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Master - Policy stream: Security and Defence

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The policy stream "Security and Defence" is taught entirely in French under the title "Sécurité et défense".

Description and objectives of the security and defence policy stream

The Security and Defence policy stream at the School of Public Affairs produces highly qualified specialists capable of occupying positions of strategic and operational responsibility in the public or private sector. The course equips its students with wide-ranging, up-to-date and practical knowledge of key issues surrounding security and defence in the 21st century.

The stream’s curriculum allows students to acquire a solid theoretical training in subjects related to public affairs (economics, public law, analysis and evaluation of public policies, etc.), a detailed knowledge of the current and future actors and issues of security and defence (bringing together the public and private spheres, security continuum, new threats linked in particular to cybersecurity, etc.), as well as professional skills.

Through the Policy Lab, students in the stream participate in various innovative and professionally-driven training exercises.

They are immersed in new scenarios blending research and action with stakeholders in the public and the private sector:

  • A building safety assessment
  • A crisis simulation
  • A hackathon on cybersecurity-related issues
  • A case study

Courses specific to the security and defence policy stream

  • Anti-terrorism challenges;
  • Public financing of security and defence;
  • Cybersecurity: A new dimension of security and defence;
  • Economics of security and defence;
  • Public defence policy;
  • Public policy surrounding intelligence.

The courses are taught by teachers-researchers and practitioners recognized for their expertise in the field of security and defence (spokesperson and adviser to the ministries of the Armed Forces and the Interior, Army general, frigate’s captain of the French Navy, director of the Préfecture de Police de Paris, financial director of the gendarmerie, medical firefighter, director of public affairs for arms manufacturers, director of security for major groups, CEO of the Campus Cyber, etc.).

Programme of Security and Defence Policy Stream

Master in Public Policy - Security and Defence policy stream:

Master in European Affairs - Security and Defence policy stream:

These 2-year masters are open exclusively to initial training. The second year can be done as an apprenticeship.

PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AFTER THE SECURITY AND DEFENSE POLICY STREAM

The Security and Defence policy stream prepares its students for careers in both the public and private sector. Graduates wishing to enter the public sector may do so by sitting the competitive civil service recruitment exams for which the School of Public Affairs offers preparatory classes, or else by applying to contracted state positions in France or abroad, particularly at ministries of defence or internal security.

Professional opportunities in the private sector are highly varied. The security departments of large companies are currently being expanded and their needs will continue to grow. Private security companies and security and defence contractors are also seeing a boom, with the demand for managers specifically trained in security and defence issues increasing in parallel. Consulting firms are also important recruiters, especially on cybersecurity issues.

For more information about professional opportunities after the security and defence policy stream, follow this link.

TESTIMONIALS FROM GRADUATES

Read the portraits of Mallaury Labarre, Fanny Cornet and Benoît Mortgat (in French).  

Academic Advisor of the security and defence policy stream

Guillaume Farde, Associate Professor at Sciences Po

Guillaume Farde holds a doctorate degree in management sciences. He is the author of several books relating to national defence and internal security issues. His last book, The Continuum of National Security (Le continuum de sécurité nationale), was published by Hermann in 2020.

He is also the author of articles on internal security analyzed both from the institutional angle and from the more political angle of violent protests. More recently, Guillaume Farde has been interested in studying the relationship of public opinion to the internal security forces.

Finally, Guillaume Farde is a reservist of the National Gendarmerie, a member of the orientation council of the Ecole des officiers de la Gendarmerie nationale (EOGN) and administrator of the Republican Guard endowment fund.

contact

Academic advisor: Anelise Nicolier

Academic assistant: Stéphanie Berrebi

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