The National Intelligence University (NIU), formerly known as the National Defense Intelligence College and the Joint Military Intelligence College, is a federally chartered research university in Bethesda, Maryland. NIU is the United States Intelligence Community's (IC) institution for higher learning in fields of study central to the profession of intelligence and national security. NIU awards undergraduate and graduate degrees, graduate certificates, and research fellowships to prepare personnel for senior positions in the IC and the broader national security enterprise. Since 1963, more than 80,000 military and civilian students have attended the university. Formerly located at the Defense Intelligence Agency headquarters in Washington, D.C., NIU's primary campus is now located at Intelligence Community Campus-Bethesda (ICC-B) with four additional locations around the world. The university's John T. Hughes Library is also located at ICC-B. NIU is the only university in the United States where students can study and complete research at the Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information level.
National Intelligence University's interdisciplinary programs emphasize education through scholarly and applied research designed to help U.S. intelligence officers better understand the diverse range of geopolitical, strategic, and technological threats and opportunities affecting intelligence and national security. The university is organized into two separate academic units: the College of Strategic Intelligence and the Oettinger School of Science and Technology Intelligence. Combined, the colleges cover a diverse and evolving range of international affairs issues and adversarial threats and capabilities, from cultural and religious conflicts to WMD proliferation, cybersecurity threats, terrorism, transnational crime, and more.
Congressionally chartered and publicly funded but with admissions restricted solely to current U.S. Intelligence officers holding a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance, NIU is a small, non-resident university. Admissions are highly selective, but tuition is paid by the United States Government. The university is authorized by the United States Congress to award the Bachelor of Science in Intelligence, the Master of Science and Technology Intelligence and the Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence degrees. The university is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
