MSc Crisis and Security Management

This one-year, English-taught Master's programme offers insights on general developments as well as the specific challenges in the field of the governance of crisis and security, with in-depth knowledge of sub-fields of crisis and security management.

Courses

The CSM programme consists of three common courses of 4 or 5 ECTS each. Next, you choose a specialisation that consists of four coherent courses of 10 ECTS each. Further, one elective of 5 ECTS completes the CSM curriculum. Students graduate on account of a portfolio and reflection paper, showing how exactly they met the learning outcomes of the programme.

Programme outline

The CSM programme consists of three common courses of 5 or 4 ECTS each. Additionally, you take part in four specialisation courses of 10 ECTS each and one elective of 5 ECTS. The final 1 ECTS can be obtained in the Portfolio course.

First Semester

Security Challenges in a Globalizing World (4 ECTS)

In this course, students get acquainted with the underlying social, economic, political and cultural changes of late-modernity that influence perceptions of (in)security and critically discuss the concept of ontological security. This course addresses transformations in society that produce ontological insecurity, like globalisation and hybrid threats. Further, the course will look into the renewed search for ontological security, as manifested in populism, identity politics, re-territorialisation, nationalism and nostalgia.

Security: Actors, Institutions and Constellations (5 ECTS)

The provision of security has increased in complexity over time. The public provision of security is divided amongst several public entities, the pure public provision of security is deemed an illusion, and citizens demand a role in this framework as well. The very concepts of internal and external security become fluid as well, not in the least because of the growing importance of cyber security. Lastly, this multi-actor approach plays in a multilevel setting. In this course, students discuss the different theories on how security can be provided in the most effective way, and what repercussions this has for the organisational structure of security actors.

Second Semester

Security and the Rule of Law (5 ECTS)

Democracies today continue to wrestle with shifting and rapidly evolving threats stemming from conflicts, state coercion, and a variety of security concerns. Differently from other political systems, societies upholding the rule of law require policy and legal responses to respect balances and protect civil, social and human rights. Hence, how can states ensure safety while respecting a democratic legal framework? What kind of powers and responsibilities characterise democratic security governance? The aim of this course is to bring together different theoretical and methodological approaches in order to address these questions. Specifically, the seminars are designed around seven dilemmas related to security and the rule of law addressing both national and international politics.

Elective (5 ECTS)

In Block 4, students are required to pick one elective of 5 ECTS. Find the overview of the electives offered in 2023-2024

Is CSM the right programme for you?

• Are you driven to read the news each morning, fascinated by current events and their follow-on developments?
• Can you think critically about complex societal issues?
• Are you interested in combining a variety of academic perspectives and applying them to real-life issues?
• Do you want to contribute to the discussion and practices around crisis and security management?
• Are you able to form an informed opinion and communicate it clearly to a variety of audiences?

Then this is the programme for you!

The combination of academic and professional skills taught in the CSM prepares you for a wide variety of careers in the rapidly expanding domain of security and crisis management, including public or private sector and policy-making positions.

The CSM programme aims to educate students to become academically trained, reflective security and crisis professionals in a broad sense. It aims to teach students to develop a critical attitude, adopt a perspective of scholarly independence and a high level of self-directed and autonomous learning and functioning.

The programme strives to convey both general knowledge of the core themes and approaches in crisis and security management and specialised knowledge on the governance of radicalism, extremism and terrorism, the governance of crisis, cybersecurity governance, intelligence and national security, and war and peace. Furthermore, the programme emphasises the ability to reflect on the ethical and normative dimensions of crisis and security management and their consequences for the behaviour of government officials, agencies, actors in civil society and private sector.

The graduate is thus capable of recognising and analysing a broad range of complex and wicked problems in the domain of crisis and security management, both at the local, the national and the international level. The graduate is able to undertake independent research at graduate level, applying a broad range of theoretical and analytical approaches relevant to crisis and security management.

Skills after graduation

Once you have obtained your master diploma, you will be ideally equipped to enter the labour market. Because of your specialist knowledge and skillset you will have a world of options available to you, both in the public and in the private sector. There are, for instance, many strategic and challenging opportunities working for a ministry, embassy, European institute, NGO, or local administration but also plenty of opportunities working for consultancy firms or working as a consultant for private security companies.

Positions held by our alumni

CSM graduates find employment in both the public and private sector, in a wide variety of positions. In the three months after graduation, almost 63% of graduates land their first job. After the first year, this is nearly 92%.

Example Positions

This MSc provides you with the tools to tackle emerging security and crisis issues through a governance perspective. After completing CSM, graduates work in the private or public sector, in positions in policymaking departments in all levels of government, or strategic positions in international organisations and NGOs, consultancies, or industry. Positions include:

• Consultant
• Policy officer
• Crisis response coordinator
• Network security manager
• Research assistant
• (Business) Analyst
• PhD candidate