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Policing and Intelligence Analysis - MSc

Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry.

Our MSc Policing and Intelligence is designed to provide a detailed platform for critical analysis and evaluation of strategic level policing and the use of intelligence within investigations....

  • Level Postgraduate Taught
  • Study mode Full Time
  • Award MSc
  • Start date September 2025

This course is:

Open to International Students

Overview

Our MSc Policing and Intelligence is designed to provide a detailed platform for critical analysis and evaluation of strategic level policing and the use of intelligence within investigations.

The course will be delivered by subject matter experts and experienced practitioners (including retired police officers) with a wealth of subject expertise, to build upon existing skills and develop new ones. This course has been developed through consultation with a range of police force areas, to give students the opportunity to examine strategic and operational policing, whilst also ensuring opportunities for enhancing reflective practice in order to better examine current work procedures amongst our student cohort.

Professional Placement option

For our MSc Policing and Intelligence Analysis degree, you will have the opportunity to take the Professional Placement version of the course, which is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course.

This will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability and transferable skills. The placement experience will allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.

You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study, with support from our Careers+ team as well as advice and guidance from your School.

Please note that placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course.

For full details, please click here.

This course is open to International students.

What's covered in this course?

The course will develop your critical thinking skills surrounding the subjects of policing, policy and practice through complementary modules encompassing the theory and principles of operational policing, intelligence gathering, use of data, Inclusions and equality issues and much more.

To develop these skills, you will be involved in practical activities, events and will be exposed to a range of opportunities to reflect current working practices. Wider discussions will also be had on the changing nature of policing, criminal justice and public sector agencies as well as current risks, threats and harm which are impacting on communities at the operational level.

Optional modules for the course will include focus on Critical Incident Command or Advanced Safeguarding and Public Protection, allowing you to examine key contemporary issues within policing. Choice and flexibility with optional modules will ensure that learners will be able to pick those subject areas which best suit career aspirations.

Our MSc in Policing and Intelligence analysis will utilise a range of exciting and innovative forms of assessment which match the working practices within policing. You will also be supported in understanding effective strategic leadership and management within organisations, examining what works and the use of evidenced based best practice so as to utilise resources effectively. The course has been designed to work around current officers and police staff, as well as criminal justice practitioners.

The course is taught through the innovative and flexible block learning method of delivery. In this model, students will attend four, three hour workshops per module, per semester, requiring attendance of 4 days on campus during the course of a semester.  The remaining content will be available via our virtual ELearning environment. This flexibility will ensure that students can use the MSc to support career and educational progression within policing.

The course will provide support and guidance on recognising talent within organisations and how to support and develop staff to achieve their full potential within their chosen workplace.

The course prides itself on helping to educate and guide students so they feel capable and equipped to face a variety of incidents and issues. This course will combine all of these elements together to give students an opportunity to complete an investigative project around a chosen contemporary policing issue. This will provide learners with the tools to enhance existing critical thinking skills, identifying appropriate methodologies to ensure maximum impact and positive outcomes. 

The material will ask students to analyse the moral, legal and ethical arguments within policing, examining legacy and its role in shaping community views on law enforcement. With a wide range of diverse communities, the course will ensure that students understand the changing nature of community dynamics and its importance in shaping policing practice, policy and procedure.

The course will develop enhance your professionalism and real world experience, ensuring that when students graduate, they are equipped to make an impact in law enforcement. Our course teaching team will also provide additional guidance sessions, online webinars and conference calls to support students with academic and research skills so as to ensure students are fully prepared to carry out the assessments throughout the course.

The course will also discuss the international dimension to law enforcement and how criminal activities are not just domestic in their construction. Module content will explore this in greater detail and through the use of guest lecturers from around the world, the professional relationships and shared intelligence between various policing agencies will be discussed.

Why Choose Us?

On completion of the MSc in Policing and Intelligence Analysis, students will be able to:

  • Critically evaluate strategic leadership and management within contemporary policing.
  • Evaluation of core and contemporary issues around ethics and diversity in policing.
  • Synthesis and apply the key concepts of intelligence analysis within policing.
  • Analyse the moral, legal, ethical, practical and theoretical arguments in policing.
  • Demonstrate critical, reflective competence in research skills and methods through practical activities.
  • Critically evaluate and apply concepts of evidence based policing within a contemporary setting.
  • Identify the appropriate methodologies when researching issues within policing and intelligence.
  • Identify and apply research methodologies and practices to contemporary policing issues.
  • Recognise and critique varying values and attitudes within organisational environments and their impact on multi-agency partnerships and policing.
  • Work independently using own initiative and effective time management.

