At the outset of most careers, the immediate focus is on operational security risk management. As our careers progress, how can academic qualifications help our professional advancement?
From a personal perspective, I started life as a young Royal Marine with two A levels in 1990, was fortunate to be commissioned as an officer in 1994 and then left as a major in 2004. It was only in my final months of service that I realised that only a portion of my military qualifications and experience would be useful as a civilian, and that an academic qualification might make me more attractive to employers.
Based on my professional experience I bypassed both the associate and bachelor’s degrees and enrolled in a security risk management master’s programme. Later as a business owner,
I embarked on my first doctorate to distinguish myself from my competitors.
There is no defined or consistent pathway by which professionals can enter and advance in the security sector, making each journey both unique and often unnecessarily challenging. Some of us are lucky enough to benefit from mentors who have nudged us in the right direction at critical points in our careers. However, for many the pathway is a process of trial and error. Professionals often transition from a foundational career where some qualifications, knowledge, and experience are transferable; but many lack a strong academic foundation. Others may come straight from academia but struggle with technical and experience-based knowledge gaps.
Vocational and academic learning are arguably of equal importance as security leaders seek to expand their knowledge and conduct high-quality and evidence-based research to help their organisation address complex and dynamic risks. While vocational learning offers immediately tangible value to both the individual and their employer, academia provides a different way to gather, analyse, and present data. Attaining any qualification is useful, but professionals should not be misled into thinking that attaining a doctorate is the final answer for career advancement. Research suggests it rarely leads to a direct increase in pay or promotion, and ironically it can even be negatively perceived in a practice-focused profession. However, a doctorate can be a unique discriminator in a field where everyone is a self-proclaimed – rather than externally validated – expert. It can provide credibility and open doors, demonstrate the highest level of research and written competence, and provide a new way of thinking about and solving problems.
The main barriers for pursuing a terminal degree include cost, bandwidth, and (surprisingly) a lack of understanding of what options exist. Even university supervisors and those holding a doctorate are frequently uncertain of the requirements and advantages of the four terminal degree options:
- A Professional Doctorate
- A Traditional PhD
- A PhD by Compilation or
- A PhD by Publication.
Academic learning typically follows a structured pathway with formal prerequisites and durations; however, experience-based shortcuts can allow certain degrees to be bypassed to provide a direct route to an MSc, MPhil, or even a PhD. Conversely, vocational learning pathways typically do not require mandated time, qualification, or experience levels, removing most barriers for accelerated and need-driven professional advancement.
The lack of awareness of the options and advantages of pursuing a doctorate in security risk management can present an unnecessary barrier to those who are not only capable of attaining a terminal degree, but who might also find significant value in such a pursuit. Aside from advancing the personal and professional goals of the individual, the security sector needs seasoned pracademics to bridge the gap between academia and practice.
Doctors in security are rare hybrids, offering a critical blend of academic and real-world competence. This can position them to play a key role in grounding and guiding institutions of learning, defining and leading on real-world research needs, shaping sectoral standards and practice, influencing employer perceptions, providing invaluable contributions to the body of knowledge, helping to further professionalise the sector, and ultimately mentoring successive generations of security professionals.
Dr Mike Blyth
