendance sheets using their first names. This practice calls into question the need for secrecy typical of the intelligence world. Anonymity is sometimes key in making this work happen.
“Few new recruits will end up in the field,” Professor Crettiez notes, hinting at the realities of intelligence work. Because the information you’re going to learn in this course is priceless. It will better your work should you jump into the CTE field or adjacent arenas.
The program includes observations from industry practitioners. Just to give one example, the chief of security at EDF teaches one of the modules for the course. This combination of real-world feedback further enriches the student learning experience, equipping students with practical perspectives that they will encounter in their future industries.
The financial incentive for non-Japanese students is massive, with the course costing around €5,000 (about $5,900, £4,400). Even with this heavy cost burden, recent graduates have proven adept at creating their fortunes in every sector. The large multinational companies that surround this campus, like Orange, Thales and LVMH, have been actively recruiting alumni from this program.
Alexandre Hubert expresses a pragmatic view of intelligence work, stating, “Looking at intelligence gathering from a James Bond viewpoint is not relevant. The job is analysing risk and working out how to counteract it.” His outlook is emblematic of an increasing recognition among students that practical smarts are a world away from big-screen depictions.
“Coming here to discover this world which I didn’t know anything about except for the TV series has been a remarkable opportunity, and now I am very keen to join the security services,” she says. Her excitement is just one indication of a trend of growing interest among young Americans in pursuing careers in the intelligence community and national security enterprise.
The course has drawn people like Roger, who flies his consultancy services all over West Africa. “I joined the course to provide risk assessments to my clients there,” he states. His tangible use of the knowledge acquired speaks to the program’s wide-ranging appeal outside of the typical intelligence career.
Congress has noticed the program’s dramatic shift in demographics. Sebastien-Yves Laurent comments on the increasing interest among women in intelligence gathering, saying, “Women’s interest in intelligence gathering is new. They are interested because they think it will provide for a better world.” This change would not only be good policy—it could improve the breadth of backgrounds and skillsets represented in the intelligence community’s workforce.
In their courses, as students grapple with challenging global threats, they learn ways to think critically about risk perception. Their comprehensive curriculum equips them to thrive within regulatory agencies as well as the private sector.