MSU’s Online M.S. in Law Enforcement Intelligence and Analysis
Updated October 13, 2026
Michigan State University’s online M.S. in Law Enforcement Intelligence and Analysis, developed by Dr. David Carter, trains analysts to turn raw data into intelligence for investigations and counterterrorism work. The program traces back to a 1980s DEA request, and DHS- and NIJ-funded research has since shaped its curriculum. He says it can prepare graduates for fusion-center, federal, and private-sector roles.
Michigan State University’s online M.S. in Law Enforcement Intelligence and Analysis program was developed by nationally and internationally recognized law enforcement intelligence expert Dr. David Carter. According to Dr. Carter, the program traces its roots to a request from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in the late 1980s, and Department of Homeland Security training grants and National Institute of Justice research grants have since informed how its curriculum has developed.
An expert in policing issues, violent crime control, law enforcement intelligence, and counterterrorism, Dr. Carter brought his knowledge and experience in developing the field of law enforcement intelligence to MSU, where he and his colleagues prepare new generations of intelligence analysts to contribute to antiterrorism efforts, SWAT operations, and broader criminal justice policy.
MSU, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and 9/11: The Birth of a Program
As Dr. Carter explains, Michigan State University’s master’s program is uniquely focused on law enforcement intelligence, as opposed to the national security intelligence emphasis of other programs around the country.
“At Michigan State, we have a history as the oldest degree-granting criminal justice program. As for the intelligence program, we kind of took that as part of our DNA and focused on law enforcement intelligence.”
According to Dr. Carter, the program’s roots go back to the late 1980s, when the DEA asked the university for help developing its intelligence unit.
“That’s really where I started learning more about intelligence analysis,” says Dr. Carter, “and what I found was not a lot was written about it. So, I did the research and started to develop it somewhat out of experience.”
This practical, ground-up approach to problem-solving led Dr. Carter to design the program around law enforcement and the intelligence agencies that first expressed the need for intelligence and analysis.
“All of that changed notably after 9/11,” Dr. Carter notes. “Soon after the terrorist attacks, it became recognized that the intelligence process was going to be critical for law enforcement and counterterrorism. The Justice Department created a formal advisory body called, initially, the Global Intelligence Working Group, and then later the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council, or CICC.”
According to Dr. Carter, the intent of the advisory body was to bring professionals together to develop standards and best practices for how U.S. police departments should implement and design the intelligence process to ensure that it was not only efficient and effective, but that it also protected Americans’ constitutional rights.
“I was a member of the advisory boards from the beginning and able to contribute and participate to ensure that we achieved this goal.”
Dr. Carter says Department of Homeland Security grants later supported intelligence training he provided across the country to law enforcement agencies.
“I also had grants from the National Institute of Justice to do research on fusion centers and how they were operating,” says Dr. Carter. “So, collectively, all these things together inform our curriculum for the LEIA program so that it meets national standards and is consistent with my best practices.”
A World Without Law Enforcement Intelligence
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ 2024 National Crime Victimization Survey, there were 23.3 violent victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in the United States in 2024, and 10 percent of those victimizations involved a firearm.
These figures from the U.S. Department of Justice are one of the inputs that shape policy and law at the local, state, and national levels. Intelligence analysis is one of the key tools policymakers rely on to understand and respond to threats to the public.
As Dr. Carter explains in his book, Law Enforcement Intelligence Operations, “Intelligence not only fulfills the role of investigative support, it is also an important management tool for decision making, resource allocation, deployment, and a spate of other administrative responsibilities.”
Dr. Carter notes the importance of intelligence analysis and how it informs the criminal justice system.
“Intelligence analysis is virtually the scientific approach to problem solving. It’s research, and that’s what we do in universities. We do a great deal of research,” explains Dr. Carter.
“We do not do theoretical research, but instead we’re doing policy research. That’s much of what intelligence analysis is: it’s applying research methods for data gathering to analysis,” he says. “It’s using this good research but integrating it with policy and with law.”
And Dr. Carter understands the importance of using the data he and his colleagues and students collect ethically and responsibly.
“There’s probably no aspect of intelligence analysis that is more critical—and controversial—than ensuring the protection of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties. We try to integrate all of these—and I think we do it effectively—in order to say: ‘How can we have robust data gathering and analysis while, at the same time, ensuring the protection of constitutional rights?’
