University of St. Andrews - MLitt in Terrorism Studies

I came across this and thought it might be of interest to some:

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~wwwir/research/cstpv/programmes/mlitt.php

 

That's a big get! One of the field's most prominent scholars - Rohan Gunaratna - holds a doctorate from St. Andrews:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohan_gunaratna

 

St. Andrews has produced many notable terrorism scholars as graduates and faculty. Bruce Hoffman, now head of terrorism research at RAND is St. Andrews faculty.

The folks at St. Andrews have been studying terrorism long before Americans even knew or cared what terrorism is.

They also offer a certificate in terrorism studies which looks very interesting.

 

Anyone know if that certificate is considered Graduate level or undergrad? I can't find anything on their website that clarifies that.

 

So this is where potential terrorists get a solid intellectual base for their terrorist plots before executing them? Just kidding!

 

I sent away for the info., I will post when I find out.

 

I hate to dredge up a 2 year old thread but rather than start a new one I figured this one could simply be updated. I have decided that law school is out so now I'm exploring my masters options. My favorite choice so far has been the Penn State MPS http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/MasterHomelandSecurity_Program_Options.shtml

I was doing research last night and found the St. Andrews program which looks very interesting. As always with overseas degrees I worry about their acceptance here in the states. I'm a fan of being unique and this degree would certainly help me accomplish just that. Aside from that I really want to be at the top of my field and stand out from the crowd. PostGrad Homeland Security degrees are just becoming popular so I have a chance to be in front of this new emergence. Penn State looks awesome and it certainly has name recognition but so does St. andrews.

Has any of you taken courses through St. Andrews or can offer an opinion on this program? I'm glad I found this thread!

 

I sent away for the info. when I originally posted this thread, but forgot to post when I received it. The price was a little high for me, but it looks like a solid program. I would recommend you send away for the info., but be prepared for a marketing carpet-bombing once they get your contact information.

 

I might do that and see what they send. I've been reading about both programs tonight and honestly aside from getting a MLitt I like Penn States program more because of the several options you have to choose from. St. Andrews wins on other levels such as a degree coming from a storied University (I know Joe Pa but St. Andrews is almost 600 years old), and the MLitt.

Maybe I'm making too much out of the MLitt but it certainly would make someone stand out on a resume. Both programs look pretty awesome.

 

The Penn State program looks great as well. The St. Andrews program would take you considerably longer.

St. Andrews also offers a certificate - you could always check out the program by enrolling in the cert. and then if you decide on PSU you could transfer the credits and have both on your resume.

 

St. Andrews was ranked 3rd in the Guardian (UK newspaper) 2010 University ranking, behind only Oxford and Cambridge.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2009/may/12/university-league-table

I think it would be a fantastic University to have on your resume, it's steeped in history. Plus you might be able to play at the home of golf when you go over for your graduation!

Cheers,

Dave C.

 

Thanks Truckie and Dave C. I agree Dave that St. Andrews would stand out on a resume not only for it's history but also because it is one of few schools that still offer the MLitt. I know the MLitt isn't any better than a Master of Arts but it definitely would come up in a conversation pertaining to your degree.

The biggest differences that I see between the Penn State path and the St. Andrews path is Penn State offers many path toward the MPS and you can specialize if you want. St. Andrews looks like it is strictly a homeland security degree (which is fine). St. Andrews would take 2-4 years to complete whereas Penn State would take 18 months (approximately). Both schools have big storied histories which makes them very well known but St. Andrews wins this category being a 600 year old school.

Here's where things get a bit cloudy. The MLitt is similar to an M.A. whereas the MPS is a terminal masters degree. Does an MPS get looked at differently like an A.A.S. would in comparison to an A.S.? In other words in my experiences people tend to look more favorably upon an A.S. and consider an A.A.S. to be a technical type degree even though they both have their uses (I have an AAS).

I may take Truckies advice and enroll in the cert through St. Andrews while pursuing the specialty MPS through Penn State or would this be complete overkill? The cert is just like the MLitt in subject matter. It's also expensive at $2969 considering my B.S. is in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. I don't think the cert is a grad level cert but I could be mistaken. I'm also not sure how Scotland Universities certs are classified or how they compare to ones here in the states.

If I decide against the cert then I'm right back to where I started comparing the two schools...