Professional Doctorate in Security Risk Management

Program Overview

Overview

The Professional Doctorate in Security Risk Management (D.SyRM) is a structured, part-time programme targeted towards security professionals in the UK and overseas. It comprises a taught element delivered through a small number of workshops in Portsmouth for the first two years and then up to five years of supervised research leading to a thesis.

Benefits of the Programme

The aim of the course is to provide a framework for security professionals to reflect on and contribute to practice in their area of work. Its emphasis is on developing researching professionals (which is distinct from the more traditional PhD route which aims to develop professional researchers).

Entry Requirements

Qualifications or Experience

• A master’s degree in an appropriate subject.
• Applicants must be professionally engaged in a security-related area.
• All applicants will be invited to attend a face-to-face or telephone interview.

English Language Requirements

• English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.

Course Costs and Funding

Tuition Fees

• Home/CI students: £5,700 p/a*
• EU students: £5,700 p/a* (including Transition Scholarship)
• International students: £8,600 p/a*

All fees are subject to annual increase

Modules

Part-time

• Year 1
• Year 2
• Year 3
• Year 4
• Year 5
• Year 6

Core Modules

Professional Review and Development - 30 credits

On this module, we'll introduce you to Professional Doctorate studies. You'll reflect critically on your skills and experience, using professional knowledge models and literature to identify any areas for improvement.

Advanced Research Techniques - 30 credits

This module will give you a grounding in qualitative and quantitative research techniques appropriate for doctoral-level work - regardless of your final methods.

Publication and Dissemination - 30 credits

On this module, you'll learn how to write an academic article suitable for publication in a journal of your choice and present to your fellow students in a style that mimics an academic conference.

Proposal for Professional Research and Development Project - 30 credits

In this module, you'll reflect on and consolidate your prior learning to draft your own professional research or development proposal.

Professional Research and Development Project - 360 credits

This doctoral thesis module enables you to undertake primary, secondary or literature-based research within criminal justice, examined through a 50,000-word thesis.

Structure and Teaching

A central feature of this programme is that you will be studying with the same cohort of people throughout. The interaction that this provides will give you the opportunity to work, learn and develop together.

Assessment

You will be assessed on the strength of your thesis, which is up to 50,000 words. The assessment includes two elements: i) a 50-minute presentation with an invited audience (plus 10 minutes of Q and As); followed by ii) a Viva Voce conducted by external and internal examiners.