Admission requirements
This course is exclusively for students enrolled in the Minor Intelligence Studies at Leiden University. It is not available as a standalone course. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to LDE students.
Exchange students may enroll only if they commit to the entire minor. They must be admitted by the FGGA International Office before the minor begins, with priority for direct exchange partners.
Description
Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis 1 (SAT 1) equips students with practical OSINT data collection skills tailored for intelligence analysis. Building on foundational methods taught across faculties, this course emphasizes their application in intelligence practice, where information is often scarce, ambiguous, or deceptive.
Key features of the course:
Integrated Research & Practice: Apply advanced research methods directly to the field of intelligence to see how theory operates in practice.
The Analyst’s Mindset: Master the ability to filter noise, evaluate source reliability, data credibility and navigate missing or deceptive data.
Real-World Application: Research a current security crisis and produce a professional intelligence briefing.
Career Training: Develop the collaborative and data collection skills essential for both postgraduate research and a career in the intelligence community.
Unlike traditional research methods courses, SAT 1 focuses on the unique challenges of intelligence research, including data gaps and deception.
Course objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Evaluate OSINT Methodologies: Explain and evaluate the role and challenges of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) within the modern data collection landscape in intelligence.
Design Research Frameworks: Translate intelligence requirements into research questions and actionable Intelligence Collection Plans (ICP).
Execute Data Collection and Validation: Systematically identify and collect data; evaluate sources and data for reliability, credibility, and potential deception.
Communicate Findings: Synthesise findings into structured, professional intelligence products for written delivery.
Timetable
On the right side of the programme front page you will find links to the website and timetables, uSis and Brightspace
Mode of instruction
8 lectures of 3 hours.
Group work
Participation in lectures and group work is required in order to obtain a grade. One lecture may be missed. Being absent more than once may lead to expulsion from the course.
Assessment method
OSINT individual assignment (30%)
- Resit possible in case of a fail (<5.50)
OSINT report (individual contribution) (40%)
- Resit possible in case of a fail (<5.50)
OSINT report (group grade) (30%)
- Resit not possible, grade must be compensated
Details for submitting papers (deadlines) are posted on Brightspace. As timeliness is crucial in intelligence, deadlines for assignments in this course are strict: missing the deadline means that the assignment is not accepted.
In the case of written assessment methods, the examiner can always initiate a follow-up conversation with the student to establish whether the learning objectives have been met.
Resit of the individual contribution of the OSINT report is possible in case of a fail (<5.50). The resit exam will be held in January 2027 and will follow the same format as the original test. After the exam, you can look over your paper and see your score, and you will have the chance to request an exam‑review meeting. Details about how to schedule that review session will be posted on Brightspace.
Reading list
TBA
Registration
Registration via MyStudymap is possible from Tuesday 14 July 2026 13:00h after registration for the entire minor. Register for every course via MyStudymap. Some courses of the minor have a limited number of participants, so register on time. Registration for the exam is mandatory.
Leiden University uses Brightspace as its online learning management system. After enrolment for the course in MyStudymap you will be automatically enrolled in the Brightspace environment of this course.
More information on registration via MyStudymap can be found on this page.
Please note: guest-/contract-/exchange students do not register via MyStudymap but via uSis. Registration via uSis is possible from Thursday 16 July 2026 after registration for the entire minor.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer(s) (listed in the right information bar). For questions about enrolment, admission, etc., contact the Education Administration Office: osc.fgga@fgga.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
Students will be enrolled for the workgroups of this course by the programme.
Leiden University uses Brightspace as its online learning management system. After enrolment for the course in MyStudymap you will be automatically enrolled in the Brightspace environment of this course. Furthermore, announcements and modifications will be communicated via Brightspace. Students have the responsibility to stay informed and are thus advised to regularly check Brightspace for updates.
This course is exclusive to the Minor Intelligence Studies.
All sessions and assignments are in English.