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National Intelligence University opens campus on Marine Corps Base Quantico

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National Intelligence University opens academic center aboard MCBQ

29 Jan 2015 | Eve A. Baker Marine Corps Base Quantico

National Intelligence University, whose main campus is located at the Defense Intelligence Agency Headquarters aboard Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., has opened an academic center aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico. NIU offers a bachelor of science in intelligence, a master of science of strategic intelligence, a master of science and technology intelligence, and numerous certificates of intelligence with concentrations in different countries and topics. The NIU Quantico Academic Center, as the academic center is called, currently offers the MSSI and a selection of certificates, according to QAC Director Kevin Logan.

Planning for the NIU QAC began in 2011 upon request from numerous NIU students who work and/or live in the Quantico area and were having difficulty getting to main campus classes on time after work. After a comprehensive study on student needs and the potential student population, an academic program was developed.  NIU received approval to open the Quantico Academic Center from its accreditors, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in spring 2014, according to Logan. The QAC is located at the FBI Academy aboard MCBQ, and the majority of current students work aboard the base. The center admitted its first students in August 2014 and is now accepting applications for courses beginning in late summer of this year.

To be eligible for admission, prospective students must possess a TS/SCI clearance and be a member of the military, active duty or reserve, or a civilian federal government employee. Government contractors and nonappropriated fund employees are not eligible for admission. Logan stated that the high-level security clearance is required because faculty make heavy use of classified information in their instruction on intelligence topics. Because classes are held only in the evening at the QAC, the schedule format makes it easier for students to balance their normal work-day duties with after-hours professional development.  

In addition to furthering their careers with additional education, a particular draw for students attending NIU is that it is at no cost to the student.  Neither students nor their employers pay for tuition or books; students are loaned books at the beginning of each course and return them at the end.

Though all classes at the QAC are held in the evening, from 6 p.m. until 8:40 p.m., because the student population is military-heavy, and situations like 24-hour duty or out-of-state temporary additional duty occur regularly, professors — who are also working intelligence professionals — try to be flexible and make accommodations when possible. Jessica Romig, management analyst at the QAC, said students can easily reach out to professors and notify them of scheduled absences, and the professors will typically assign make-up work to ensure the students are exposed to the material.

In terms of campus access and amenities, Logan said QAC students will be given a student ID, which they can show to gain access to the FBI Academy, as well as library cards to the FBI library and Gray Research Center aboard MCBQ. They are all given lockers near the classrooms in which to store their classified materials and will have access to Academy dining and fitness facilities.

Prospective students can visit www.ni-u.edu to apply online or e-mail Logan at Kevin.logan@ic.fbi.gov for more information.
















Marine Corps Base Quantico