And that’s a core element that permeates our program. So it’s policy oriented, it’s research oriented, and it’s constitutionally oriented.”
Careers for Law Enforcement Intelligence and Analysis Program Graduates
The program initially focused on counterterrorism, but as it evolved, the program faculty expanded its scope to consider how the intelligence process affected other crimes and investigations.
“In a project I did for the Bureau of Justice Assistance, for example, we found that the most successful homicide units with the highest clearance rates all employ intelligence analysts that work with the homicide unit,” says Dr. Carter.
He points to the broad applications of intelligence units, including real-time crime centers and growth in the private sector.
“It’s not just intelligence units within police departments. We’re also seeing private companies that want to hire intelligence analysts. For example, we’ve had a number of graduates who’ve been placed with banks to support the Bank Secrecy Act in preventing money laundering and to detect transactions that may be involved in terrorism or drug trafficking.”
According to Dr. Carter, businesses from Walmart to Disney hire intelligence analysts to protect their customers, their supply chains, and their properties.
“While the basis of the program was established with law enforcement and intelligence analysts in mind, we have found that the private sector has embraced our graduates and the need for intelligence analysts as well,” Dr. Carter says.
Law Enforcement Intelligence vs. National Security Intelligence
It’s important to note that law enforcement intelligence is not synonymous with national security intelligence.
The responsibilities that fall under law enforcement intelligence include:
- Obtaining and Integrating Information
- Identifying Crimes and Crime Trends
- Identifying Criminals
- Developing Cases
- Providing Investigative Support
- Projecting Crime Trends
Law enforcement intelligence is generally crime-driven, built around investigations, case development, and resource allocation. National security intelligence more often follows executive-branch and national-policy priorities aimed at threats to the nation as a whole. The two overlap substantially in counterterrorism and organized-crime work, but the core distinction is what the intelligence supports: criminal cases and law enforcement operations in one case, broader national security decisions in the other.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a law enforcement intelligence analyst actually do?
Intelligence analysts gather, verify, and interpret information to support investigations, resource allocation, and command decisions. Dr. Carter describes it as applied research: using data-gathering methods and turning them into findings that inform policy and law, not theoretical study for its own sake.
How is law enforcement intelligence different from national security intelligence?
Law enforcement intelligence is generally crime-driven, supporting criminal prosecutions and resource decisions at the local, state, and federal level. National security intelligence more often follows executive-branch and national-policy priorities focused on threats to the nation. In practice, the two fields overlap, especially around counterterrorism.
What careers can a law enforcement intelligence and analysis degree lead to?
Dr. Carter says graduates have gone into police department intelligence units, real-time crime centers, and fusion centers. He also points to private-sector growth in the field, including banks that have hired graduates to support Bank Secrecy Act compliance and anti-money-laundering work.
Who is MSU’s Law Enforcement Intelligence and Analysis program designed for?
The program traces back to a 1980s request from the Drug Enforcement Administration and was shaped further after 9/11 by national standards-setting efforts Dr. Carter helped lead. It’s built for working professionals who want formal training in law enforcement intelligence from someone who has worked in the field since its early development.
Key Takeaways
- Built from a real agency request – MSU’s program traces back to a 1980s DEA request, with DHS and NIJ grants later funding training and research that have shaped the curriculum, according to Dr. Carter.
- A distinct discipline – Law enforcement intelligence is generally crime-driven, though it increasingly overlaps with counterterrorism, homeland security, and organized-crime work that touch national priorities too.
- Careers extend past policing – Dr. Carter points to career paths extending beyond police departments into fusion centers, real-time crime centers, and private-sector roles at major employers and financial institutions.
- Privacy is a design constraint – Constitutional protections are treated as a core part of the program, not an afterthought.
If a graduate program like this one is on your radar, your next question is probably how to pay for it.
David L. CarterDavid L. Carter is the director of the Intelligence Program at Michigan State University and a former Kansas City, Missouri, police officer. He is an instructor in the Bureau of Justice Assistance State and Local Anti-Terrorism Training (SLATT) program and the author of “Law Enforcement Intelligence: A Guide for State, Local and Tribal Law Enforcement.” With decades of intelligence experience, Dr. Carter is a frequent speaker, consult, and trainer for the FBI, the DHS, and the Justice Department.