Foreign interference, violent extremism, cybersecurity, armed conflicts, rise in hate crimes… Security issues are making headlines. It is in this context that the University of Sherbrooke has established a new path in security and intelligence offered as part of its master’s degree in applied political studies.
The establishment of the new security and intelligence pathway at the University of Sherbrooke is the result of an analysis of workplace needs. “We saw that there was a gap between the need in practice environments and the training of good analysts with skills in particular in writing, with the usual tools and deliverables, therefore briefing notes, memos , everything which is very short,” explains David Morin, full professor at the School of Applied Politics at the University of Sherbrooke, responsible for the master’s degree in security and intelligence.
The program therefore aims to train security and intelligence analysts who will be able to work not only in all agencies — Sûreté du Québec, police services, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada Border Services Agency, National Defense, Communications Security Establishment, etc. —, but also in ministries, for example in the Ministry of Education or the Environment.
PHOTO MARIKA VACHON, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
David Morin, full professor at the School of Applied Politics at the University of Sherbrooke, responsible for the master’s degree in security and intelligence
“Risk analysis, security analysis also means better understanding your environment. Surveillance is the job of the police. What we try to do is to ensure that our students have the necessary tools to produce good, nuanced analyses, which can also be critical analyzes in relation to public policies in terms of security,” specifies Mr. Morin.
A path focused on practice
The new security and intelligence pathway at the University of Sherbrooke has been designed to be very focused on practice, with the possibility of doing internships. “The training is very focused on the needs of practice environments and to do this, the pedagogy that we have adopted is reverse pedagogy. So, students do a lot, a lot of reading at home and when they arrive in class, they are confronted with scenarios, simulations, speakers from practice, etc. », explains Mr. Morin.
The first cohort of this new pathway includes around twenty students. “We wanted a quiet start to test all the educational material,” says the professor responsible for the program, who emphasizes that no advertising was done to promote it, but that the objectives set for the first year were achieved. .
A growing need
At the end of their school career, students are ready for the job market. And that’s good: the demand is great.
PHOTO MARIKA VACHON, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Dany Dufour
Out of 8,000 employees, perhaps 2,000 civilian employees – including professional analysts – make up our workforce, so it’s still a very important ratio.
Dany Dufour, deputy director of the specialized investigation service at the Sûreté du Québec
“It’s a path that really meets the needs well. I speak for the Sûreté du Québec because it is my employer, but I think that in the current workforce context, graduates have a very, very good placement rate,” adds Mr. Dufour.
With a salary ranging between $80,000 and $100,000, depending on experience and work environment, this path is perfect for people who seek thrills without putting their safety at risk.