Augusta University, Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

PhD Program Prioritizes Student Publication Opportunities

Augusta University’s new PhD in Intelligence, Defense, and Cybersecurity Policy program is turning the traditional doctoral experience on its head. Not only is it the first of its kind, catering to working professionals across the globe with fully remote, synchronous online classes, but it’s structured to give students ample guidance to help them navigate the complex path to publication.

“We’re uniquely specialized as a program where we really take that seriously,” says Craig Albert, graduate director of the PhD program and the MA in Intelligence and Security Studies. “We don’t want students to be lost and wandering in the PhD world. So many people get trapped, and then they end up what’s called ABD — all but dissertation — because they didn’t have proper guidance or direction. We’re designed to prevent that from happening. As the director and faculty advisor, I give each student as much attention as needed to progress toward degree completion.” Albert also stresses that the program provides individualized pathways for each student to prepare them for career success.

This fall’s inaugural class has the support of a dedicated program manager, a full-time faculty advisor, and faculty who focus solely on PhD students. Robust mentorship is an integral part of the program, with opportunities for co-authoring, graduate research assistants, and advanced independent research courses.

Helping students build a portfolio of published work is a priority given its importance in the academic and professional landscapes. To facilitate this, required coursework addresses the development of advanced technical writing skills for different professional contexts. Through these classes, Albert says, “they can pivot their career choices towards either the intelligence and government community, which uses the technical writing skills that we teach, or to academic or think tank communities that prefer the research-based academic writing style.”

Armed with the necessary skills, students are guided through the writing and publication process with what Albert describes as “active and engaged advising” by either himself or the student’s mentor. Students have ample opportunities to co-author, but if they want to publish as a sole author, Albert explains, “we’ll instruct and teach them what the proper processes are.”

This student-focused approach ensures that PhD candidates not only complete their degree, but also emerge as published scholars, well-prepared for careers in academia, government, or the private sector.

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Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies

The MA in Intelligence and Security Studies provides a rigorous foundation for advanced studies in intelligence and security. Students can specialize in Information Warfare (synchronous online) to explore the complex dynamics of influence operations or Technical Intelligence Analysis (asynchronous online) to develop expertise in data-driven intelligence. “If people aren’t sure about the PhD, they can check out the master’s program, see how they like it, and if they excel in it and want to continue, they can roll right into the PhD,” Albert says.

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Augusta University, Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
augusta.edu/defensestudies
[email protected]
706-737-1710