Intelligence and Security

From battling international terrorism to solving local crime, using intelligence has become crucial to security. But using it means understanding it – the debates and ethical concerns, how it’s collected and analysed. By exploring this topic in depth, you’ll learn what it takes to work in a number of important sectors.

This is the first course in Britain and only the second worldwide to be accredited by the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE), an international organisation dedicated to expanding research, knowledge and professional development in intelligence education. It will equip you with an understanding of key concepts and debates in intelligence and security and the current state of knowledge in the field. It will enable you to apply this new knowledge to your own field, whether as a practitioner or academic.

You will look in depth at four major themes:

- key concepts and debates in intelligence

- intelligence collection and analysis

- intelligence failure

- intelligence ethics

As well as a greater theoretical understanding of intelligence and security, this course looks at the subject from the perspective of civilian, military and police intelligence agencies as well as providing an insight into commercial intelligence activity, such as the provision of intelligence by private security companies and political risk analysis.

Combining world leading research by members of Politics and International Relations at Leicester, and their practical experience in the field of intelligence, this degree will give you an opportunity to conduct advanced study on intelligence theory and practice.

The MA in Intelligence and Security will be especially beneficial to you if you are seeking professional development and/or enhanced employability working with intelligence in central government, the military, the police, private security sector, non-governmental organisations, the UN or other international organisations.

By choosing to study by distance learning, you will have the flexibility to fit your study around existing commitments and enhance your career prospects without having to leave employment.