OPEN DAY

Join us for a Virtual Open Event where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail, meet our subject academics and learn more about postgraduate finance, all from the comfort of your own home.

Next Event: 5 February 2025

Book your place

Entry Requirements

Essential requirements

Applicants are normally expected to have a minimum of a 2:2 honours degree, or equivalent, in any subject.

Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis should a student possess enough relevant professional experience.

Applicants are normally expected to have one of the following:

  • A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree, or equivalent
  • An equivalent graduate level qualification from an overseas university or equivalent institution (minimum 2:2)
  • A Pre-Master's programme approved by Birmingham City University
  • A Pre-Master's programme with a minimum of 55% average

Other qualifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Applying with international qualifications

See below for further information on applying as an international student.

If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.

Fees & How to Apply

Please select your student status to view fees and apply
  • UK Student
  • International Student

UK students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: MSc

Starting: Sep 2025

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Full Time
  • 1 Year
  • TBC
  • Full Time
  • 18 Months (Professional Placement)
  • TBC

International students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: MSc

Starting: Sep 2025

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Full Time
  • 1 Year
  • TBC
  • Full Time
  • 18 Months (Professional Placement)
  • TBC

Access to computer equipment 

You will require use of a laptop, and most students do prefer to have their own. However, you can borrow a laptop from the university or use one of our shared computer rooms. 

Printing 

You will receive £5 print credit in each year of your course, available after enrolment. 

Field trips 

All essential field trips and associated travel costs will be included in your course fees. 

Access to Microsoft Office 365 

Every student at the University can download a free copy of Microsoft Office 365 to use whilst at university and for 18 months after graduation. 

Key software 

You will be able to download SPSS and Nvivo to your home computer to support with your studies and research. 

Key subscriptions 

Subscriptions to key journals and websites are available through our library, in particular free access to Policing Insight – Global Progressive Policing, which would usually cost £200 per year.  

Excess printing (optional) 

Once you have spent your £5 credit, additional printing on campus costs from 5p per sheet. 

Personal stationery and study materials (optional) 

Based on the past experience of our students, you might find it helpful to set aside about £30 for each year of your studies for your personal stationery and study materials. 

Placement expenses (optional) 

If you choose to undertake a placement, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst living or working away from home. 

Accommodation and living costs (optional)

The cost of accommodation and other living costs are not included within your course fees. More information on the cost of accommodation can be found in our accommodation pages.

Personal statement

You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.

If you are applying for a stand alone module, please include the title of the module you want to study in your Personal Statement.

Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.

Course in Depth

Year One

In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 140 credits):

In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules:

Download course specification

Download now

Employability

International

Welcome to Birmingham City University, home to students from over 70 countries all around the world!

Our Business programmes are practice based and many have an international focus, which means your course will be entirely relevant to today’s business world. Almost all of our courses, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level, are open to international students.

We also have links with universities across the world, including Europe, the USA, China, India and Malaysia.

International Services

Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:

The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.

Facilities & Staff

Curzon facilities eatery
Curzon facilities staircase
Curzon facilities student hub

Our Facilities

We are constantly investing in our estate and have spent £400 million on new learning facilities.

The Curzon Building

This course is based at our City Centre Campus – and specifically The Curzon Building, alongside other Social Sciences, Law and Business students.

The £63m building offers students a unique social learning space, including a dedicated student hub incorporating student support services, in the heart of Birmingham’s Eastside development.

The Business floors house an extensive number of IT facilities, breakout areas, and specialised rooms. The Marketing Link Agency is designed to replicate a modern marketing firm, allowing students to get real-life experience of working in the marketing sector. There is also the City Trading Room, which features state of the art stock market tracking equipment, keeping you up to date with all the financial comings and goings of the London Stock Exchange and Wall Street.

The Curzon building is also conveniently close to Birmingham’s business and financial centre, allowing for strong links between your studies and the real world.

The Curzon Building also features:

  • An impressive library with access to over 65 million full text items and stunning views of Eastside City Park
  • Your Students’ Union which is located in a beautifully restored 19th century pub, The Eagle and Ball
  • A modern 300-seat food court with space to study and socialise
  • Accessible IT facilities with full Office365 for all students for free
  • Shared facilities with the wider campus including the Parkside Building and Millennium Point

Our staff

Ron Winch

Associate Professor

Prior to taking up appointment with BCU, Ron Winch served for over thirty years with the Metropolitan Police Service and West Midlands Police. These included front-line CID roles, as well as senior command roles in local policing, public order policing, firearms policing and as a senior investigating officer for major and complex crime, including...

More about Ron