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. It was developed by the university in association with the Academie du Renseignement, the training arm of the French secret services.
This came following a request from French authorities a decade ago. After the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, the government went on a large recruitment drive within the French intelligence agencies. It asked Sciences Po, one of France's leading universities, to come up with a new course to both train potential new spies and provide continuous training for current agents.
Large French companies were also quick to show an interest, both in getting their security staff onto the course, and snapping up many of the younger graduates.
The diploma consists of 120 hours of classwork with modules spread over four months. For external students – the spies and those on placement from businesses – it costs around €5,000 ($5,900; £4,400).
The core aim of the course is to identify threats wherever they are, and how to track and overcome them. The key topics include the economics of organized crime, Islamic jihadism, business intelligence gathering, and political violence.
To attend one of the classes and speak to the students I had to be vetted first by the French security services. The theme of the lesson I joined was intelligence and over-reliance on technology.
One of the students I spoke to is a man in his 40s who goes by the name Roger. He tells me in very precise, clipped English that he is an investment banker. He adds: I provide consultancy across west Africa, and I joined the course to provide risk assessments to my clients there.
Prof Crettiez, who teaches political radicalisation, says there has been a huge expansion in the French secret services in recent years. And that there are now around 20,000 agents in what he called the inner circle.
This is made up of the DGSE, which looks at matters overseas, and is the French equivalent of the UK's MI6 or the US's CIA, along with the DGSI, which focuses on threats within France.
It's not just about terrorism. There are also agencies like Tracfin that specialize in money laundering and are focused on mafia activity, especially in southern France, including corruption in public and private sectors due to illegal drug trafficking.
Students and professional spies expressed appreciation for the unique environment, giving them a fresh perspective on intelligence work. Many cited a desire to make a positive impact through their future careers in security and intelligence.
Nearly half the students in the program are women, marking a recent shift in interest in intelligence work. As Prof Crettiez notes, this new enthusiasm is driven by a hope for a better world.
Ultimately, the program at Sciences Po Saint-Germain not only trains future spies but shapes the future of France’s intelligence community amid a rapidly changing global landscape.
