Choosing Cranfield to do a part-time Counterterrorism, Risk management and Resilience MSc

In my role as a resilience lead in aviation at a major international airport, counterterrorism, risk and resilience is a significant priority and a fundamental part of my work.

I wanted to formalise my knowledge and have an opportunity to expand it and learn, and this course offered that opportunity. Having previously studied with Cranfield, at the Safety and Accident Investigation Centre, I was drawn back because of the fantastic experience I had. Not only does Cranfield offer first class facilities but importantly the content of the courses are not only academic, they have a practical approach and application for practitioners to relate to – Cranfield also offers a huge amount of networking both with the lectures, both resident and guest but also with fellow students and industries/organisations.

As a part-time student, juggling the difficulties of studying and a full-time job is a challenge but the structure of the modules and the flexibility that Cranfield offers, ensures that you aren’t overwhelmed by the modules in terms of content or assessments and there are suitable gaps between them to manage work, leave and life.

So far, the quality and tuition has been excellent, despite the challenges which Covid-19 has presented and as a result more online learning than planned, the content and delivery has been fantastic, with some exceptional guest lecturers from the real-world, not just theorists and academics – the balance is just right. To date, the Understanding Terrorism and Counterterrorism, and the Protecting Critical National Infrastructures have been some of the best and most enjoyable lectures/modules I’ve had. Providing a real deep exploration and understanding of terrorism and target selection.

I was lucky enough to be awarded the inaugural Pool Re Postgraduate scholarship, which provided funding towards the cost of the course. This is open to anyone wishing to attend this course and I applied via the University website. The Pool Re funding and partnership offers a really exciting opportunity to produce work which is mutually beneficial and their input to the course puts an interesting perspective on the topics.

Going forward, as the course continues and looking towards the thesis, I’m looking forward to producing work which is hopefully interesting and beneficial to me in work but also to Pool Re and Cranfield, and the opportunities that may bring for further partnership and working. Bringing academic theory together with practical application and mutual benefit, and overall, improvements in the area of counterterrorism, risk and resilience.

Learn more about the Pool Re Postgraduate Scholarships and Counterterrorism, Risk Management and Resilience MSc.