Intelligence-Based Decision Making

About this subject

• What you'll learn

  On successful completion, a student will be able to:

  1. Collect, analyse, and apply intelligence assessments to support policy development in national security and decision-making contexts.
  2. Critically evaluate key national security and intelligence theories and debates to inform decision-making processes.
  3. Apply research and investigative methods to examine the assumptions underpinning intelligence practices in diverse contexts.
  4. Communicate persuasive, well-reasoned intelligence arguments through clear and coherent written and verbal formats.

• Topics covered

• Description

• Assessments

• Textbooks

• About Macquarie University

Entry requirements

Part of a degree

To enrol in this subject you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:

Core

• MAQ-ITL-MAS-2026 - Master of Intelligence
• MAQ-STP-GCE-2026 - Graduate Certificate of Strategic Policy
• MAQ-STS-MAS-2026 - Master of Strategy and Security

Elective

• MAQ-CRI-MAS-2026 - Master of Criminology

Equivalent subjects

You should not enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:

• MAQ-PICX8012-Critical Thought and Research Design (no longer available)

Others

Pre-requisite: Admission to MCT(OUA) OR MCrim(OUA) OR MCyberSecAnalysis(OUA) OR MSS(OUA) MIntell(OUA) OR MStrategySec(OUA) OR GradCertStrategicPolicy(OUA) OR GradCertSecStudCr(OUA)

NCCW (2020 and onwards)
PICT8090 Intelligence-Based Desision Making OR
PICX8012
Critical Thought and Research Design OR
PICT8012
Critical Thought and Research Design

Additional requirements

No additional requirements

Study load

0.125 EFTSL

This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.

Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.

Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.