Master of Anticipatory Intelligence - MAI

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Center for Anticipatory Intelligence

USU’s Center for Anticipatory Intelligence has led the pioneering effort in the US to establish the academic field of Anticipatory Intelligence: a multidomain approach to anticipating threats and opportunities emerging from the world’s increasingly complex security environment, oriented around the goal of reducing uncertainty and designing resilience across future scenarios. The MAI operationalizes this academic field through an interdisciplinary, cross-college degree that integrates core coursework in Anticipatory Intelligence with one of four applied emphasis tracks: International Security, Cyber & Security Analytics, Biosecurity, or Geographic Information Sciences to equip graduates with a potent combination of analytic and applied skills, cross-trained competencies, and an actionable professional education fit for the security challenges of the twenty-first century. The design of this professional master’s degree offers students significant curricular choice in order to deliver a tailored graduate experience.

The Master of Anticipatory Intelligence program is a 33-credit professional degree with:

a 12-credit required curriculum core
6 credits of elective courses in Anticipatory Intelligence
a 3-credit graduate capstone project
a 12-credit, hard-skill emphasis track facilitated in conjunction with partner departments.

Completion of the Master of Anticipatory Intelligence program is contingent on fulfillment of the following criteria:

completion of all required courses,

a “C” or higher passing grade in all courses,
15 of the total 33 credits completed at the 6000 level,
a School of Graduate Studies-approved program of study from Utah State University.

Interested individuals from all programs of study and professional backgrounds are encouraged to apply. In order to apply, applicants must:

have (or be about to graduate with) a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university,
have a strong academic record (minimum GPA of 3.0) – work experience of professional applicants will be weighed when reviewing application.

A graduate certificate must be completed within six years of entering the degree program. Additional time may be requested by the department and submitted to the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies for review.

Detailed information on the Master of Anticipatory Intelligence, including application requirements, dates regarding the annual application window, and guidance for prospective students is provided on the program website, cai.usu.edu. Applications require a personal statement, resume/CV, writing sample, official undergraduate transcripts, two (2) letters of recommendation, and payment of the USU SGS application fee.

Anticipatory Intelligence Required Courses (12 credits)

All MAI students must complete a 12 credit required curriculum core that lays a strong foundation in the central principles and toolkits of Anticipatory Intelligence. Students who can demonstrate direct equivalency in undergraduate or previous graduate study may be able to petition to apply other MAI elective or emphasis courses to satisfy some curriculum core credits. Other course substitutions for the elective and emphasis requirements may be approved by an Anticipatory Intelligence academic advisor on an individual basis.

CAI 5000 - American National Security Framework 3 credit(s)
CAI 5200 - Threats and Resilience in the Knowledge Century 3 credit(s)
CAI 6300 - Art and Science of Anticipation 3 credit(s)
CAI 6400 - Ethics and Emerging Technology 3 credit(s)

Anticipatory Intelligence Electives (6 credits)

MAI students must complete 6 credits (at least two courses) of elective coursework, which may include specialized Anticipatory Intelligence courses, directed readings and research, or internship opportunities across a range of settings. Students are limited to 3 internship credits and/or 3 credits of directed readings to be applied toward elective credits. MAI students have ample opportunities to complete internships with I3SC industry partners and public sector entities and engage in other experiential learning events.

Experiential Learning Options: Students may enroll in internship courses or directed reading courses to gain valuable practical experience or delve deeper into specific topics. Important Note: These courses are listed as variable credit (1-6). Only 3 internship credits and 3 directed readings credits may be applied toward the MAI.

CAI 5010 - Dynamics of Disruptive Technology 3 credit(s)
CAI 5880 - Critical Soft Skills 1-3 credit(s)
CAI 6310 - Strategic Culture and Analytics 3 credit(s)
CAI 6890 - Special Topics in Anticipatory Intelligence 1-3 credit(s)
CAI 6900 - Directed Readings and Research 1-6 credit(s)
CAI 6910 - Public Sector Internship 1-6 credit(s)
CAI 6920 - Private Sector Internship 1-6 credit(s)
CAI 6930 - I3SC Labs Internship 1-6 credit(s)
CAI 6940 - CAI Field Experience 1-3 credit(s)
CAI 6510 - Russian Security Affairs 3 credit(s)
CAI 6520 - Chinese Security Affairs 3 credit(s)
CAI 6530 - Weapons of Mass Destruction 3 credit(s)
CAI 6540 - Future Space Security 3 credit(s)
CAI 6550 - Irregular Warfare 3 credit(s)
CAI 6600 - Biosecurity I 3 credit(s)
CAI 6610 - Biosecurity II 3 credit(s)
CAI 6620 - Food Security and Solutions 3 credit(s)
CAI 6630 - Water Security and Solutions 3 credit(s)

