Security and Data Science

Entry requirements

We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree or above in a social science* or humanities subject area (including Business and Management). While we normally only consider applicants who meet these criteria, if you have a high 2:2 or equivalent, are coming from a different academic background which is equivalent to degree level, or have relevant work experience, we would welcome your application.

*Accepted social science subjects include:

• Anthropology
• Archaeology
• Area and Development Studies
• Criminology
• Demography
• Development Studies
• Economics
• Economic and Social History
• Education
• Environmental Planning
• Human Geography
• International Relations
• Law
• Linguistics
• Management and Business Studies
• Media and Communication Studies
• Philosophy
• Politics and International Studies
• Psychology
• Science and Technology Studies
• Social Policy
• Social Statistics, Methods, and Computing
• Social Work
• Socio Legal Studies
• Sociology

Please also see our guidance on essential documentation required for an initial decision on taught programme applications.

Months of entry

September

Course content

• Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and the increasingly data-driven nature of all aspects of society have significantly altered the security, defence, and law enforcement domains, with this, and other emerging technologies, posing both novel opportunities and threats for governments, armed services, security services, law enforcement, and civil society.
• Understanding how these emergent technologies have aggravated social tensions, created new security vulnerabilities, impacted war fighting capabilities, and encouraged relative power shifts at both the inter-nation state and state versus sub-state actor levels involves understanding the technology-security relationships across multiple levels.
• Our aim is to maximise your employability by providing you with a unique skill set that blends in-depth domain knowledge and practical data analysis skills; a hugely employable and transferable skillset both within and beyond the security, defence, and law enforcement sectors.
• Graduates of this programme will have a dual speciality in data science skills and strong knowledge of the security-threat landscape and how security, defence, and law enforcement organisations are adapting to the novel opportunities and threats posed by emerging technologies, particularly data and AI.
• This dual speciality will prepare you for roles in organisations such as the security services, National Crimes Agency, Europol, Interpol, and specialist policing units, as well as roles in business intelligence and analytics, data journalism, social research and specialised government department roles focused on the security, defence, and law enforcement domains.

• Gain practical experience of working with data and developing associated skills that are increasingly in demand within the security, defence, and law enforcement sectors.
• Gain a unique blend of in-depth knowledge and understanding of security issues in relation to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and data.
• Explore areas such as how law enforcement are using data for predictive policing, the use of generative AI by extremists, the use of AI in developing cybersecurity systems, and the use of AI in intelligence gathering and military decision making.
• Learn to code in Python and how to use it for data science methods, a hugely employable and transferable skillset both within and beyond the security, defence, and law enforcement sectors.
• Delivered by the highly successful Centre for Computational Social Science (C2S2) that specialises in providing quantitative and computational social research training to people from all academic and professional backgrounds, especially those with no prior experience.

Information for international students

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B1. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

Fees and funding

The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year, such as our Exeter Excellence Scholarships*.

For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.

University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship

We are pleased to offer University of Exeter alumni beginning a standalone taught Masters degree (eg MA, MSc, MRes, MFA, LLM, PGCert, PGDip) or research degree (eg MPhil, PhD) with us a scholarship towards the cost of their tuition fees. These scholarships are worth 20% of the first year tuition fee for students enrolling on a postgraduate taught or research programme of study in 2025/26. Full details can be found here.

*Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.