The Master of Arts in Strategy, Cybersecurity and Intelligence (MASCI) is a one-year* degree that will prepare future leaders and operators for sound decision-making at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels, by enabling them to task, parse, and prepare a wide range of data and raw intelligence.
Students will gain expertise in major strategy and intelligence topics such as terrorism, extremism, cybersecurity, disinformation, political warfare, covert operations, sanctions, special operations, and economic espionage. The program is designed to build the skills to work effectively in careers in the US Department of Defense, US Intelligence Community, and the related private and nonprofit sectors.
- *
Each year, a small number of spots for a part-time option may be available. The part-time curriculum is delivered over a period of two years in a structured format, with one core course and one elective course each fall and spring semester, plus the capstone-related courses distributed over the two-year period.
Degree Requirements
Campus: Washington, DC
Credits: 40
Duration: 11 Months, Full-Time*
Course delivery: In-person
In order to graduate, students must fulfill all degree requirements and earn a cumulative GPA of 2.67 or above.
- *
Each year, a small number of spots for a part-time option may be available. The part-time curriculum is delivered over a period of two years in a structured format, with one core course and one elective course each fall and spring semester, plus the capstone-related courses distributed over the two-year period.
Sample Course Schedule
| Term | Courses | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Term | MASCI Bootcamp & SAIS Orientation (mandatory, non-credit) | 1 week |
| Fall | Strategy I (4 credits) | 15 weeks |
| Intelligence I (4 credits) | ||
| Elective (4 credits) | ||
| Elective (4 credits) | ||
| January Intersession | Capstone Research Seminar (2 credits) | 1 week |
| Spring | Capstone Prospectus (2 credits) | 15 weeks |
| Strategy II (4 credits) | ||
| Intelligence II (4 credits) | ||
| Elective (4 credits) | ||
| Elective (4 credits) | ||
| Summer | Capstone (4 credits) | 6 weeks |
MASCI Boot Camp & SAIS Orientation
MASCI students prepare to begin their studies during a week of engagement with MASCI faculty, cohort peers, and the broader SAIS community. The mandatory Boot Camp portion will expose MASCI students to the program structure and cover basic preparatory material. The Orientation portion, organized by the Office of Student Affairs, will offer an overview of the resources available to all SAIS students.
Sample Electives*
- AI and National Security
- China's National Security Perspectives
- Cybercrime and Cybercriminals
- Cyber-Enabled Intelligence and Covert Action
- Cyber Operations: How and Why States Compete in Cyberspace
- Democratic Strategies in an Age of Information Conflict
- Digital Counterintelligence
- Economic Sanctions and Statecraft
- Geopolitics of the Middle East
- Geospatial Dimensions of Energy and Environment
- Illicit Finance
- Information Policy Strategy and Design in the Age of AI
- Intelligence Analysis: Informing Policy and Business
- International Bargaining and Negotiation
- Introduction to Applied Machine Learning for Threat Intelligence
- Net Assessment
- Russia and the West: After the Cold War
- South Asian Security Challenges & Defense Modernization
- The EU: From Peace Project to Defense Union?
- US-China Relations
*subject to change
Capstone
With guidance from a faculty advisor, MASCI students conduct an in-depth capstone research project focused on a topic of interest related to the fields of strategy, cybersecurity and/or intelligence.