Year 1
To be an SSMS professional, you’ll first have to attain a basic understanding of safety and security. This is why year one prepares you with introductory courses like International Law, Criminology, Psychology, Economics, Policy Making, Business Administration and management courses. Before you even think about advising commercial companies and governmental institutions on their safety and security policies, you’ll have to understand their organisational structures and cultures.

We work in dynamic groups to tackle SSMS topics from a practical perspective. Safety and security management is all about anticipating and identifying risk, which can only be done if you do the groundwork. For example, after studying the basics of criminology, psychology and security management, we hone your professional skills in the ‘Getting the problem right’ project. These introductory practical elements will get you investigating safety and security management issues before moving on to resolve bigger issues in the second and third years.

Year 2
Year two is all about building on year one’s foundations, learning how to handle pressure and take on new challenges. You’ll be introduced to Industrial Safety, an important springboard for your future career. This could be as straightforward as evaluating new safety and security protocols at a car manufacturer, or as complex as designing crisis scenarios at Schiphol Airport. In the second half of year two, you’ll learn how international institutions and nation states tackle everyday safety and security issues. You’ll take part in group exercises assessing risks and threats for major international events. International safety and security management is as much about politics as it is about intelligence and you’ll need the self-discipline and determination to read between the lines.

Year 3
Year three is all about the ‘how’ of SSMS. You’ll discover the professional skills needed for safety and security management. For example, modules in year three cover the practicalities of change management, media and communications and cyber security. You can take minors such as ‘Applied Intelligence’ , ‘Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism’ and ‘Advanced Criminology’. You’ll take on a more advisory role, consulting with companies on their current safety and security issues.

Last year, for example, the Organisation for the Prohibitions of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) visited us and asked students to analyse emerging industries and detect potential risks. We’ve also welcomed European directors from multinationals like Siemens and Tesla, who came to share their current concerns and glean our students’ knowledge and creativity.
Year 4
The first three inspiring years at SSMS culminate with a hands-on international internship in year four, which will ultimately define your career. You’ll have access to a professional network of around 40 internationally focused organisations, including the NATO Joint Force Command Naples, NLD Land Warfare Centre, the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (international security), the Dutch Explosive Ordnance Disposal Command, and the Financial Intelligence Unit (public safety) and KIWA, Tesla, Siemens, and Petrogas (industrial safety). You can also tap into The Hague’s rich resources. We’re right in the thick of the International City of Peace and Justice - the political and cultural heart of the Netherlands. Our city is home to the Peace Palace, International Court of Justice, Binnenhof (parliament), 115 embassies, multinationals like Shell, Siemens and ING and many international NGOs.

On the SSMS programme, we make every effort to ensure that this internship will be a springboard to your future career. You could start off at the NATO School in Oberammergau, designing professional military training programmes. Or go to the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Vattenfall, Eurocontrol (the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation), or Amazon. You can employ these new hands-on skills in your thesis exploring a specific safety and security issue at a host company. These organisations will give you the responsibility to solve problems and develop new innovative ideas during your internship.