National Security Minor

This minor can be declared through the Department of: International Studies and Political Science

Cadets can embark on a twenty-one credit-hour curriculum leading to a National Security Minor (NSM) upon graduation from the Institute.

The NSM is valuable for academically ambitious cadets who intend to pursue:

Graduate study in the fields of international security, foreign policy, or strategic studies.
National security careers in the military or civilian sectors such as intelligence analysis, diplomacy, national and international law, and policy analysis.

The NSM allows cadets to concentrate on a particular aspect of national security and strategic studies. Concentrations may include energy, economic health of the U.S., education, state of the environment, as well as more traditional aspects of defense policy, diplomacy, international relations, and foreign area studies.

The NSM is limited to ten cadets per class. Applicants must be in their third-class year and have an overall GPA of 3.0 or better. Selection is based on an applicant’s grades, defined interests, writing sample, and recommendations from faculty members.

NSM participants have access to special trips which in the past have included: the National Security Council, the Department of Defense and other “3-letter” national security agencies, and influential think tanks in Washington, D.C. Cadets are expected to take part in at least one national or international competition involving prestigious institutions in national security studies.

The NSM is open to cadets from all departments.

Academic Requirements

The academic requirements for the NSM fall into three categories: course work, internship, and thesis.

The NSM course work includes: nine predetermined credits and twelve elective credits (three must be from International Studies; nine must be from departments other than International Studies). See below for a list of the predetermined courses and the preapproved IS courses.

NSM cadets must take an internship during the summer between their second- and first-class years at an organization whose mission relates to national security. Internships are subsidized by the NSM. The NSM Director works closely with cadets to ensure this requirement is met.

NSM cadets are required to complete a thesis by the end of their first-class year. The thesis is substantial research paper conducted under the supervision of a faculty member with familiarity of the subject matter. The thesis is expected to be 12,000-14,000 words (including footnotes) in length. The thesis will answer a question relating to national security through rigorous analysis employing discipline-specific methodologies. In most cases, the NSM thesis can satisfy Departmental and/or Institute Honors thesis requirements.

To apply or for information, contact: COL Spencer Bakich: bakichsd@vmi.edu

Course Work

Three required and four elective courses (twenty-one credits in total)

Category I

Three predetermined courses

IS 320 - National Security Policy Credit Hours: 3 (Second-Class Year)
IS 460W - Research Design for Political Science Credit Hours: 3 (Second-Class Year)
IS 485 - National Security Minor Capstone Credit Hours: 3 (First-Class Year)

Category II

One IS course (three credits) from the following, or another IS course that is more relevant to the cadet’s research interests (upon approval of the NSM Director)

IS 322 - Intelligence and Policy Credit Hours: 3
IS 328 - Multinational Peacekeeping Credit Hours: 3
IS 420 - Anarchy and Hierarchy in International Politics Credit Hours: 3
IS 421X - The Politics of Terrorism Credit Hours: 3
IS 422 - Domestic Politics and International Conflict Credit Hours: 3
IS 424WX - Regional Politics and Powers Credit Hours: 3
IS 425W - Theories of War and Peace Credit Hours: 3
IS 426X - Religion and War Credit Hours: 3
IS 431W - Riots, Protests, Social Movements Credit Hours: 3
IS 438WX - Ethnic Conflict and Politics Credit Hours: 3
IS 443 - The Morality of War Credit Hours: 3
IS 428 - US-China Relations Credit Hours: 3
IS 429 - Strategy and Cybersecurity Credit Hours: 3
IS 452 - International Organization Credit Hours: 3
IS 453 - Law of Nations/ international Law Credit Hours: 3

Category III

Three courses (nine credits) from departments other than International Studies to include History, Psychology, Economics, Engineering, Math, and the sciences. In consultation with their adviser and director of the minor, NSM cadets are encouraged to find courses that inform their thesis research.

Cadets are strongly encouraged to take an independent study with their thesis adviser, preferably during the fall semester of their 2^nd class year. For IS majors, the independent study would satisfy the IS elective requirement; for non-IS majors, the independent study would satisfy three of the nine required non-IS credits.