- SMIA
- DoD COOL
- Missouri DHE
- POST Approved for CLEE
- NICCS aligned
- ACCET - Accredited
Certified Social Media Intelligence Analyst (SMIA)
Collect, Analyze, and Document Social Media Intelligence for Real Investigative Use.
The Certified Social Media Intelligence Analyst program prepares investigators, analysts, and security professionals to identify relevant online activity, validate digital information, preserve social media evidence, analyze cross-platform behavior, and report findings in a structured investigative format.
- 40
- Hours
- 35
- CPE credits
- Lifetime
- Access
- 1 Year
- Exam License
- FBI
- DHS
- FedEx
- Citi
- Mossberg
- DEA
- DoD
- 3-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- Full Lifetime Access
- 1 Year Exam License
- Official Study Manual
- Official Online Training
- Official Prep Review Quizzes
or pay over time with Affirm · Sezzle
Military / Gov COOL and TA eligible
Social media produces endless information—but investigations depend on knowing what is relevant, reliable, and properly documented.
Online activity may involve multiple accounts, aliases, platforms, devices, conversations, locations, and rapidly changing content. Investigators must know how to identify useful information, validate identities and sources, preserve context, document collection methods, and distinguish online claims from supported intelligence. SMIA is designed for professionals who need a practical framework for collecting, analyzing, preserving, and reporting social media intelligence in investigative, security, and analytical environments.
Relevant activity is missed when investigators rely on isolated searches or familiarity with only one platform.
Findings lose credibility when accounts, identities, timelines, relationships, and source context cannot be independently verified.
Digital evidence becomes difficult to review when collection methods, preservation steps, and analytical reasoning are not documented.
SMIA provides a structured foundation in social media intelligence, OSINT, online investigations, mobile and platform-based information, digital evidence preservation, legal considerations, and professional case-file preparation.
What sets this program apart
Social Media Intelligence Foundations
Builds practical capability in collecting, evaluating, analyzing, and documenting information from social platforms and related online sources.
Cross-Platform Investigative Context
Develops the ability to connect accounts, identities, conversations, relationships, locations, and activity across multiple platforms rather than examining each source in isolation.
Evidence and Case-File Preparation
Emphasizes preservation, documentation, legal considerations, analytical reporting, and the organization of findings into a professional investigative format.
Professional Certification Assessment
Certification requires completion of the applicable training, eligibility requirements, assessments, and proctored final examination. Access to the program alone does not result in certification.
Choose your enrollment path
Self-pay, military/government funding, or employer sponsorship — we'll take you to the right option.
A board-issued credential, recognized where it counts
- DoD COOL
- Missouri DHE
- POST Approved for CLEE
- NICCS aligned
- ACCET - Accredited
Board certification programs: Students must submit all course quizzes, score 70% or better on all sections of the course and obtain a 70% or better on the final online examination, and submit proof eligibility up completion of your exam application. All fees must be paid in full. Upon successful completion of your program, the McAfee Institute will issue your board certification. Students who successfully complete the program before meeting the eligibility will be put into a holding pattern until the eligibility is met at which time the credentials will be issued.
Completion of training does not guarantee employment, promotion, security clearance eligibility, or acceptance by any agency or third party.
Accreditation & Recognition
Accredited. Verified. Proven.
It's what agencies, employers, and funding programs look for before anything else — the difference between a certification that's respected and one that's just claimed.
Institutional Accreditation
Accredited by ACCET
Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training
McAfee Institute is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training (ACCET), a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency.
ACCET ID #1671 · Effective 2026-09-02 · Term 3 years · Accredited
Institutional Authorization
Certificate to Operate
State of Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education
Current regulatory authorization to operate as an institution in Missouri, issued July 15, 2026 and valid through June 30, 2027.
DHE #78249-00 · Institution-wide · Verified 2026-07-28
Military Credentialing & Funding
Approved for DoD Credentialing Assistance (CA) & COOL
U.S. Department of Defense — six service catalogs
McAfee Institute certifications are approved for Credentialing Assistance (CA) funding and listed in each branch's Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) catalog. Each branch sets its own eligibility, funding coverage, and promotion-point credit.
