FOSTERING STABLE AND SAFE COMMUNITIES Human Security and Geospatial Intelligence

Preparing the GEOINT Workforce

Our undergraduate and master’s programs in human security and geospatial intelligence (HSGI) provide workforce-focused leadership, management and technical knowledge that gives graduates the skills and expertise to lead and manage new initiatives in the rapidly shifting landscape of GEOINT applications, data collection systems, analytic methods and mission support.

The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) has accredited all of SSI’s academic HSGI programs. This accreditation indicates that our HSGI programs comply with the highest standards for GEOINT curriculum, faculty expertise, novel research approaches and availability of adequate resources for state-of-the-art teaching and learning.

FROM 2015 TO 2022:

● 125+ students have graduated from SSI HSGI academic programs

● 80+ of these have been active duty personnel, Department of Defense (DoD) support agency personnel or veterans

● 75+ of these transitioned into intelligence, security or public safety work at the national, state and local levels

● 20+ graduate certificate and masters students completed DoD-focused projects and theses while at USC

Even before USC became a university partner of the U.S. Space Force, the newest division of the Armed Forces, the Spatial Sciences Institute has been placing graduates in roles that support national security objectives in the space domain. Examples of SSI graduates serving in the U.S. Space Force include Rebecca Bosworth (M.S. Geographic Information Science and Technology ’23), Jillian Combs (M.S. Human Security and Geospatial Intelligence ’21) and Ben Miralia (M.S. Human Security and Geospatial Intelligence ’20). SSI faculty are part of USC’s new Center for Research in Space Technologies (CREST).

Selected SSI Student Recipients of USGIF Scholarships and Awards

● Courtney Fassett: 2017 Graduating High School Senior Scholarship

● Richard Windisch: 2018 Golden Ticket (young professional award)

● Kevin Mercy: 2019 Golden Ticket; 2020 RGi Scholarship for Geospatial and Engineering

● Elin Henningsson: 2020 Golden Ticket

● Jong Su Kim: 2020 Graduate Scholarship

● Mia Poynor: 2020 Most Promising Female GEOINTer Award recipient

● Tristan Pekron: 2022 Ken Miller Scholarship for Advanced Remote Sensing Applications

● Jacob Spear: 2022 Graduate Scholarship

Developing Global Security Leaders

The tragic and troubling events taking place around the world are unfortunate evidence that global security is under threat. In Fall 2022, SSI launched the M.A. in Global Security Studies Program to prepare professionals for leadership roles in global governance and security. Working with faculty from SSI, the USC Dornsife Department of Political Science and International Relations, the USC Shoah Foundation and the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability, students develop a unique combination of competencies in the acquisition, analysis and interpretation of testimony and geospatial data.

Diana Ter-Ghazaryan, associate professor (teaching) of spatial sciences, specializes in the transformation of post-Soviet and Armenian urban landscapes, the digital humanities and use of geospatial technologies to preserve cultural heritage. Her GEOINT background includes leading a geospatial data curation team responsible for a data hub of resources supporting security of Latin American and Caribbean partner nations of U.S. Southern Command.