Program Overview

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Bachelor of Security Studies

The Bachelor of Security Studies is a unique degree that equips students with the skills to navigate the complex and evolving security landscape with confidence. As the only degree in New South Wales specialising in security, and the only one in Australia to take a truly multidisciplinary approach spanning counterterrorism, cybersecurity, intelligence, and strategy and defence, it provides students with capabilities that set them apart.

Overview

Security risks are shifting fast, driven by geopolitical tension, technological disruption, and threats that move across borders, sectors, and systems. From online extremism and cyberattacks to transnational crime and foreign interference, today's challenges are complex, interconnected, and constantly evolving. In this environment, governments, businesses, and communities rely on people who can interpret uncertainty, assess risk, and make decisions grounded in evidence.

Key Features

• Get hands-on with data and intelligence tools: Learn to analyse security data, assess threats, and apply intelligence techniques skills fast becoming some of the most sought-after.
• Learn from leaders in defence and strategy: Connect with experts via guest lectures by Australian ambassadors, UN officials, NATO reps, and other high-profile practitioners.
• Grow expertise through collaborative simulations: Tackle issues like online extremism and warfare via scenario exercises and security challenge games that mirror real operations.
• Build global connections beyond the classroom: Join long-running student society MACSEC, which hosts career days, social activities, and industry networking events.

Career Outcomes

With a rapidly evolving job market, graduate employability remains a priority. The program works closely with a range of industries and sectors to ensure students are job-ready when they graduate.

About the Bachelor of Security Studies at Macquarie University

The Faculty of Arts is home to a passionate community of scholars committed to equipping students with skills for the future via transformative education and world-leading research. Through an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and research, students develop capabilities to address local, national, and global challenges.

Studying at Macquarie

The vibrant and leafy campus forms part of one of the largest business and technology precincts in Australia. To ensure students have the right skills when they graduate whether they're starting their first job or taking their career to the next level Macquarie University offers flexible study options, personalised degrees, and practical experiences.

Course Structure

• Full Time: 3 years
• Study options: Full Time, In person, on campus
• Duration can vary due to prior learning and work experience.

Entry Requirements

Students qualify as Australian domestic students if they:

• are a citizen of Australia or New Zealand, or
• are an Australian permanent resident, or
• hold an Australian permanent humanitarian visa. International students are those:
• intending to study on a student visa, or
• not an Australian permanent resident, or
• a temporary resident (visa status) of Australia.

Fees

Fees are calculated based on the program's structure and the student's enrollment status.

Location and Start Dates

The program is offered at the North Ryde campus, with start dates varying by semester.

Employability Prospects

Employability prospects are improved with a double degree, and the program offers multimode learning and teaching, allowing students to study on campus, online, or a combination of both. Macquarie University has partnerships with over 200 universities for student exchange in more than 40 countries.