Cyber Intelligence Curriculum

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Get an extensive Cyber Intelligence Curriculum along with videos, developed by California State University — San Bernardino, addressing the serious issue decision-makers face daily: the lack of qualified professionals in the intelligence community who are able to communicate and sometimes translate technical information to non-technical analysts and decision-makers.

Videos created by California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB).

Role Models in Cybersecurity

Dr. Javier Torner, Information Security Officer and Director of the Information Security & Emerging Technologies (ISET) department of CSUSB, introduces himself and other experts as potential role models for future cybersecurity professionals. He outlines the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that employers look for in their cybersecurity staff. The qualifications of an information security manager, vulnerability analyst, cybersecurity analyst (a.k.a. cyber defense analyst), and cyber defense incident responder are described in detail.

Research Methods Course

Dr. Brian P. Janiskee, the chair of the Department of Political Science at CSUSB, discusses why a research methods course plays a key role in the university's Cyber Security Studies program. The course teaches the basics of deductive logic, including common logical fallacies; the building blocks of the scientific research, especially methods of testing a hypothesis based upon a theory; and issues of epistemology. Students also learn to read quantitative results in peer-review science journals, and are reminded that careful thinking need not come at the expense of creative thinking.

Cybersecurity and Cyber Warfare Course

Dr. Brian P. Janiskee, the chair of the Department of Political Science at CSUSB, discusses how the university's cybersecurity and cyber warfare course fills in gaps in knowledge for students from a technical background and for students from a social sciences background. The course explores key concepts of cybersecurity, the role of government and private actors in this area, and military strategy. For more technical students, the course provides a political, historical, and military context for cybersecurity issues.

Writing Well

Dr. Mark Clark, a professor of National Security Studies (NSS) at CSUSB, explains why writing well is a critical skill for students to develop before they pursue careers in cybersecurity, security, or intelligence work. He describes four principles that CSUSB's NSS program has adopted to guide how its students are taught to improve their writing.

Rubrics for Evaluating Student Writing

Dr. Mark Clark, a professor of National Security Studies (NSS) at CSUSB, shares the rubrics that the NSS program uses to evaluate student writing. He also describes an exercise frequently used in NSS classes that requires students to evaluate a work of published writing according to a specific set of criteria. The NSS program calls this second set of rubrics "C4A" or "C quad A"— Coherence, Cohesion, Concision, Clarity, and Audience.

Introduction to Structured Analytical Techniques

Dr. Antony Field, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at CSUSB, describes the essential role that critical thinking plays in the analytical process. Analysts use critical thinking to identify their biases and potential problems with their judgments. This enables them to deliver more accurate intelligence to decision-makers. Structured analytical techniques offer a practical approach to critical thinking. Three different types of structured analytical techniques cover different parts of the critical thinking process: creative thinking techniques, diagnostic thinking techniques, and contrarian thinking techniques.

Creative Thinking Techniques and Brainstorming

Dr. Antony Field, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at CSUSB, describes the problem of analysts getting trapped in their own mindsets, which can cause them to misinterpret incoming information and jump to the wrong conclusion. Creative thinking techniques can bring new perspectives, imagination, and diverse thinking into the analytical process, hopefully improving the analyst's judgment and helping to produce better assessments and estimates. Dr. Field provides an example of a structured brainstorming exercise that can be conducted in class.

Diagnostic and Contrarian Thinking Techniques

Dr. Antony Field, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at CSUSB, describes diagnostic thinking techniques, which help analysts critically examine the relationship between evidence and conclusions; using such techniques helps analysts check that they are not jumping to an unsubstantiated conclusion or cherry-picking evidence to support a favored position. Analysis of Competing Hypotheses (ACH) is a popular diagnostic thinking technique. Dr. Fields also explains how contrarian thinking techniques help analysts critically evaluate their reasoning processes. The technique called a "Murder Board" can be helpful in interrogating weak pieces of evidence, challenging unsafe assumptions, and uncovering dubious reasoning.

National Model Curriculum for Programs in Intelligence and Cybersecurity

In 2012, the National Science Foundation awarded CSUSB a grant to integrate its Cyber Security Studies and National Security Studies programs. This integration addressed one serious issue decision-makers face daily: the lack of qualified professionals in the intelligence community who are able to communicate and sometimes translate technical information to non-technical analysts and decision-makers. CSUSB was also tasked with developing a national curriculum model to be disseminated through the Cyber Security Centers of Academic Excellence and the Intelligence Centers of Academic Excellence.

Available for download below are documents related to the development of CSUSB's Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Technology (Cybersecurity, Intelligence Option) and Master of Science in National Cyber Security Studies.

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