Security and Resilience Management for Disaster and Civil Protection, Bachelor of Science

Course Contents in Detail - What Competencies Does the Bachelor's in Security and Resilience Management Confer?

The Bachelor's degree programme in Security and Resilience Management for Disaster and Civil Protection (B.Sc.) offers comprehensive training in risk, security, and disaster management. Essential content and skills that you will acquire during the course can be structured as follows:

• Basics of hazard prevention: Acquiring basic knowledge in risk management, security management, and disaster management.
• Promotion of resilience: Conveying skills to strengthen resilience at the individual, societal, and organizational levels. Topics such as decision-making, leadership skills, and change management are central.
• Strategic and operational planning: Knowledge and application of scientific methods, data analysis, modeling, and situational awareness to support decision-making processes in disaster and civil protection.
• Social and legal aspects: Engagement with forms of government, democracy promotion, as well as legal frameworks in national and international contexts. Insight into the societal impacts of crises.
• Technical and digital competencies: Basics of modern technologies, IT security strategies, critical infrastructures (KRITIS), information retrieval, investigative tools, and cybersecurity.
• Practice-oriented work: Application of learned concepts in realistic projects, scenarios, and training - including the use of drone technology and data science applications.
• Certification possibilities: Opportunity to acquire additional qualifications, such as being a staff assistant, for hybrid information management, or as a drone pilot.

This way, you develop competencies for working in interdisciplinary teams and are capable of dealing analytically and pragmatically with complex threat situations.

Course Structure - How is the Part-Time Study Programme Organised?

The Bachelor's degree programme is consistently tailored to the needs of working professionals. The main features of the course structure can be summarised as follows:

• Part-time study format: You can balance the study programme with an existing job and apply new knowledge directly in your work routine.
• Face-to-face and online phases: Each semester includes 15 to 17 face-to-face days in block form (blocks of 2 to 5 days) - about one-third of which are conducted online. The dates are communicated on a semester basis in advance.
• Practice-oriented teaching: The events are application-oriented from the beginning: case studies, scenario-based training, and group project work ensure a high practical relevance.
• Academic work: You learn to use scientific methods effectively, analyse complex issues, and develop independent problem-solving skills.
• Additional qualifications: By integrating certificates, you specifically enhance your professional value in the job market.

This enables you to acquire in-depth knowledge efficiently and practically and to further develop professionally and personally.

Career Opportunities & Job Prospects - What Perspectives Does the Programme Offer?

As a graduate of this degree programme, you qualify for responsible positions in risk, security, and disaster management. Typical fields of application and positions include:

• Public administrations and authorities: Assuming leadership roles in disaster and civil protection, planning and coordinating resilience strategies, as well as crisis management.
• Businesses of critical infrastructures (KRITIS): Risk analysis, security management, and emergency planning for supply companies in the energy, water, transport, and communication sectors.
• Commerce and companies: Establishing and managing crisis management departments, developing corporate protection concepts.
• Security authorities and emergency organizations: Crisis coordination, development and implementation of strategies against hybrid threats.
• Private security companies: Conducting security analyses, resilience consulting, and audit execution.
• Research and development: Working on innovative projects in risk analysis, drone deployment, data science, and security innovations.
• Crisis communication and public relations: Developing awareness campaigns, crisis communication management, security-related public relations.
• Cybersecurity and information management: Protection and management of critical IT systems, OSINT analyses, development of information security concepts.

With the Bachelor's degree, you also have the opportunity to pursue a follow-up Master's degree (e.g., Crisis and Emergency Management, M.Sc.).

Costs and Financing - What Costs to Expect and What Financing Options Are Available?

For the part-time study programme in Security and Resilience Management for Disaster and Civil Protection, tuition fees amount to a minimum of 420 euros per month. In addition, there is a one-time registration fee of 250 euros.

Common study financing options include:

• Employer sponsorship: Many employers support the further education of their employees by (partially) covering the fees or through educational leave.
• State funding programmes: Options such as BAföG (for specific target groups), advancement scholarships, or education loans can be utilised.
• Tax deductibility: Generally, study costs can be tax-deductible as business expenses or special expenses.

It is recommended to individually inform yourself about suitable funding options for your personal situation and to seek advice from the university if needed.