BSc (Hons) Security, Intelligence and Investigative Practice (Integrated Foundation Year)

Program Overview

The BSc (Hons) Security, Intelligence, and Investigative Practice program provides a comprehensive understanding of security, intelligence, and investigative practices. It equips students with skills in analysis, protective services, and both public and private sector roles. The program combines academic study with professional practice, using simulations and virtual reality to enhance practical skills development. Graduates are prepared for careers in various fields, including analysis, protective services, and both public and private sector roles.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The BSc (Hons) Security, Intelligence and Investigative Practice (Integrated Foundation Year) program focuses on the concept of security from a broad perspective, encompassing asset protection to analyzing global events and designing solutions.

Objectives:

• The course merges skill sets from law enforcement and the military with the commercial world.
• It equips students with the ability to identify and fill knowledge gaps in various disciplines.
• The program prepares students for careers in analysis, protective services, and both the public and private sectors.

Outline:

Year One:

• Essential University Skills One: Develop foundational academic and professional skills needed for effective learning and successful progression.
• Contemporary Issues and the Media: Analyze current issues through the lens of media relevant to the program's subject area.
• Introduction to Policing, Criminology, and Law: Gain a foundational understanding of the English and Welsh Legal and Criminal Justice system and the discipline of criminology.
• Essential University Skills Two: Further enhance the skills acquired in Essential University Skills One.
• Families, Communities, and the Criminal Justice System: Explore psychological and societal risk factors and pre-cursors to criminality.
• Professional Practice in the Community: Develop awareness of community groups and activities to gain a deeper understanding of society.

Year Two:

• Intelligence, Structures, and Products: Introduces core concepts related to intelligence and its role in 21st-century policing.
• Managing Criminal Enquiries: Focuses on the fundamental theory and practice of criminal investigation.
• Crime Scene Investigation: Explores techniques employed by UK forensic agencies in crime scene investigation and evidence recovery.
• Operational Security: Introduces the processes behind security measure implementation.
• Cyber Security: Explores protective digital practices and real-world examples of cybercrime in a digitally driven society.
• Evolution of Threat: Examines the history of threats, such as protest, extremism, and terrorism, drawing upon literature, inquiries, and practical contexts.

Year Three:

• Investigative Interviewing: Emphasizes the importance of human testimony in information gathering for investigative practice.
• Serious Organised Crime Investigations: Develops knowledge of decision-making, crime, investigation, and offending, with a focus on serious organized crime.
• Covert Operations: Introduces covert techniques used in investigations.
• Security Risk Management: Teaches the recognition of risks in both physical and electronic environments.
• Digital Intelligence: Understands technical intelligence gathering operations using advanced and customized methods for collecting and analyzing intelligence.
• Practical Action Research (optional module): Enhances research skills through an action research project, emphasizing independent inquiry.
• Forecasting Future Challenges (optional module): Develops research skills, recognizing and forecasting potential threats to individuals and communities.

Year Four:

• Global Threats & Risk Principles: Provides a comprehensive understanding of the impact of events in a globalized environment.
• Safeguarding Society: Understands how to manage vulnerability.
• Freedoms and Protections: Explores the meaning of privacy in contemporary society.
• Extremism: Delves into the theory and practice surrounding acceptable protest and illegal extremism.
• Dissertation/ Work Based Project: Develops an appropriate investigation into a chosen area of practice.

Assessment:

• Summative and formative assessments are integral to the curriculum.
• A diverse range of assessment methods are employed, including:
• Case studies
• Essays
• Reports
• Examinations
• Practical skills assessments
• Poster presentations
• Oral briefings
• Virtual reality supported vignettes

Teaching:

• Delivery methods include a blend of academic study and professional practice.
• Representatives from various professions contribute to the curriculum to ensure students are prepared for future careers.
• Professional practice is used to illustrate research and theory.
• Simulations provide practical learning environments.
• Virtual reality equipment enhances practical skills development.
• Learning approaches include:
• Lectures
• Facilitated discussions and debates
• Case studies
• Guided reading and study
• Reading groups
• Simulations
• Peer-assisted learning
• Interactive online and classroom activities
• Virtual reality simulations
• Connecting social media, research, and traditional lectures
• Reflection on contemporary issues
• Volunteering opportunities
• Experiential visits to the workplace

Careers:

• Investigative practice skills are widely sought after by employers.
• Potential career paths include:
• Analysis
• Protective services
• Public and private sector roles

Other:

• The program is delivered in-person at the Carlisle - Fusehill Street campus.
• It is a full-time, four-year program.
• It is available to UK, RoI, EU, EEA, and international students.
• The minimum entry requirement is 48 UCAS Tariff points.
• The course structure balances academic study and professional practice.
• The program uses professional practice to illustrate research and theory.
• Students have the opportunity to engage in virtual reality simulations to enhance their practical skills.

Tuition Fees and Payment Information:

• Tuition Fees
2024 - 2025 £9,250 - UK £13,575 - International
• The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs.
• Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year.
The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.