University professor Xavier Crettiez admits that he doesn't know the real names of many of the students on his course. This is a highly unusual state of affairs in the world of academia, but Prof Crettiez's work is far from standard.
Instead, he helps train France's spies. I rarely know the intelligence agents' backgrounds when they are sent on the course, and I doubt the names I'm given are genuine anyway, he says.
If you wanted to create a setting for a spy school, then the campus of Sciences Po Saint-Germain on the outskirts of Paris seems a good fit. With dour, even gloomy-looking, early 20th Century buildings surrounded by busy, drab roads and large, intimidating metal gates, it has a very discreet feel.
Where it does stand out is its unique diploma that brings together more typical students in their early 20s, and active members of the French secret services, usually between the ages of 35 and 50. The course is called Diplôme sur le Renseignement et les Menaces Globales, which translates as Diploma of Intelligence and Global Threats.
This diploma was developed by the university in association with the Academie du Renseignement, the training arm of the French secret services. After the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, the government sought to expand the intelligence workforce, prompting Sciences Po to create this specialized course.
The diploma consists of 120 hours of classwork over four months and costs around €5,000 for non-students, aimed at training spies and providing ongoing education for incumbent agents.
Core subjects include organized crime economics, Islamic radicalism, business intelligence, and political violence. Interestingly, both the private sector and large companies have shown keen interest in the course participants, particularly firms involved in defense, security, and luxury goods.
In the current class of 28 students, six are spies, and they often remain secluded during breaks. Their presence indicates a shift toward incorporating younger, tech-savvy perspectives in intelligence work. Prof Crettiez notes that many students are motivated by a desire to contribute to national security and improve the world.
As courses like this evolve, the profile of those entering the intelligence community also changes, with nearly half of the students now comprising women. This trend signals a potential transformation in how intelligence is viewed and conducted.
