Newman University is introducing a new Bachelor of Science program in business and strategic intelligence (BSI) to begin in the fall 2018 semester. No other college or university in the state of Kansas is currently offering a comparable program.
The program will be a rigorous, multifaceted one that concentrates on students’ global problem-solving skills in order to achieve an advanced level of analytical proficiency.
The program will leverage software and services to transform data into the actionable intelligence that informs an organization’s strategic and tactical business decisions.
Liberal arts, complemented by mathematics and information technology, will be studied throughout the program.
Assistant Professor of Strategic Intelligence Scott McIntosh is the principal administrator for this program. His work in seeing this program to fruition has involved creating courses and writing the supporting curriculum. Currently, he’s optimizing the courses for students to take this fall.
The program is primarily geared toward non-traditional students in order “to accommodate military intelligence, first responder, and private industry support personnel” to name a few, although, the program can accommodate traditional students as well.
Most of the courses will be offered online. As his field of expertise is National Security Affairs, McIntosh is writing curriculum for an international relations course and looking forward to teaching courses covering the Cold War and cross-cultural communications as well. The BSI program will accordingly focus intently on modern topics affecting both challenges and opportunities in security, commerce and the infosphere.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “[management analysts] will see a much faster-than-average growth nationally — 30 percent, specifically; the forecast is 4,390 openings within the next seven years. In Kansas, those statistics are 18 percent and 50 percent, respectively. Data analysis, critical thinking and interpreting the meaning of information for others were highlighted as sought capabilities.”
McIntosh said, “There is a need for this program. The public and private sectors need people who can ingest a lot of information quickly and put it into a report or oral format for those who make decisions, especially under time constraints; so the information needs to be right the first time.”
According to U.S. Department of Labor, management analysts had a median annual pay of $81,330 with an entry-level bachelor’s degree and work experience in a related occupation of fewer than five years.
McIntosh said his hopes for the program “downstream are to have more specialized curriculum for different career tracks, such as law enforcement or international relations.”
Enrollment for the new program will open this summer. For more information, contact McIntosh at (316) 942-4291, ext. 2291.
