UNM Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence
What is an IC CAE...and what can it do for you?
IC CAE is short for an Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence. Since 2005, Congress mandates the Intelligence Community (IC) invest in developing the next generation of intelligence professionals for the 18 intelligence agencies coordinated by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The UNM Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence was established after winning the competitive grant award that we used to build academic programs (see below) and professional development to support students seeking careers in intelligence and national security more broadly. In 2025, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence canceled the IC CAE grant program--which limits the amount of professinal development activities we are able to offer--but the UNM IC CAE lives on through the programs we created and sustain.
Build Your Skills
The IC CAE program at UNM builds the academic and professional skills to secure positions in the 18 Intelligence Community agencies, through different academic pathway programs (national security/intelligence studies, foreign language, or STEM). See below for information on the pathways and how to get started.
So you want to go into intelligence...where should you start?
We built the UNM IC CAE in collaboration with the program office at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the faculty of intelligence practitioners at the National Intelligence University around three traditional pathways to intelligence careers.
Depending on your pathway and skillset, you can either join our major, the Global & National Security concentration in the Liberal Arts & Integrative Studies major (for undergraduates) or the Professional MS in Global & National Security (for graduates) (Pathway #3), or get the intelligence-focused National Security & Strategic Analysis undergraduate certificate that complements any major (Pathways 1 and 2). Either way, you want to be on our list of intersted students so you can take advantage of our programming with guest speakers, vocational training, simulations, and the Intelligence Student Scholars Club. To express your interest and join the list, please email the IC CAE Director, Philip Hultquist at philhult@unm.edu.
Pathway 1: STEM
STEM skills hare highly valued in the Intelligence Community and are sought after by recruiters. Students in this pathway should major in the STEM field that best fits their interest and skillset, develop their technical skills, and add the undergraduate certificate in National Security & Strategic Analysis to learn and apply intelligence analysis skills using your STEM skills. The certificate acts to boost your resume by letting the recruiters know you a) have the disciplinary STEM skills they are looking for but also b) know how to apply them to national security issues using intelligence analysis skills.
Pathway 2: Area Studies Specialists and Foreign Languages
Area studies specialists are those who devote their studies to a particular region or country. They learn the language of the country become an expert in that region's history, culture and politics. These experts are highly valued in the Intelligence Community because they can understand the culturally-specific nuances of language or other behaviors that they can interpret for the government to better assess the actions and intentions of other countries. In this pathway, students can develop their expertise in an area in a variety of ways. One route is through traditional disciplinary majors like Political Science, History, or Anthropology, while purposefully selecting courses and class projects to focus on a specific area of interest. Others may want to major directly in the language of interest or a cultural studies program. Others may want to major in an interdisciplinary major, like International Studies or the Global & National Security concentration in the Liberal Arts & Integrative Studies major. Regardless of the major, students will want to add the undergraduate certificate in National Security & Strategic Analysis to learn and apply intelligence analysis skills using your language and area studies skills. The certificate acts to boost your resume by letting the recruiters know you a) have the area studies skills they are looking for but also b) know how to apply them to national security issues using intelligence analysis skills.
Pathway 3: National Security and Intelligence Studies
The third pathway is for students who specialize in national security or intelligence studies topics directly. While it helps to combine national security studies with language or data/STEM skills, the Intelligence Community also values applicants who demonstrate a deep knowledge of national security topics, rooted in analytical skills and historical knowledge. Students in this pathway can also chooe traditional majors, like Political Science or History, and choose to specialize in national security topics in their choice of courses and class projects, but they might also seek interdisciplinary majors, like International Studies or the Global & National Security concentration in the Liberal Arts and Integrative Studies major. These interdisciplinary avenues to national securuty studies can provide a great foundation for intelligence work by helping students work across traditional disciplinary lines. Regardless of the major, students will want to add the undergraduate certificate in National Security & Strategic Analysis to learn and apply intelligence analysis skills using your language and area studies skills. The certificate acts to boost your resume by letting the recruiters know you a) have the area studies skills they are looking for but also b) know how to apply them to national security issues using intelligence analysis skills.
As you can see, all pathways lead to the National Security & Strategic Analysis certificate. As you complete that degree program, be sure to talk with the advisor, Brian Vineyard (vineyard@unm.edu), to decide whether some classes you take in your major may also count for the certificate. And be sure to include the intelligence-specific GLNS courses to demonstrate your capabilities to recruiters. These courses include: GLNS340: Elements of Global & National Security, GLNS495: T: National Security & Intelligence Analysis, and GLNS495 T: Ethics for National Security & Intelligence Professionals.
Whether you are unsure of the pathway you want to take or just want to have a conversation about whether the IC CAE programs, please contact GNSPI Director and IC CAE Director, Dr. Philip Hultquist, at philhult@unm.edu to arrange a meeting.
