Counterterrorism, Risk Management and Resilience MSc

Program Overview

The Counterterrorism, Risk Management and Resilience MSc at Cranfield University equips students with advanced knowledge and skills to tackle terrorism threats. Through a combination of taught modules and a research project, graduates gain expertise in risk management, counterterrorism methodologies, and contemporary risks. The program prepares individuals for careers in security forces, intelligence agencies, and organizations involved in counterterrorism activities.

Program Outline

Counterterrorism, Risk Management and Resilience MSc

This postgraduate program aims to equip you with the expertise needed to tackle threats posed by terrorism through advanced study in a field of growing global relevance.

Degree Overview

Objectives and program description:

• Objectives:
• Become adept at identifying and understanding threats and applying appropriate risk-management techniques
• Develop critical-thinking skills for understanding current terrorism threats and counterterrorism methodologies
• Gain specialist understanding of contemporary and complex risks in various fields
• Description:
The Counterterrorism, Risk Management and Resilience MSc equips participants in the security sector with a comprehensive array of techniques, analytical frameworks, and evidence-based methodologies for mitigating terrorism risks. Drawing on expertise within Cranfield University and leveraging industry connections, the program aims to prepare graduates for diverse careers, particularly within security forces, intelligence agencies, the public sector, the United Nations (UN) and NGOs involved in counterterrorism activities.

Outline

Content

• Contemporary and multifaceted risks confronting societies in today's world
• Approaches, frameworks, applications in risk-management, crisis and resilience management and counter-terrorism
• Legal framework within which counterterrorist measures can be applied
• Understanding the motivations behind political extremism and state terror

Structure and Schedule Duration:

The Counterterrorism, Risk Management and Resilience MSc program offers two study structures: Full-time: Comprehensively covers the material over an intensive 11 month schedule, where you'd engage actively in taught modules for about three-quarters of that period Part-time: Completes all required modules and dissertation work over the span of two academic years.

Module Details (Titles):

• Introductory Studies
• Understanding Terrorism & Counter-terrorism
• Exploring the history and evolution of terrorism and counterterrorism
• Major theories and debates
• Research methodologies and data analysis to understand and assess terrorism and counterterrorism
• Applied Counterterrorism
• History and nature, modern counterterrorism
• Forms & arenas, efficacy & limitations of different tactics/strategies
• Detailed case studies, role and impact of counterterrorist policies
• Strategies, Ideologies and Tactics of Terrorism
• Drivers & decision-making behind terrorist strategies, tactics & targets
• Terrorist use/interpretation of diverse ideologies
• Adaptability, tactics and strategy, countermeasures, state responses and future trends in terrorist approaches
• Terrorism Risk Management and Mitigation
• Risk-management development & functions in terrorism, vulnerability analysis of threats
• Risk assessment, management
• Case-studies in terrorism risk-management
• Future trends & issues for mitigation and management
• Risk, Crisis and Resilience
• Risk theories
• Risk management tools
• Crisis Management, communication strategies
• Resilience concept
• Protecting Critical National Infrastructure (可选模块)
• Concepts & characteristics, current risks
• Vulnerabilities analysis
• Protection of infrastructure & key resources, case-studies, comparative analysis, risk mitigation, future threats
• Cyberterrorism (可选模块)
• Concept & cyberspace threat landscape
• Terrorists’ use & major attacks, tech overview
• Cyberwarfare & crime relationship with terror
• Cybersecurity, ethics, & risk mitigation
• Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN)-Terrorism (可选模块)
• Development, appeal of these weapons
• Attack planning & decision-making
• Case-study analysis
• Detection, prevention, mitigation
• Psychological elements & future risks of CBRN threats
• Counterterrorism and Intelligence (可选模块)
• Current thinking on terrorism, its origins, motivations
• Countering, intelligence in CT
• Govt, enforcement agencies NGOs & intelligence role & effectiveness, legal & ethical issues
• Terrorism and the Law (可选模块)
• International & domestic legal responses, definitions
• State jurisdiction & extradition
• Criminal liability
• Human rights laws and terrorism, derogations
• Courtroom Skills (可选模块)
• Role & responsibilities of expert witnesses in criminal & civil cases.
• Effective expert evidence presentation.
• Cross-examination preparation, responding & conducting examination-in-chief
• Fundamentals of Fire Investigation (可选模块)
• Nature of fire principles & application in investigations.
• Evidence handling, photo/packaging techniques
• Origin & cause determination
• Counter Improvised Explosive Devices Capability (Optional Module)
• C-IED approach in accordance with relevant military, civilian standards.
• Counter Threat professionals education in a system engineering approach.
• IED threats development & counteraction
• Technology in C-IED, influence activities
• Adversary weapon systems analysis
• Forensic Exploitation and Intelligence (可选模块)
• Forensic intelligence (FORINT) principles & applications in practice.
• Information management, patterns analysis
• Exploitation, output from FORINT.
• Integrating with other intelligence sources.
• Trauma Weapon Effects (Optional Module)
• Various weapon types used in criminal activity, construction of improvised weapons
• Wounding and damage estimation.
• Weapon identification

