About Us

In 1992 Mercyhurst College created the world's first undergraduate four-year academic intelligence studies program. Known as the Research/Intelligence Analyst Program (R/IAP) and housed in the History Department, it was and continues to be built upon a liberal arts core. Its goal of generating a graduate qualified as an entry-level intelligence analyst for government and the private sector is unchanged. Now contained in the Mercyhurst College Institute for Intelligence Studies (MCIIS), the Department of Intelligence Studies has grown from eleven students to over 400 undergraduate and graduate students in Erie, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. With a 90% plus placement rate, its 300-plus graduates are spread around the world, working in government and the private sector, while others are enrolled in law schools and advanced degree programs. 

What makes the Mercyhurst program unique is the intellectual flexibility of its generalist graduates, enabling them to apply critical thinking skills and expeditiously produce “actionable information” for decisionmakers. Recognized nationally and internationally, this program is a model for other educational institutions which are currently initiating similar intelligence studies programs.

The non-profit Center for Intelligence Research, Analysis and Training (CIRAT) at Mercyhurst College was established in 1995 and currently is contained within the MCIIS.