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BSc (Hons) Intelligence, Security and Resilience

UCAS CODE: ISR1 (Full-time) or ISR4 (Foundation Year)

TARIFF: 88 - 112 (Full-time) or 32-56 (Foundation Year)

Overview
Course Details
Entry Requirements
Modules
Fees
Employability
Teaching Team

Study Mode: Full Time
Location: High Wycombe
Duration: Three or Four Years
Start Date: September 2024

Looking for a degree that prepares you for constant challenges and unexpected events? BSc (Hons) Intelligence, Security, and Resilience is all about understanding the impact of contemporary issues such as climate change, cyberattacks, crime, geopolitical change, commercial competition and more, both for businesses and governments.

We are living in a time where technology and human life are blending in fascinating yet complex ways. This course helps you make sense of it all and teaches you how to be a valuable player in this rapidly changing world. We cover everything from investigation and verification of information to identifying patterns, making assessments, and presenting analysis. These skills are universally valuable, and you can specialise early on choosing to work on a local or global scale or anywhere in between.

No. 1 in England for Student Satisfaction*

*Measured by % of positivity across all questions within the larger providers only: taught or registered population (NSS 2023)

No. 1 Students' Union in the UK*

*As ranked among taught students at non-specialist HEIs (NSS 2023

Top for our response to the cost-of-living-crisis*

*Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

5th for learning opportunities*

*NSS 2023

Top 10 for student support*

*Whatuni Student Choice Award 2023

The quality of teaching is great and having lecturers with different backgrounds enables us to learn about a wide range of opportunities after graduation. We also attend one-to-one tutorials frequently where we can bring up any concerns and receive advice on coursework.

Shelley Jones

Why study this subject?

The field of commercial intelligence is on the rise, generating exciting and varied new job prospects in both the private and public sectors. With global security operations growing in size and complexity, there's a high demand for skilled professionals in this domain. We will help you to channel your natural curiosity about the world around you, teaching you a range of research and analytical techniques to get to the heart of any problem.

In today's 'permacrisis' world, organisations confront a multitude of challenges, from climate change to cyber threats, geopolitical shifts, and more. BSc (Hons) Intelligence, Security and Resilience equips you with the expertise needed to help organisations anticipate, prepare for, protect against, and respond effectively to any potential threat or risk.

We are at the dawn of the 4th industrial revolution, characterized by hyper-connectivity, AI, open data, VR, AR, and the merging of humans with technology. This course not only helps you understand the opportunities and risks inherent in this new world but also empowers you to actively participate and make a difference.

Whether you're launching a new career or enhancing existing experience with academic qualifications, this degree broadens your professional knowledge. It also enhances valuable life skills, including public speaking, research, and critical analysis.

Looking for additional academic support to build your confidence? Adding a Foundation Year is an ideal choice. This additional year helps you develop essential academic skills, identify your strengths, and address development areas.

I like discussing real world situations and using them to explore academic ideas.

Sophie Devine

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

Uniquely, at BNU we put our focus on the skills and behaviours necessary to succeed as an analyst team leader, as well as the knowledge. This means that our graduates are equipped to immediately enter fulfilling roles in the intelligence, security, and resilience industries.

You'll benefit from our strong connections with industry and public sector employers. You'll learn from seasoned professionals who bring real-world insights into the classroom. Additionally, we regularly host guest speakers, giving you direct exposure to current industry trends and practices.

This is a highly practical course with no exams. We focus instead on realistic professional assessments which prepare you for a fascinating career.

We work to actively help you find summer internships and placements. These experiences provide invaluable insights and practical skills, setting you up for success in your chosen field.

In today's professional landscape, communication skills are paramount. At BNU, we prioritize the development of these skills. Workshops on public speaking, effective visual communication, and enhancing written and online communication are woven into the curriculum.

This is one of the fastest growing job opportunity sectors worldwide.

Dr Maitland Hyslop International risk expert

Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in your first year from a broad selection in areas like sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing, and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop beyond the boundaries of your discipline and help you to stand out from the crowd to future employers.