Graduate Capstone Project (3 credits)

All MAI students must complete a tailored 3 credit capstone project building on their core coursework. Wide parameters of creativity, innovation, and flexibility are built into the capstone project, but two requirements must be met: 1) the project must leverage at least one key tool or substantive issue area in the Anticipatory Intelligence domain, and 2) the project must be designed and conducted by the student in partnership with an external public sector or industry partner. MAI students should not begin their capstone project until they have completed both CAI 5000 and CAI 5200.

CAI 6990 - Graduate Capstone Experience 3 credit(s)

International Security Emphasis (12 credits)

Students electing to complete the International Security track may select any 12 credits from the courses listed to complete the emphasis (co-facilitated with the Department of Political Science). Other relevant 5/6000-level POLS electives may be approved on an individual basis by an Anticipatory Intelligence academic advisor.

CAI 6510 - Russian Security Affairs 3 credit(s)
CAI 6520 - Chinese Security Affairs 3 credit(s)
CAI 6530 - Weapons of Mass Destruction 3 credit(s)
CAI 6540 - Future Space Security 3 credit(s)
CAI 6310 - Strategic Culture and Analytics 3 credit(s)
CAI 6890 - Special Topics in Anticipatory Intelligence 1-3 credit(s)
POLS 5140 - Law, Politics, and War 3 credit(s)
POLS 6210 - International Security 3 credit(s)
POLS 6230 - Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism 3 credit(s)
POLS 6400 - United States Foreign Policy 3 credit(s)
CAI 6550 - Irregular Warfare 3 credit(s)

Cyber & Security Analytics Emphasis (12 credits)

Students electing to complete the Cyber & Security Analytics track may select any one of the three 12 credit certificate block options listed below (facilitated by the Department of Data Analytics and Information Systems) to complete the emphasis: the Data Technologies certificate, the Cybersecurity certificate, or the Data Analytics certificate. In accordance with USU Registrar’s Office policy, a post-baccalaureate certificate may be earned concurrently with this MAI emphasis.

Biosecurity Emphasis (12 credits)

Students electing to complete the Biosecurity track must take 6 credits of required coursework and may select any further 6 credits from the courses listed to complete the emphasis (co-facilitated with partner departments in the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences and the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources). Other relevant partner department electives may be approved on an individual basis by an Anticipatory Intelligence academic advisor.

Required Courses (6 credits):
CAI 6600 - Biosecurity I 3 credit(s)
CAI 6610 - Biosecurity II 3 credit(s)
and an additional 6 credits of:
CAI 6620 - Food Security and Solutions 3 credit(s)
CAI 6630 - Water Security and Solutions 3 credit(s)
NDFS 5010 - Hunger Issues and Solutions 3 credit(s)
NDFS 6140 - Introduction to Public Health 3 credit(s)
ENVS 6550 - Sustainability: Concepts and Measurement 3 credit(s)
PSC 6810 - Climate and Climate Change 3 credit(s)

GIS Natural Resources Emphasis (12 credits)

Students electing to complete the Geographic Information Science track may select any 12 credits from the courses listed to complete the emphasis (facilitated by partner departments in the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources). In accordance with USU Registrar’s Office policy, a post-baccalaureate certificate may be earned concurrently with this MAI emphasis. Note that NR-prefix courses are offered as online courses, while all other prefixes are taught as in-person courses on the USU Logan campus.

NR 6910 - Geographic Information Systems for Natural Resource Applications 3 credit(s)
NR 6920 - Python Programming for GIS 3 credit(s)
NR 6930 - Advanced GIS for Natural Resource Applications 3 credit(s)
NR 6940 - Principles of Remote Sensing of Natural Resources 3 credit(s)
NR 6950 - Geospatial Analysis for Natural Resource Management 3 credit(s)
or in-person variants
GEOG 6870 - Geospatial Analysis with R 3 credit(s)
WATS 6920 - Advanced GIS and Spatial Analysis 3 credit(s)
WILD 6750 - Applied Remote Sensing 3 credit(s)
WILD 6920 - Python Programming for GIS 3 credit(s)