AU receives approval to launch new PhD program in national defense

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Augusta University obtained approval from the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia to offer a new PhD program focused on Intelligence, Defense, and Cybersecurity Policy.

In an announcement on Aug. 14, the first day of the fall semester, AU explained that the new degree in Intelligence, Defense, and Cybersecurity Policy will provide students a broad-based understanding of security studies.

The program will be the first PhD offered by AU’s Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

“It makes sense to extend what we are doing with the Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies program by adding a first-of-its-kind PhD in national defense,” said Kim Davies, dean of Pamplin College. “Dr. Craig Albert and the faculty involved in building this new PhD have done a tremendous job creating a rigorous, state-of-the-art program that will provide students with a strong, broad-based understanding of security studies, especially as it pertains to the United States’ national security and its stature in the international arena.”

Craig Albert, the graduate director of AU’s Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies (MAISS) program, will be the director of the new PhD in national defense.

“Georgia and specifically Augusta are already firmly established at the center of the United States’ intelligence and cybersecurity mission, and it is our vision for Augusta University to become the academic hub for intelligence studies worldwide,” said Albert.

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