Assessment

Assessment Methods:

The Counterterrorism, Risk Management and Resilience MSc program employs various assessment strategies for gauging student progress and learning outcomes:

Taught Modules

• Examinations (written or computer-based): Assessing understanding and critical thought through application to relevant situations and questions,
• Coursework Assignments: Individual essays/reports on selected themes within terrorism, risk and resilience
• Group Activities and Presentations: Sharing ideas, demonstrating teamwork & collaborative-problem solving, promoting communication & analysis skills, building upon concepts covered in taught module curriculum, demonstrating applied skills, showcasing initiative and analytical abilities in presenting ideas
• Dissertation Research Project: Independently undertaken research project involving writing a 40,000-word dissertation that demonstrably applies theoretical, analytical and critical knowledge of the field.

• Assessment Criteria:
• Understanding: The extent to which knowledge and theories in terrorism, risk-management and resilience have been grasped
• Analysis/evaluation: Capability for critically examining issues, applying concepts & analytical frameworks in assigned scenarios & tasks, drawing conclusions
• Communication: Skillful use of written and/or oral expression to effectively explain ideas
• Research and synthesis skills (Dissertation Project:
• Capacity for independent study
• Critical review and use of literature
• Application to real situations: Drawing connections with contemporary problems & using course materials
• Initiative/independence: Demonstrates initiative and self-management in research & tasks.

Teaching

Cranfield's Counterterrorism, Risk Management and Resilience MSc program offers a stimulating learning and professional- development setting:

Teaching Methods and Staff

• Lecturers/seminars : Subject to change but currently affiliated, the course modules listed below are indicative and may be updated or withdrawn
• Leading experts, industry practitioners contribute as external speakers.

Specific Approaches:

• Learning-through assessment approach
• Combining teaching & assessment to reinforce the curriculum and promote valuable skill acquisition
• Careers
• Security sector, policing
• Government policy
international work

Others:

Counterterrorism, Risk Management and Resilience MSc Cranfield

Counterterrorism, Risk Management and Resilience MSc Cranfield

• Course delivery

Delivery

60% - taught modules (lectures & tutorials, group tasks, case studies, simulation, individual projects and field trips

• 40% - research for an extended thesis project (40,000 words) in an area relevant to counterterrorism, to be presented during the final assessment
• Security Clearance
Cranfield has been a part of the Ministry of Defence since 1996 when The UK Ministry of Defense was restructured as a non-departmental public body with no ministerial representation or executive agency status within it and a number of its research establishments, including those at Shrivenham and Porton Down, became part of Cranfield University's Defence Academy of the United Kingdom As one of the core modules of the MSc in Counter Terrorism Risk Management and Resilience is delivered at the UK Defence Academy, security clearance will be required in order to register for this course All applicants to courses delivered on the Shrivenham site, operated as part of the Cranfield Defence Academy and subject to the requirements of the MoD must complete the process for the Baseline Security Standard prior to registration, or must already hold security clearance to this level or higher. For those applicants requiring security clearance, it should be noted there may be unavoidable delays, therefore submitting your application well in advance, along with your CV and full academic record for review is strongly advisable