Sciences Po Saint-Germain, a prestigious French university, has recently launched a diploma course designed for those interested in intelligence and global threats. The course’s official title is Diplôme sur le Renseignement et les Menaces Globales. It means Diploma of Intelligence and Global Threats. This specialized academy has a limited enrollment of just 28 students. It’s made up of millennials, mid-career experts, and a number of current intelligence operatives coming on day release.
The diploma is four months long, with an intense 120 hours of in-class work. Political Radicalization Professor Xavier Crettiez has been teaching radicalization as part of the core curriculum. His course opens students’ eyes to the skills and tools they’ll need to tackle the fresh challenges that lie at the center of today’s complicated intelligence work. He acknowledges a certain level of anonymity among his students, stating, “I rarely know the intelligence agents’ backgrounds when they are sent on the course, and I doubt the names I’m given are genuine anyway.”
The resulting student body is a medley of motivations and backgrounds. The 21-year-old student from the Federal University of Pernambuco is drawn to the course in a deep, magnetic way. He’s looking to take a further look at the new economic frictions developing between Europe and China. He believes that “looking at intelligence gathering from a James Bond viewpoint is not relevant. The job is analysing risk and working out how to counteract it.”
For Valentine Guillot, 21, it was popular culture that motivated hope. She was ecstatic to be a part of the program. Amina Abdulmassih told us, “Coming here to really learn about this world, which I only had a glimpse of through the TV show has just been such an amazing experience. Now, I want to be part of an actual security service!”
Interestingly, almost 50% of the students in the program are female. Sebastien-Yves Laurent, espionage technology specialist and course instructor, noted how “women’s contribution to the intelligence-gathering effort is unprecedented.” He elaborated that many female students are motivated by a belief that their involvement can contribute to a better world.
The course serves dual purposes. It aims to train potential new spies while providing continuous education for current intelligence agents. Six students in the program, however, are spies in action. Their ranks are filled not just with your more traditional early 20s learners, but young at heart seasoned professionals.
The curriculum focuses on issues at the forefront of today’s intelligence work. Prof Crettiez added that spies in the modern age need to pay serious attention to financial crime. Combatting financial crime has leaked into the spies’ main mission, he pointed out. This amendment marks an important step in recognizing how intelligence work must continue to transform to respond to today’s global challenges.
The course is unique in that each module includes exclusive contributions from other industry leaders. The chief of security at EDF, France’s energy monopoly, oversees one of the modules. Throughout the year, he passes on lessons learned through years of practice to the students. Another docent, Roger, provides consultancy solutions across West Africa. He enrolled in the program to sharpen his skills in performing risk assessments for his clients.
Engineers and architects trained by this new program are desperately needed. Big companies including Orange, Thales, and even LVMH are drooling over them. The course leaves students well-prepared for riveting careers in the intelligence community. Beyond that, it prepares them with important skills that will serve them well in any industry.