Master's in Public Security and Defense Policies Online

Duration: 1 academic year

Start: October 2025

60 ECTS credits

Online

Spanish

Master's in Security and Defense

The UCJC’s Master’s Degree in Public Security and Defense Policies is an official postgraduate course recognised in the European Union, which prepares you to address current international scenarios from the perspective of the security and defense of states. It is aimed at members of the Armed Forces; security specialists; public officials and professionals in the Social and Political Sciences and is taught by a highly professional and academic faculty.

It offers you training with a multicultural approach focusing on public policy; geopolitics; intelligence; international organisations and strategic communication.

Why study at UCJC?

Discover everything that the first university established in the 21st Century has to offer you

130 years

of innovation and academic rigour

QS Stars Univerisity Rating

4/5

A new way to learn

What sets us apart

Why study this master's degree with us.

Multicultural master’s course, with students from more than 20 countries from Latin America and Europe interested in the security and defense of states and borders.

A faculty of over 40 top-class professors from Spain and abroad.

Why study this master's degree with us.

Multicultural master’s course, with students from more than 20 countries from Latin America and Europe interested in the security and defense of states and borders.

A faculty of over 40 top-class professors from Spain and abroad.

The Master ‘s Degree in Public Security and Defense Policies of the UCJC aims to address the study of current international scenarios from the perspective of State Security. To this end, the analysis of the major social, political, economic and cultural phenomena and problems that affect them, both internally and in their international relations, in the formulation of public policies and in their respective government programs, will be combined. And the perspective of the need to communicate such strategies to the media, and to society in general, will be addressed. The Master’s Degree in Public Security and Defense Policies of Camilo José Cela University is an official postgraduate course, endorsed according to the regulations of the European Higher Education Area, which gives access to the master’s.

The Master’s Degree in Public Security and Defense Policies of Camilo José Cela University is an official postgraduate course, endorsed according to the regulations of the European Higher Education Area, which gives access to doctoral programs and has the respective recognition of degrees within the European Union.

In addition…

This is the only official university Master’s degree that deals with Public Policy.
In addition to the contents usually covered by other programs on geopolitics, geostrategy, intelligence, terrorist phenomena, the curriculum of this degree includes a module on international communication and another on intelligence.
The teaching team is made up of academics specialized in each of the modules, most of whom are professionals in the same fields.
Training modality that allows students to make their professional and family life compatible with a calendar and timetable that meet their needs.
Modular nature of the subjects, which facilitates and improves student performance and the teaching-learning process.
The master’s degree offers students exclusive teaching materials for each and every one of the subjects, developed specifically by the faculty for the master’s degree and adapted to online training.
The master’s degree offers free, complementary, extracurricular seminars for students to improve their research and public presentation skills.
The master’s degree includes a program of master classes with high-level national and international professionals in the field of security, defense and communication management.

An innovative learning model

At UCJC we help you develop the competencies and skills that will drive your success and your contribution to the future.

The Master’s in Public Security and Defense Policies uses an online methodology that facilitates the training and tutoring process, making the student’s follow-up more personalised, improving academic results and reducing dropout rates.

At UCJC we help you develop the competencies and skills that will drive your success and your contribution to the future.

Objectives

To train political leaders in the field of International Security and Defense.
To prepare experts in specific public policy development techniques.
To provide the student with the practical skills necessary for daily strategic work with political leaders.
To offer an integral vision of political activity in current social contexts.
To train in the techniques of research and analysis of social and political reality.

The Hive experience

Don't miss out on the latest news and developments at the university.

Master's Degree Details

Discover in depth what the UCJC's Master's Degree in Public Security and Defense Policies is like and how it will transform you.

The Master’s Degree in Public Security and Defense Policies is an official postgraduate course with the respective degree recognition within the European Union.

Its objective is to address the study of current international scenarios from the perspective of the security and defense.

Graduates from educational systems outside the European Higher Education Area may access the master’s degree without the need for homologation of their degrees, provided that the university has previously verified that they accredit a level of education that is equivalent to the corresponding official Spanish university degree and that qualifies them in the country issuing the degree for access to postgraduate studies.

Subjects and timetable of the Master's Degree in Security and Defense

Learn in detail what you are going to learn year by year.

Subjects per year

Asignaturas	Créditos	Tipo	Semestre
Geopolitics and geostrategy	3	Mandatory	1st
Security and defense in Latin America	3	Mandatory	1st
Euro-Atlantic security	2	Mandatory	1st
Geopolitics in Africa	2	Mandatory	1st
Geopolitics in the Middle East and Asia	2	Mandatory	1st
Public security and defense policies	6	Mandatory	1st
Strategic planning processes	2	Mandatory	1st
Defense Economics	2	Mandatory	1st
The private sector in public safety	2	Mandatory	1st
Fundamentals, ethics and epistemology applied to information gathering, processing and analysis processes.	3	Mandatory	1st
Knowledge management: management, planning, obtaining, processing, analysis and integration of information.	3	Mandatory	1st
Economic and cultural intelligence and strategic planning	3	Mandatory	1st
Diplomacy, foreign policy and defense	3	Mandatory	2nd
International security and peace operations agencies	4	Mandatory	2nd
Peaceful Conflict Resolution and Preventive Diplomacy	2	Mandatory	2nd
International crises and communication	2	Mandatory	2nd
Journalism and war reporting	3	Mandatory	2nd
The media treatment of crisis management	2	Mandatory	2nd
Strategic communication	5	Mandatory	2nd
Master’s Thesis	6	MT	2nd

Table ECTS

	Minimum	Maximum
Full time 1st year	60	60
Full-time (all other year)	30	30
Full-time 1st year	15	30
Part-time (other years)	30	45

Timetables

Download class timetable

Exam calendar

Download exam timetable

More information

Total credits: 60 ECTS

Mandatory (M): 54 ECTS
Master’s Thesis in Security and Defense (MT): 6 ECTS

New intake places

Distance learning places: 40 per year

Your experience

Your opinion is important. Collaborate with us in the improvement of your university through the following links:

Student
Teaching and admin staff

General skills

CG1. Ability to integrate the knowledge learned in the master’s degree to formulate analyses and judgments, develop proposals for the future and devise solutions to the problems posed.