As a BNU student, you will automatically become a member of the Bucks Students’ Union giving you access to a wide range of services that we offer for free. As a student you can join the ‘Intelligence, Security and Resilience Society’ which gives you a budget to invite additional speakers, or even run your own events, to supplement the core programme. Upon graduation, you will become a member of the University’s alumni community giving you access to a wide range of benefits throughout your lifetime.

What facilities can I use?

We’ve invested in a range of state-of-the-art facilities across our campuses to support your learning.

Our library is the perfect place to find the resources you need and a quiet place to study, filled with four floors of books, journals, computer suites, and study rooms. Or, if you’d rather work off campus, e-journals and resources are only a few clicks away using our Virtual Learning Environment.

Whilst studying with us you will also use our AppsAnywhere web service, which provides access to many of the software applications you use for learning and studying. AppsAnywhere can be used from your own device or a University-owned PC or laptop, from any location.

What will I study?

This three-year degree is designed to allow you the freedom to build, specialise and apply learning to your own specific interests and career plans. In the first year, you will study a series of core modules to build knowledge that the rest of the course is built on.

In the second year, you'll develop technical skills with modules such as Structured Analytical Techniques and Research Methods. Specialization options include Intelligence and Security, Corporate Security, Terrorism, and a work placement module.

In the final year, you'll apply your knowledge, skills, and behaviours through the completion of a personal extended project on a topic of your choice. As well as going on a series of visits to relevant organisations to see how your expertise can be applied in the workplace.

We can produce coursework on subjects which interest us. So, I just wrote about the Korean War to explain how bias can effect intelligence operations.

Sophie Devine

How will I be taught and assessed?

You will generally study two modules per term, building up a good knowledge of the core subjects before being supported to apply this knowledge to more advanced real-world analysis as the course progresses.

At the core of each module will be regular seminars led by a member of the programme team. Guest lectures from target employers will feature in most modules.

You will be given considerable flexibility in your choice of assessment topics to support the development of your own individual areas of interest. As the programme develops, you’ll be assessed through group activities, report-writing, some essays, formal presentations, side-by-side briefs, technical skills demonstrations, and reflective portfolios. In the final year, you will undertake an extended individual project on a topic of your choice.

Intelligence, Security and Resilience Programme Specification - 2024

What are the course entry requirements?

A typical offer will require a UCAS tariff score of: 88 - 112 (Full-time) or 32-56 (Foundation Year)

UCAS points can be obtained through qualifications such as A levels, T levels, BTEC or an Access to Higher Education course in a relevant subject. Please list all your qualifications on the application form as you will be asked to provide copies when we receive your application.

A minimum of two full A-levels (or equivalent) is required. Every application is considered on an individual basis

For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements for the three-year undergraduate programme, or those who do not feel fully prepared for a degree course, can apply for a four-year programme including a Foundation Year; find out more.

Modules

This provides a guide of the modules that make up your course. You can find more information about how your course is structured on our Academic Advice section.

This course has Opportunity modules.

Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in your first year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers. Find out more.

Foundation Year

Core Modules

Preparing for Success: Knowledge and Creativity

The module will prepare you for successful progression into academic study while allowing you to learn about and prepare yourself for employment in the twenty-first century through inquiry-based learning, problem solving and critical and creative thinking.

Preparing for Success: Self-development and Responsibility

This module enables you to begin developing the Bucks Graduate Attributes associated with leadership and self-development and social and ethical awareness and responsibility, which are essential for success in higher education and in the world of work.

Inquiry Based learning

Delivery of this module is based on ‘confirmation inquiry’ – a foundational level of inquiry geared for developing your understanding of key concepts and themes as well as basic methodologies and approaches to academic work, relevant to your discipline. You’ll then have the opportunity to analyse a problem or question that relates to your subject.

Fundamentals of Intelligence, Security and Resilience

In this module, you will be introduced to some of the key concepts in intelligence and discuss how intelligence challenges can be solved. You'll explore different types of security, including global, corporate, political, cyber and many more. You will examine your personal resilience and resilience at an organisational level.

