Professional Doctorate in Security Risk Management DSyRM

The Professional Doctorate in Security Risk Management (D.SyRM) is a structured, four-year, part-time programme targeted towards security professionals in the UK and overseas. It comprises a taught element delivered through a small number of workshops in Portsmouth for the first two years and then two years of supervised research leading to a thesis.

The aim of the course is to provide a framework for security professionals to reflect on and contribute to practice in their area of work. Its emphasis is on developing researching professionals (which is distinct from the more traditional PhD route which aims to develop professional researchers).

Students on the programme welcome the opportunity to enhance their professional standing in their areas of expertise while developing important new knowledge in those areas. They are drawn from a variety of backgrounds including:

• Corporate security
• Commercial security
• International security
• Security training sector
• Business continuity and crisis management
• Policing
• Military

Benefits of a Prof Doc in Security Risk Management (DSyRM)

The overall aim of the course is to develop security professionals whose work informs, and is informed by, original research in the field. Current research topics include:

• Managing complex crises
• Securing the oil and gas sector
• Security of tax havens

Teaching and assessment

The doctoral programme aims to develop your research ability in the broad area of security risk management to an advanced level and promote evidence-based practice development. The development of the quality and value of your practice and research will be enhanced through:

• Seminars and workshops on critical research and security-related issues specifically focused on the development needs of security professionals
• Support from staff and peers to support you in reaching the necessary (doctoral) standard
• Supervision from a team with a very wide range of development and research interests and many years of professional experience
• Access to University of Portsmouth library facilities including a large number of e-books, journals and databases accessed electronically
• Access to additional, targeted training courses delivered through our Graduate School to meet any specific learning needs related to your individual research
• The use of an online learning environment enabling you to keep in easy touch with your peers and the course team
• Development of wider national and international perspectives through networking with your peer group
• Building ongoing productive links between security organisations
• Raising the profile, credibility and influence of your profession in both academic and practice contexts

A master’s degree in an appropriate subject. Applicants must be professionally engaged in a security related area. All applicants are subject to face-to-face or telephone interview.