Crowded Places and Public Safety Management ,MSc

Course overview

In the current global environment, the challenges of keeping people safe are greater than ever – whether that’s planning for international mega events or managing regional entertainment venues.

With the flexibility to study either 100% on campus, 100% online or as a blend of both, these courses aim to provide you with the academic underpinning to analyse the features that make for best-practice planning, policy and process, so that you can go on to devise effective crowded places arrangements of your own.

• The programmes cover important legal and socio-political frameworks within crowd safety and emergency management, as well as investigating emerging technological solutions, and the contemporary safety and threat environments that impact on the sector.
• You will examine how these issues may be addressed in practice, with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of crowd safety management and organisational resilience.
• The part-time route allows those already employed in crowd safety, health and safety, and security management to balance their studies with other commitments, and apply academic rigour to their practical experience.

Why you should study this course

• You should advance your skills in evaluating complex situations, developing creative and innovative solutions, and implementing lessons learnt. If you study on campus, there will be opportunities to take part in training and exercises through simulated emergency scenarios in our immersive Simulation Centre⁴.
• Course content is broad-based to reflect the multidisciplinary nature of the subject. For example, as well as being taught current and evolving techniques and tactics used to prevent, plan, prepare or respond to crowded places emergencies, we will also cover and critically appraise relevant technical data and information, best practice in emergency planning and crisis management.
• Students will have the chance to learn about behavioural theory and leadership at an organisational and individual level, providing an opportunity to develop a range of interpersonal skills to help develop and execute appropriate training initiatives and coordinate the work of broad-ranging teams.
• Members of our current teaching team have practical experience and have carried out employment, consultancy and research in crowd safety management and allied professions. This includes emergency planning for managing mass gathering events, risk mapping, the preparation of response frameworks for mass evacuation, command and control design, and the design and management of simulated emergency exercises (staff subject to change).
• There is dedicated support available for those who are new to Higher Education, or returning after a long break. The Centre For Academic Writing’s programme of online and in-person tutorials are available to all students.
• MSc students will have the further opportunity to carry out an independent piece of research of their choosing, producing an industry-facing working paper which should be of publishable quality.

Careers and opportunities

On successful completion, you will have:

• A comprehensive evaluation of risk, its components and influencing factors, approaches to assessment, prioritisation and role in planning and managing crowded places.
• An in-depth knowledge of policy and approaches for mitigating, preparing for and managing crowded places for the private sector, responding agencies and organisations and other affected stakeholders.
• A thorough comprehension of approaches to assessing complexity and interaction, and developing, monitoring and evaluating processes, systems and organisations within the sector from known and emergent threats in a sustainable way.
• A detailed analysis of multi-stakeholder engagement, communication, co-operation and governance in all aspects of policy and strategy, implementation and management at all scales.
• An ability to manage information, evaluate uncertainty, ambiguity and complexity in knowledge, method and management, and make appropriate and defensible decisions.
• A critical awareness of issues and challenges at the forefront of research and practice in crowded places and public safety.
• An ability to evaluate and use appropriate methods of enquiry and analysis, and progress good practice in the discipline over the course of their career.
• The skills demanded to research, evaluate high level material to produce an independent working paper that meets ethical requirements of the university, synthesises both academic and sector perspectives and presents findings and recommendations in a professional way.

Our part-time students are often sponsored by their employers, and successful completion of this postgraduate level qualification could provide the credibility needed to progress in your organisation and career.

Successful graduates could work in a range of organisations with crowded places duties, including venue and stadia management, the uniformed services, private security management, and the live events, transport and retail sectors.

The course aims to support the development of your skills in problem-solving, teamwork and leadership, project management and communication, all of which are qualities employers demand. We strive to produce graduates who can make difficult decisions whilst being culturally sensitive, ethical and compassionate.

Our current teaching staff and the university’s Talent Team can support your search for employment in the UK or overseas by making use of our alumni network, industrial contacts, careers events, recruitment fairs and individual advice (all subject to availability).