Postgraduate diploma, and Masters in Management in the field of Security

The Postgraduate Diploma in Management and the Master in Management in the field of Security are structured to provide a sector-wide approach to the concept of security, and consider the roles of institutions such as public safety, state security and defence. Participants will examine sector-specific issues and how they relate to security-sector governance. Students at P&DM will have access to academics with a practical understanding and knowledge of public and development management, and how it relates to the security sector.

The course content builds on the expertise and experience developed through the activities of the CDSM(Centre for Defence and Security Management) at P&DM, which coordinates the activities of the Southern African Defence and Security Management (SADSEM) Network, which is a grouping of academic institutions (primarily universities) in Southern Africa, providing training, research and policy analysis in the areas of defence and security management. The consolidation of democracy in Southern Africa and the maintenance of sound civil-military relations and security sector governance are critical for stability, growth and sustainable development

Who should apply?

POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA OF MANAGEMENTIN THE FIELD OF SECURITY(PDM - SECURITY)

Senior officers in the broad family of security sector institutions, senior government personnel, parliamentarians and civil society organisations involved in security sector management, oversight and research in South Africa and the continent. Successful applicants will have a minimum of a three years degree or equivalent.

FOR THE MASTER OF MANAGEMENT IN THE FIELD OF SECURITY (MM - SECURITY)

Graduates of the PDM-Security, who attain an average of 65% for all courses and a minimum of 65% for the applied project, may be considered to proceed to the MM-Security.

Curriculum

The curriculum of the Management degree in the field of Security aims to build multiple competencies critical for performing managers. These include strategic leadership; policy formulation and implementation; public financial management and statistical and numerical literacy.

The curriculum is divided into two one-year phases of study followed by a research report. All students will register for the PDM-Security in their first year of study, during which time they will complete ten core courses.

By achieving an aggregate of 65% on the ten courses of the PDM-Security, with a minimum of 65% mark for the Applied Project, students may be permitted to proceed to the MM-Security in the second year.

In the second year, students will complete four electives, which will allow further in depth exploration in the area of security. In addition, they will complete a course in Research Design and Methods, and finally complete the research report to fulfill the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in the field of Security.

THE POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA OF MANAGEMENT IN THE FIELD OF SECURITY (PDM - SECURITY)

Governance and Development

This course analyses the roles of the state and civil society in development and service delivery. The course reviews different understandings of the distribution of resources, power, and authority in the public sphere. Distribution is increasingly the focus of debate and practical experimentation for the state, and increasingly the conceptualisation of sustainable ways of governing and developing.

Managing Information and Communication

This course is designed to enhance foundational and operational information and communication management skills for managers in the public and development sector. The course includes areas such as communication and decision making, develops information gathering and processing skills and highlights the role of information technology in the context of public management.

Economics and Public Finance

This course introduces principles of economics and their application for policy analysis to microeconomic (individual, household and firm behaviour), macroeconomic (fiscal, monetary and exchange rate policies) and general public sector policy issues. The course begins with the conceptualisation and analysis of the nature of economic problems and laws of supply and demand. Participants are exposed to public sector finance principles and issues which relate to revenue allocation, raising taxes and their incidence, balancing budgets, strategic issues related to the role of the public sector in a mixed developing economy, and the political economy of economic management.

Public Policy

This course enables students to understand the role of public policy in defining public decision-making and management processes. The course equips students to analyse key issues, regulatory frameworks and institutions in the field of public policy, as well as enabling them to study a policy process and write a policy issue paper. Attention is paid to basic frameworks for analysing policy issues and models that enhance the understanding of policy processes and behaviour. The content of the course is closely informed by current South African experience, and more generally by experience in the developing world.

Strategy and Leadership

This course recognises leadership as a key ingredient in organisational success. It is designed to enable a public manager to analyse the different organisational dimensions that impact on the ability of an organisation to realise its mission. Students are provided with skills to deal with organisational problems that are often attributed to the nature of public service. Attention is given to ethics, and the role of leadership in organisational success.

Approaches to Security

This course introduces participants to key concepts in security and governance, such as human security and security sector approaches. It introduces concepts and paradigms of security and human security, in international and African contexts. Concepts of international relations and politics, conflict prevention, management and resolution, issues in peace studies and concepts of security and the security sector are examined.

