Manchester, United Kingdom
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
Intelligence and security-related issues have never been more prevalent. With terrorist attacks occurring more frequently throughout Europe, the US and the Middle East, governments are working harder than ever before to keep people safe. Sound interesting? Our master’s degree in intelligence and security studies will give you the skills you need to make a difference in this field.
With a range of modules focused on how Britain has historically responded to threats to its internal security, this MA Intelligence and Security Studies degree will place these issues in their historical and cultural context, as well as introduce you to the conceptual tools needed for serious intellectual enquiry.
This is the longest-running non-governmental postgraduate course in the UK, in the area of contemporary intelligence and security issues.
We have a partnership with Grey Dynamics, which is a private intelligence firm that offers apolitical analysis on topics such as security, geopolitics, defence and espionage. MAISS students will be eligible for participation in Grey Dynamics' internship programme.
You will:
- Learn from a team of academics who are recognised, published experts in their fields
- Study current, real-world events of international significance and importance
- Gain the knowledge and transferrable skills desired by employers in the intelligence and security sector
Ideal Students
This is for you if...
- You want to establish a professional intelligence or security-related career in either the public or private sector
- You want to build a strong foundation for PhD study
- You want to further enhance your employment prospects through further qualifications
Curriculum
From the initiation of the secret intelligence services to the ongoing war on global terror, with this master’s degree in intelligence and security studies, you’ll become immersed in the history of Britain’s relationships with its spies and the effect of increased security on the culture of the country.
As your degree progresses, you’ll explore the impact of intelligence on warfare, and counter-terrorism, as well as its role as an everyday tool of government. You’ll be taught the academic skills required to analyse and review real-world examples, considering their impact within the context of history.
Your assignments will give you the chance to use contextual analysis to inform your decision-making – a key skill that will provide instant value to employers. You’ll have the opportunity to finish the course with a postgraduate diploma after the second trimester, or to progress to the master's degree in security and intelligence by completing a dissertation in an area that particularly interests you in trimester three.
Gain a deeper understanding of what you’ll explore within each module below.
Full-time: Semester one
- Issues in Intelligence
- Intelligence and Conflict
Full-time: Semester two
- The Secret State
- Middle East and Terrorism
- Security and Strategic Studies
- Contemporary Security, Intelligence and Terrorism Studies
Semester three
Dissertation
Career Opportunities
There’s never been a better, or more important, time to seek a career in intelligence or security services. From the armed forces to the police, the civil service to international organisations, an understanding and appreciation of the threats to security facing our country can help you put your role into context. Not to mention giving you the opportunity to add value to the important work you are doing.
If you’ve not yet entered the working world or you’re looking for a change of career, undertaking a professional qualification in this area will prove your interest and intentions, as well as give you plenty of transferable skills to take to a new role. And as a master of intelligence and security studies, you’ll also be in the perfect position to pursue PhD study.