A Seton Hall University graduate program is placing students directly into real national security research for federal agencies, with its founder saying the hands-on model gives graduates a five-year head start over peers who learn on the job. The National Security Graduate Fellowship at Seton Hall's School of Diplomacy and International Relations has an 80% placement rate, with alumni going on to work at the National Security Agency, the CIA, the Secret Service, the military, and defense contracting firms, according to founder Mohamad Mirghahari.
Mirghahari, a Seton Hall graduate who spent 14 years in senior Department of Defense roles supporting counterterrorism operations worldwide, later served as a presidential appointee and senior advisor to the Transportation Security Administration's chief of staff. He remains a special advisor to the Defense Department. He told Fox News Digital that the program's core purpose is simple: «My goal for my students is they're ready day one if they get hired.»
The fellowship pairs graduate students with government agencies that need research and analysis on pressing foreign policy and national security issues. Mirghahari said the arrangement fills a gap for agencies that are stretched thin. «Our program is unlike any other in the nation because our graduate students are actually tackling real-world national security challenges and issues from government agencies,» he said. «As we know, most government agencies have a lot of things going on and they don't have enough resources, but what our graduate students are able to do is support those government agencies, answering and doing research for real-world requirements in the national security field.»
What sets the program apart, Mirghahari said, is the roster of practitioners from across the U.S. government who serve as guest lecturers and professors, giving students direct insight into a threat landscape that has shifted significantly over the past decade or two. «Part of what makes our program so unique is that we address the real-world issues of today,» he said. «History is very important, and you learn from history, but we also want to be the classes that can support the government in real time. We have done projects on China, India and Pakistan, as well as the South China Sea.»
The fellowship's project work has included research for the State Department on how the United States could re-engage with the Taliban if the group returned to power in Afghanistan. Mirghahari said that research remained relevant for years, with the papers later recirculated within the government. «That's part of what we do, provide that real-time research,» he said.
The program also focuses heavily on emerging challenges involving artificial intelligence, data, and foreign influence. Mirghahari said younger students often bring technological expertise and perspectives that government agencies may not have previously considered. On the AI front, which has changed how the United States deals with and conducts cyber operations, he described the technology as a «force multiplier» for his students.
«We examine foreign influence, including how data is mined and distributed, and we use tools such as artificial intelligence, graph theory and other analytical methods to examine large datasets,» he said. «We're giving students an awareness of these technologies and how they can be used across the government.»
He added that students can sift through large amounts of information and extract what is relevant to support their research. «That process is extremely time-consuming, so we're helping government clients bring the information together in one place and examine it more thoroughly.»
Mirghahari said students would need roughly five years in a national security position to learn the on-the-job skills they acquire through the Seton Hall program. He argued that hitting the ground running is now more critical than ever, and pointed to feedback from agencies as evidence the model works. «Some of the feedback we've received from agencies is, 'Your students are well-equipped. They're better than some of the people who have been here for five to 10 years,'» he said.