Civil - Military Relations

The course aims to broaden participants’ understanding of contemporary debates and developments in the terrain of civil-military relations and exposes them to a range of perspectives on civil-military relations and the organisation of defence and civilian structures. It deals with understanding key issues in defence planning in relation to policy analysis, policy processes and intelligence, theory of civil military relations and contemporary patterns of civil-military relations in Africa.

Security-Sector Governance and Oversight

The course assists participants to contribute to enhancing democratic management of the security sector in South Africa and the continent through deepening understanding of the inter-relationships between the justice, public safety, intelligence and defence sectors . It deals with concepts and principles of governance and their application to the security sector. The roles of the executive, the legislature, ministries and government departments in governance, oversight and management, security policy-making, implementation and monitoring and political transitions, peace building and reconstruction are examined.

Regional and International Security

This course explores the changing definition of security, and how security institutions respond to these changing understandings. It examines the principal security features in the global, regional and sub-regional contexts and considers the institutional and policy capacity at those levels to respond to such features.

Applied Project

The objective of the Applied Project is to provide participants with the opportunity to reflect on their experiences in the security sector and to relate concepts of public and development management and security to applied problems in the field. Students investigate a problem or issue in the field of security and produce a short report which highlights the learning that has taken place in the process of the courses completed.

MASTER OF MANAGEMENT IN THE FIELD OF SECURITY (MM - SECURITY)

Management of Security Sector Resources

The macro-economics of security: challenges in the areas of expenditures and procurement. Rightsizing defence and security. Issues of transparency and accountancy. Planning, programming and budgeting principles, cycles and practices. Procurement and acquisition for security institutions. Human resource challenges and HR management issues. Issues related to military and police professionalism. Labour relations. Gender issues in defence and security. HIV AIDS in defence and security establishments.

African Security Environment

The course enables students to identify and understand the salient issues that confront defence and security decision-makers in Africa and to give attention to analytical approaches employed in seeking solutions to current defence and security policy issues. Post conflict peace-building and reconstruction and its implications for the security sector. Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of combatants. Truth, reconciliation and justice. Sources of conflict and insecurity in Africa, regional and sub-regional conflict management, structures, approaches and processes in the African and international security environment.

Public Security, Justice and Rule of Law

The course examines issues related to combating crime nationally and trans-nationally, oversight and reform of policing transitional justice and reform of the justice system. Problems of policing in Africa, political control, oversight and accountability of policing. Public safety, law and order. Approaches to public safety.

Security and Development

This course examines the key features of the relationship between Security and development. These include:

• Security in the developing country context ;

• Economic growth and the defence industrial base;

• Procurement and armaments acquisition.

Research Methods

The Research Methods course covers the postgraduate research context, research skills, research methodology, research proposal writing and research reporting. Students will be required to submit an acceptable proposal for their research reports in order to pass this course.

 Research Report

In order to obtain a Masters degree, students are required to complete a research project and submit a report. The aim of the research project is to challenge students to apply analytical and applied research techniques to a topic in their field of specialisation. Students will be assigned an adviser who will supervise and guide the preparation of the research report. The learning objective of the report is to give students an opportunity to demonstrate how they can self-manage a problem solving exercise or research project on a topic of their own choosing within limited time and resources.

Through the research report, you will demonstrate that you can design, execute, analyse and report on such work.  You have to show that you can do this in a coherent and logical way, and meet the standards appropriate for an applied research project in an academic environment.

Workload

In addition to class work and preparation, students are expected to devote time to group work and assignments. The teaching methodology requires that they participate actively in an integrated process that encourages the development of management, knowledge, skills and attitudes.

 Assessment

Progress is monitored through the assessment of individual and group assignments, and by means of formal examinations at the end of each block. Class tests and participation by students in interactive classroom sessions may be rated.

 Course delivery

The PDM and MM in the field of Security will be offered on a block-release basis.

The course is structured so that students will complete the requirements for the Postgraduate Diploma in Management in the field of Security (PDM-S) in one year. Should students wish to progress to the Masters, they will be able to complete the additional courses in the second year, followed by a research component.