Army 16 · Navy 16 · USCG 16 · USAF 15 · DoD 9 · USMC 6
Directory Listing — Federal
NICCS Education & Training Catalog
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
McAfee Institute is listed as a training provider in the federal cybersecurity education and training catalog operated by CISA.
15 programs · Institution-wide · Verified 2026-07-28
Federal Contract Vehicle
GSA Multiple Award Schedule
U.S. General Services Administration
A negotiated contract vehicle under which federal agencies may procure services directly, covering December 21, 2022 through December 20, 2027.
47QSWA23D0025 · Institution-wide · Verified 2026-07-29
Continuing Education Recognition
40 CLEE hours approved · Control #14984
Missouri Dept. of Public Safety POST Program
20 legal studies · 20 technical studies
Listings, catalog inclusions, and funding eligibility are not accreditation and are not an endorsement by any agency. Acceptance of any credential varies by employer, agency, and jurisdiction, and no outcome is guaranteed.
Select certification programs may be eligible for use with military and government credentialing or tuition assistance benefits, subject to agency and individual eligibility requirements. Participation does not imply endorsement by any agency.
Officers should confirm acceptance with their licensing agency.
What You'll Learn
The SMIA program develops foundational and applied capabilities across the following social media intelligence and digital-investigation areas:
Joshua A. McAfee · Founder & CEO, McAfee Institute
15 years building credentials for the professionals who actually do the work. SMIA was developed alongside practitioners from federal, state, and corporate investigation teams.
Built for professionals responsible for social media research, online investigations, and digital evidence
SMIA is designed for professionals whose work involves social media intelligence, online investigations, threat identification, fraud, corporate security, intelligence analysis, digital evidence, compliance, or case support.
This course is perfect for
Law Enforcement and Cybercrime Investigators looking to enhance their investigative skills on social media platforms.
Private Investigators and Corporate Security Professionals interested in mastering online intelligence and threat identification for corporate security.
Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Analysts who monitor and assess digital threats for national security purposes.
Cybersecurity Analysts and Risk Management Professionals focused on identifying risks, gathering intelligence, and ensuring digital security.
Legal and Compliance Officers needing a comprehensive understanding of social media intelligence to manage digital investigations and case files.
This course may not be for you if
You are seeking social media marketing, content creation, brand management, public relations, or audience-growth training.
Your role does not involve investigations, intelligence, fraud, security, compliance, digital evidence, risk, or related analytical responsibilities.
You want a tool-specific cybersecurity or digital-forensics certification rather than a broader social media intelligence framework.
You are looking for a brief awareness course rather than structured training with formal assessment requirements.
You are unwilling to verify online information, preserve source context, document methodology, and distinguish leads from supported conclusions.
Is this program right for you?
Program-fit questions candidates ask before they enroll.
No specialized SOCMINT background is required beyond the published eligibility standards. SMIA begins with foundational intelligence and OSINT concepts before progressing into social media investigations, mobile information, digital evidence, and case-file preparation.
Eligibility & requirements
McAfee Institute trains military, law enforcement, and investigative professionals. Eligibility reflects that. Verification is the reason the credential carries weight in the field.
Education & experience
Any one of the qualifying paths below. Experience must be in investigations, law enforcement, criminal justice, military, or similar fields with direct criminal investigation or intelligence responsibilities.
Path A Bachelor's or higher + 1 year experience
Path B Associate's degree + 2 years experience
Path C HS diploma or equivalent + 4 years experience
Relevant fields include investigations, law enforcement, criminal justice, military, and/or another similar field with direct criminal investigation and/or intelligence responsibilities.
Conduct requirements
Applicants are not eligible with any felony conviction or pending felony charge, or any conviction or pending charge involving violence, dishonesty or breach of trust, or crimes against persons, or other disqualifying offenses. Criminal history must be disclosed at enrollment and may be verified.
