The college of Graduate studies (CGS) was created to address the Arab world's need for higher education in the area of police sciences, criminal justice, administrative and social sciences from a comprehensive security perspective. The ultimate goal was to promote public security and stability at both national and Arab levels. The involvement of the college of graduate studies culminated to the standard of offering Diploma, M.A. and PhD degrees in various areas of security sciences. The CGS started its classes in 1983, and by 1985 it embarked on specialized and applied programs, which were introduced to meet the needs 'of Arab security apparatuses. However, the year 1996 witnessed a breakthrough as a result of the drastic development of the College's framework and programs with the aim of harmonizing them with the updated curricula on the one hand and the security dynamics at both Arab and International scenes, on the other hand.
Presumably the most conspicuous step in the program of the CGS came in concomitance with the approval of the Board of Directors of NAUSS, in its 29th session on 12th of November 2001, chaired by HRH Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the pursuance of PhD programs in the college. The decision consequently led to a number of relevant steps, unique among which was the formulation of regulations, principles, curricula in addition to recruitment of specialized teaching staff.
In addition to its permanent teaching staff members, the College invites visiting professors from Arab and non-Arab countries with the aim of benefiting from their rich experiences in the various areas of its security specializations. Further, the College may occasionally seek the help of temporary lecturers who are originally staff members at Riyadh universities and colleges. However, time and again the college struggles to recruit qualified staff members.