Year 1

Core Modules

Credits

Academic and Professional Development

Credits: 20

This module is designed to help you settle into studying at this level. You’ll develop the essential study skills and professional approach to ensure you succeed on the remainder of the programme. You will be encouraged to use your creativity and taught how to channel your natural curiosity into structured academic research.

Intelligence Concepts and Practice

Credits: 20

Intelligence operations describe a range of activities including espionage (spying), collecting and processing satellite imagery and running Covert Human intelligence Sources. In this module, you’ll trace the principles of intelligence operations, learn how they’re planned and managed and start to develop the basic skills to conduct them yourself.&...

Security Operations and Management

Credits: 20

Security is a broad term that means protection from harm. It can be applied to individuals, communities, businesses, nations, and to cyber space. This module provides a broad foundation of the key security concepts. It also explains the organisational, national, and global context and the factors that influence approaches to security.

Organisational Resilience

Credits: 20

This module aims to provide a thorough foundation to those interested in pursuing resilience related careers in the private sector, government, including civil service, armed forces and police, NGOs (charities), and international organisations. Resilience is no longer an optional extra, but a key requirement that demands skill and agility.

Structured Analytical Techniques

Credits: 20

Analysis is at the heart of intelligence and security analysis and underpins organisational and strategic resilience. Structured Analytical Techniques provide the framework to conduct analysis and decision-makers with auditable assessments. This module introduces reasons for using structured analytical tools and examples to apply to problems.

Opportunity Modules

You must choose 2 x 10 credit Level 4 Opportunity modules from the Opportunity module catalogue.

Year 2

Core Modules

Credits

Advanced Structured Analytical Techniques

Credits: 20

In this advanced module, we examine more complex Structured Analytical Techniques and how to incorporate them into an analytical plan in order to conduct increasingly complex and auditable analysis. In this practical module, you should expect to work in teams, taking turns to lead, research, analyse and present back to the wider group.

Research methods

Credits: 20

The aim of the module is to provide learners with an introduction to research methods and the skills necessary for planning and conducting research and enquiry within their field of study, discipline or professional contexts.

Global Intelligence, Security and Resilience

Credits: 20

To succeed in Intelligence, Security and Resilience, a broad knowledge of the global context is required. You’ll learn about our world, the geopolitical and economic processes that shape it, the key dynamics, and consider what the future may have in store. Of central interest are issues that impact the security or resilience an organisation.

Optional Modules

Credits

Work Experience

Credits: 20

You will gain hands-on real-life experience of the workplace and have the chance to apply and expand upon your academic knowledge to develop and enhance your employability skills in a professional environment. You can develop general skills, confidence, professionalism, and gain focus for the remainder of your studies and on your career ambitions.

Terrorism and Counter Terrorism

Credits: 20

The first role of government is to protect its people, so terrorism generates extreme political heat, and efforts to counter it are inordinately expensive. This module considers the political dimensions along with counter-terrorist tactics including intelligence, special forces, and measures to protect from terrorist attacks.

Technology and Security

Credits: 20

Technology constantly evolves and if organisations are to be effective at protecting people, assets, and information, they must understand the threats and opportunities that it presents. You’ll be introduced to new and emerging technologies and how they’re impacting the delivery of the security function at the corporate and strategic level.

Organisational Resilience Challenges: Preparation and Recovery

Credits: 20

Organisational resilience may be determined by two phases: planning for crisis and reacting to and recovering from a crisis event. This module examines both aspects and the linkages between them. You’ll learn the importance of leadership and communication and how they are applied in different organisational settings.

Corporate Intelligence and Security

Credits: 20

For modern corporations, corporate intelligence and security provides not only competitive advantage, but a key to survival in a fast paced, interconnected, and “permacrisis” world. This module provides an overview of the corporate world and how it employs intelligence and security (physical and cyber) services and a vast and growing sector.