International enrollment
McAfee Institute is a U.S.-based institution serving a primarily U.S. professional audience. International enrollments may be subject to additional review, identity verification, professional affiliation verification, and compliance screening. Applicants located in certain countries or regions, or associated with restricted persons or entities under U.S. law, may be ineligible for enrollment.
- 3-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- Full Lifetime Access
- 1 Year Exam License
- Official Study Manual
- Official Online Training
- Official Prep Review Quizzes
or pay over time with Affirm · Sezzle
Military / Gov COOL and TA eligible
Read the full eligibility and conduct policyDisclosure & verification
Applicants must disclose criminal history as requested during enrollment. McAfee Institute may verify eligibility through documentation and/or a background check when required by a program component, partner environment, exam vendor, or when reasonably necessary to protect program integrity. Disclosures are required to the extent permitted by applicable law.
False information
Any material falsification or omission is grounds for denial of admission, removal from the program, and/or denial of certification.
No guarantee of outcome
Completion of training does not guarantee employment, promotion, security clearance eligibility, or acceptance by any agency or third party.
The SMIA curriculum progresses from OSINT foundations, the intelligence cycle, privacy, and secure research environments into social media investigations, advanced platform research, mobile forensics, chat and dating applications, legal fundamentals, and investigative case-file preparation. Across 15 modules and 40 hours of instruction, learners examine how online information can be collected, validated, preserved, analyzed, and documented as professional intelligence.
About this Course
Foundational certification in social media intelligence analysis and monitoring. Learn to collect, analyze, and report intelligence from social media platforms for security, law enforcement, and intelligence applications.
The Certified Social Media Intelligence Analyst (SMIA) program by McAfee Institute equips law enforcement, intelligence professionals, and investigators with advanced skills in digital intelligence and social media investigations. This program offers hands-on, real-world training drawn from over 25 years of experience across various federal, state, local law enforcement, and military intelligence sectors.
Gain the skills and techniques needed to navigate the digital landscape confidently. From social media investigations to mobile forensics and legal considerations, the SMIA program prepares you for high-impact roles in law enforcement, corporate security, and intelligence agencies.
Everything you need to certify
One enrollment includes the full course library, the official manual, the proctored exam license, and your board credential on completion.
- Official study manual
- Prep review quizzes
- Online training program
- Exam license (1 year)
- 40+ hours of instruction
- Mobile & desktop access
- Board certification (digital + physical)
- 35 CPE / CEU credits
- Closed captions
More Than Just Certifications
Join a comprehensive professional development platform designed exclusively for law enforcement, intelligence, and investigation professionals.
Active Community
Engage with verified professionals in law enforcement and intelligence
Exclusive Jobs
Access career opportunities not listed elsewhere
CPE Tracking
Automatic continuing professional education credit management
Expert Network
Connect with federal agents and industry leaders
Communities
Join private discussion groups with peers
Resources
Articles, whitepapers, tools and more
Three ways to fund your certification.
Self-pay · Military / Gov COOL · Employer-funded
Pay once. Lifetime access included.
3-day money-back guarantee
Interest-free via Affirm or Sezzle. 6–12 month plans available.
Military / Gov COOL eligible? Use DoD/Navy/Army/Coast Guard/Air Force COOL or TA funding — switch to the tab for the invoice request flow.
Need financial help? — available for self-paying students demonstrating financial need.
Enrollment, examination, and policy FAQs
- Yes. McAfee Institute is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training (ACCET), a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency, under ACCET ID #1671. Accreditation applies at the institutional level; it does not guarantee employment, promotion, or acceptance of any credential by a particular employer or agency.
Not sure if this is the right credential?
Talk to an advisor about eligibility, fit, and funding paths.
Build the foundation to turn social media activity into documented, defensible intelligence.
Complete the SMIA certification process and document specialized education and assessment in social media collection, OSINT, cross-platform analysis, mobile intelligence, digital evidence, legal considerations, source validation, and professional case-file preparation.