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Risk and Security Management (Distance Learning)

Entry requirements


Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

There are no specific qualification requirements, we will assess your application on its own merits.

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

There are no specific qualification requirements, we will assess your application on its own merits. Applicants without relevant Level 3 qualifications will be required to produce a short written artefact to better assist the course leader as to the suitability of the applicant.

About this course


Course option

4.5years

Distance learning (part-time) | 2024

Subject

Criminology

**Overview**
In an increasingly global society, understanding crime and the risk it presents is critical to managing security and preventing threat.

If you’re already working in security, or want to break into the field, this flexible BSc (Hons) Risk and Security Management distance learning degree course will give you an advanced understanding of topics that have a critical impact on society. Study anywhere that suits you while developing your potential as a security professional in disciplines such as strategic and operational management, risk management, security management, business continuity management, cyber security, investigations and counter fraud.

Developed by leading researchers in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, in collaboration with the private security sector, you'll learn to understand crime and risk at a specialist level through study of the latest security and risk management techniques, processes and approaches. You'll graduate with enhanced career opportunities and the ability to contribute more value to your current employer.

**Course highlights**
- Develop academic and professional expertise in the security sector

- Specialise in areas that are relevant to you, by choosing modules that match your interests and career ambitions on topics such as organised crime, victimisation, rehabilitation and terrorism

- Be taught by leading academics from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, including Mark Button, Director of the Centre for Counter Fraud Studies and Nick Pamment, whose team has adapted forensic fingerprinting techniques to fight illegal wildlife trafficking

- Study on a course that inspired an Imbert Prize award-winning dissertation from the Association of Security Consultants, on the topic of the use of handcuffs and restraints in the private security industry

- Have the option to convert relevant prior learning or work experience from previous study, employment, voluntary work and training courses into credits and complete the course in less time

- Get a Certificate of Higher Education after 18 months and a Diploma of Higher Education after 36 months, if you're unable to complete the full course

**Careers and opportunities**
96% of course graduates are in work or further study 15 months after they graduate and 90% of those graduates are in highly skilled work in welfare, protective services and housing, as managers, directors, senior officials and public service associates.

What's more, 93% of course graduates find their work meaningful. So the skills you’ll learn on our course are in high demand and are likely to set you up for progression into a senior professional role you're passionate about.

10% of our graduates go onto further study alongside their work, and you could also continue your studies to a PhD or other postgraduate qualification, such as our Risk, Crisis and Resilience Management Master's and a Professional Doctorate in Security Risk Management.

What sectors can you work in with a risk and security management degree?

When you finish the course, you’ll boost your career prospects and be prepared to take on professional roles across any sector that requires risk and security management.

Areas you could go into include:
- the civil service and armed forces

- intergovernmental organisations (such as the United Nations)

- international charity organisations

- intelligence

- law enforcement and local authority

- security risk analysis

- crisis and disaster management

- counter fraud

- private security

- information security

Graduate destinations

Previous graduates have gone onto roles with companies such as Control Risks (global risk consultancy) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

"Each course through research opened my eyes to a changing world and provided me with the tools necessary to be a better security manager in this dynamic domain." – Oneil Wildgoose, BSc Hons Risk and Security Management student

Modules

Year 1
Core modules currently include:
- Criminal Justice and the Legal System
- Essential Skills for Criminal Justice Studies

There are no optional modules in this year.

Year 2
Core modules currently include:
- Organisational and Security Management
- Risk and Crisis Management

There are no optional modules in this year.

Year 3
Core modules currently include:
- Research Methods and Analysis

Options currently include:
- Advanced Investigation and Operational Policing
- Contemporary Terrorism and the Global Response
- Cybercrime and Security
- Forensic Psychology: Investigation
- Fundamentals of Forensic Investigation
- Organised Crime
- Rehabilitation of Offenders
- Victimology - Victimisation and the Criminal Justice System

Year 4
Core modules include:
- Corporate Security
- Internet Risk and Security

Optional modules include:
- Counter Terrorism and UK National Security
- Critical Issues in Public Protection Policing
- Internet Risk and Security
- Major Crime Investigation
- Organised Crime
- Victimology - Victimisation and the Criminal Justice System

Year 5

Core modules include:
- Dissertation

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed through essays and reports, with essay titles provided at the beginning of the academic year. You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:

Stage 1 students: 100% by coursework
Stage 2 students: 100% by coursework
Stage 3 students: 100% by coursework

The Uni


Course location:

University of Portsmouth

Department:

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

78%
Criminology

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Sociology

Teaching and learning

78%
Staff make the subject interesting
89%
Staff are good at explaining things
78%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
69%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

78%
Library resources
89%
IT resources
82%
Course specific equipment and facilities
68%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

94%
UK students
6%
International students
26%
Male students
74%
Female students
73%
2:1 or above
16%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
B
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Sociology

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£21,000
high
Average annual salary
99%
high
Employed or in further education
55%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

16%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
13%
Protective service occupations
9%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

We have quite a lot of sociology graduates, although numbers fell last year. But graduates still do pretty well. Most sociology graduates go straight into work when they complete their degrees, and a lot of graduates go into jobs in social professions such as recruitment, education, community and youth work, and housing. An important option for a sociology graduate is social work - and we're short of people willing to take this challenging but rewarding career. Sociology is a flexible degree and you can find graduates from the subject in pretty much every reasonable job — obviously, you don't find many doctors or engineers, but you do find them in finance, the media, healthcare, marketing and even IT. Sociology graduates taking further study often branch out into other qualifications, like teaching, law, psychology, HR and even maths, so don’t think a sociology degree restricts you to just one set of options.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Sociology

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£25k

£25k

£25k

£25k

£29k

£29k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
University of Portsmouth | Portsmouth
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UCAS Points: 120-128
Lower entry requirements
University of Portsmouth | Portsmouth
Sociology with Criminology
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Distance learning (part-time) 2024
UCAS Points: 112-128
Nearby University
University of Southampton | Southampton
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UCAS Points: 128

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here