Year 3

Core Modules

Credits

Extended Independent Work

Credits: 40

This module provides you with a comprehensive understanding of the topics needed to manage projects within a complex and ever-changing environment. You’ll develop a deeper understanding of both theoretical and practical aspects of project management and we’ll help you gain the skills to plan, monitor, control and deliver successful projects.

Real World Application of Intelligence Security and Resilience

Credits: 20

This module will help you study the real world application of the wide range of topics studied across the programme. You will conduct a series of visits and hear guest lectures in which we will draw together everything you have learnt. It will introduce you to exciting potential careers where your new skills and knowledge will make a real differenc...

Local Resilience Project

Credits: 20

Learners will conduct a real world small project with immediate operational relevance to local resilience. Types of project include: analysing recent local resilience challenge events (eg flooding, extreme cold weather, building collapse, localised large-scale medical challenge), compiling and presenting a “lessons learnt” report, collaborating to ...

Optional Modules

Credits

Operational Leadership

Credits: 20

Graduates will often be expected to lead small teams, applying their technical knowledge whilst inspiring team members. In this module, you’ll develop your ability to lead at the operational level. We’ll combine theoretical and applied learning of leadership techniques and skills with practical application based around contemporary challenges....

Corporate Security Challenges

Credits: 20

You’ll study contemporary issues in corporate security and the impact these are having on the resilience of organisations. You’ll examine the potential national and global impact. You’ll explore contemporary challenges through discussion, group work and research, looking at how risks are managed in organisations dealing with competing priorities.

Global Resilience

Credits: 20

Whether focused on corporate or public sector security and intelligence operations, the global context is always key. As a professional in intelligence security and resilience, you must always bear in mind the global context. This module supports you to develop a more sophisticated global awareness.

Risk Management

Credits: 20

A thorough understanding of Risk Management underpins an organisation’s understanding and approach to Security, Intelligence, and Resilience as well as other essential functions. We’ll help provide you with an essential baseline to understanding how to protect and progress an organization in a physical and virtual (cyber) sense.  

Strategic Intelligence Analysis

Credits: 20

Understanding the dynamics of global politics and economics is a challenge faced by intelligence analysts at every level. By the end of this module, the learner will be confident in applying structured analytical techniques to strategic challenges whether in the commercial, public or inter-governmental scale.

Aviation Security

Credits: 20

Aviation, both civil and military, imposes unique security challenges to people, equipment and business functions. Aviation operations cross many jurisdictions, are governed by specific regulations and involve a wide variety of stakeholders. Aviation Security has therefore emerged as a specialism worthy of focussed study.

What are the tuition fees

Home

Home, Academic Year 2024 - 2025: £9,250 per year

International

Overseas/International, Academic Year 2024 - 2025: £15,150 per year

Most courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees.

The majority of students find that having their own laptop or tablet to use during seminars is helpful, as there is a great deal of live online research during group activities. However, loan equipment is available and some activities can be conducted in computer labs or using the library networked computers.

There may also be some additional costs arising from visits out but these are kept to a minimum where possible.

You could benefit from financial support through a bursary or scholarship during your time as a student. For more details visit our financial support, bursaries and scholarships section.

What are my career prospects?

Graduates from this course can go into careers in a broad range of industries. Within Intelligence, Security, and Resilience there are various specialisations:

Intelligence – analysis, investigations, research, forensics, vetting, due diligence, counterintelligence, Open-Source Intelligence analyst penetration tester, counterterrorism
Security – management, travel, events, contracting, operations centre operator, systems design, advisor, counterespionage
Resilience – crisis management, business continuity, risk management and enterprise risk management

Previous graduates from our security and resilience courses have gone on to work in a range of public and private sector organisations including:

local and national government, including the security services and Cabinet Office
international organisations: UN, OSCE, Red Cross etc
the military: army, navy, air force
the police
multinational commercial organisations: tech, insurance, finance, oil and gas, manufacturing etc
private risk and security companies.

In addition to opportunities after completing your degree, previous intelligence students have completed prestigious internships, including the University of Oxford's UNIQ+ programme.