The
Art of
Security
Master’s program preps students
for cyber intelligence careers
J
ay Heslen is passionate about preparing students for careers in
intelligence and security. An assistant professor of political science
and lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve, Heslen teaches in
Pamplin’s newest graduate program: the Master of Arts in Intelligence and
Security Studies—better known as MAISS. Launched last Fall, MAISS equips
future analysts, decision makers, and Ph.D. seekers with the knowledge and
skills they need to combat the rapidly-changing security challenges faced by
our nation. Already the program has attracted interest beyond the college’s
expectations.
“Some of my students told me this program seemed tailor-made for them,”
says Heslen. “They searched for other master’s degrees and couldn’t find
anything that fit.” What makes MAISS different is “a little of everything: the
content, the scheduling, the mixing of security studies and intelligence
studies.”
This distinctive curriculum owes partly to the expertise of faculty like Heslen,
and partly to the unique convergence of opportunities at Fort Gordon. Already
home to NSA Georgia—the largest of the NSA’s five cryptologic centers for
intelligence collection—Fort Gordon also will be the headquarters of U.S. Army
Cyber Command, which conducts offensive operations. As Heslen puts it, “We
have both sides of the equation and they both need a strategic understanding of
the global cyber threat. That’s what we can offer.”
Augusta should see a surge in demand for the kind of training MAISS offers,
and not just among military service members.
“That creates a huge opportunity for us to train the local workforce to go out
to these agencies and hit the ground running,” says Heslen. “We can provide
the basic foundation they need so they know the nomenclature, the jargon, the
history of cyber warfare, and so on. That way, they start well prepared.”
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18 | #WeArePamplin · Spring 2019