Postgraduate Certificate in Covert Action, HUMINT and the Psychology of Intelligence Elicitation at University of Buckingham

Develop your security and intelligence career with this postgraduate course, exploring varied modules via Buckingham's prestigious teaching. In an era of strategic competition, grey-zone conflict, and persistent uncertainty, intelligence and covert action have become central instruments of statecraft. Yet their use raises profound operational, legal, and ethical questions. This course offers a rigorous and contemporary examination of how states employ covert activity to deter adversaries, disrupt hostile actors, manage escalation, and advance foreign policy objectives.

Faculty: School of Humanities and Social Sciences  |  Duration: 26 weeks full-time; 38 weeks part-time  |  Study mode: full-time, part-time (online)  |  Intake: September 2026, January 2027  |  Location: Buckingham, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

Career-focused learning: Designed to enhance progression within the intelligence, security, and wider risk sectors, the programme equips you with specialist knowledge and applied insight valued across government and the private sector. Flexible study to fit your life: Study full-time or part-time, via distance learning. Pre-recorded lectures allow you to structure your learning around professional and personal commitments.

Official programme page