CG2. To learn how to communicate in an orderly, clear and precise way the acquired and assumed knowledge. Propose speeches and writings that are understandable to the rest of society, regardless of their cultural and social level. To highlight the value of dialogue and rational discussion as mechanisms for the presentation of ideas and convictions.

CG3. To master’s the methods of disciplinary research specific to complex concepts such as peace, security and defense, the formal rules of research, access, organisation and treatment of information sources.

CG4. Apply the concepts obtained in the formulation of public policies in the field of Security and Defense, regardless of the international scenario in which they are established.

CG5. Discern and apply the specialized studies and methods of analysis of international relations applied in perspective to the concepts of Security and Defense.

CG6. To know the characteristics and understand the complexity of the diverse societies, cultures and media that concur in the international society.

CG7. Argue and communicate publicly the results achieved in the work done individually or in teams.

CG8. Apply information and communication technologies to effectively develop and disseminate news and messages on international issues.

CG9. Execute the design, planning, execution, communication and evaluation of public policy formulation processes within the scope of state government programs.

CG10. To use the different information sources and social media as tools for knowledge and diagnosis of the problems presented by international politics.

CG11. Develop leadership and cooperation skills in group activities.

GC12. Adapt the knowledge acquired to the definition of new problems and to the professional analysis of their effects on international society in order to contribute to development, peace and social justice.

Specific skills

CE1. To master the concepts and challenges of security in a complex society, such as the globalized society of the 21st century.

CE2. Analyse the elements that make up the international political and legal order on which the configuration of the order is based.

CE3. Apply the different theories of peace and war configuration, the causes of conflicts and possible formulations for their overcoming.

CE4. To know the different actors in peace, security and defense, state and non-state. Failed states, criminal organizations, non-governmental organisations, warlords, companies.

CE5. To know the administration of defense as a public policy of states, its functions and objectives, as well as the structure and operation of the Armed Forces, their missions and their interrelation with the society they serve.

CE6. Execute the procedures and techniques for obtaining, classifying and interpreting documentary sources and the data and indicators required for the analysis of international events.

CE7. To use the methodology for the knowledge, analysis and explanation of the relationships that shape world politics.

CE8. Master the main contemporary historical trends and their scope in shaping the structures and evolution of international society.

CE9. Analyze the principles, decision processes and action strategies of international politics as well as global and regional collective security systems.

CE10. Consider the institutional foundations and main functional characteristics of the main international organizations.

CE11. Analyze the processes of social, political and economic transformation in the different international scenarios.

CE12. Consider the structural problems of the different international scenarios such as Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

CE13. To observe the geopolitical and economic changes in the Asia-Pacific area and their impact on world society as a whole.

CE14. To apply knowledge of international economics to the collection, elaboration and media dissemination of news and analytical reports on the structural and conjunctural aspects of the economy of countries, regions or the global society as a whole.

CE15. Mastering and evaluating the means of international projection of countries through public diplomacy, country branding and political negotiation.

CE16. Assess and report on the causes and evolution of international armed conflicts and the means for their prevention and resolution, with a particular focus on conflicts linked to terrorism and transnational organized crime.

CE17. Plan, create and manage international communication offices.

CE18. Learn and apply negotiation techniques and information strategies used in international politics.

CE19. Elaborate an analytical study or a project on a relevant aspect in the formulation of public security and defense policies and translate it into a final paper, defending the methodology and conclusions or results before specialists in the field.

UCJC reserves the right to modify the established conditions described above due to any circumstances not foreseen at the time of formalising the registration / enrolment of the student, maintaining in any case the essential conditions of the same. Likewise, stays in the countries indicated are subject to possible variations, always seeking the best for the curricular and experiential development of the student.

Teachers of the Master's in Security and Defense

Meet our highly qualified teaching staff.

Beatriz Mesa García

Doctora en Ciencias Políticas

Jorge Gallardo-Camacho

Director del Grado en Comunicación Audiovisual y Nuevos Medios, Catedrático en Ciencias de la Comunicación en la UCJC y MBA en Empresas Audiovisuales por la USAL.

Prices and grants for the Master's Degree in Security and Defense

Check the tuition fees for your course and the grants you can obtain to study at UCJC.

Check the price of your master’s degree, if you are interested in financing options, please ask us.

Download the document

Scholarships

Discover the scholarships available so you can study the postgraduate degree you want.

Check available scholarships

Validations and mobility between courses

At UCJC we value learning above all else.

If your studies do not suit you and you want to change to another degree, if you come from another university or if you have a degree and want to continue your academic training, you can count on our help and advice throughout the process.

Validation and transfer process

Academic Portal

Obtain detailed information on the management and academic results of the degrees.

The UCJC academic information portal gives you access to detailed management information and academic results of the official degrees.

You can access documents, regulations, and administrative procedures, such as documentation on monitoring processes and renewal of accreditation of the degree.