Postgraduate Certificate in Covert Action, HUMINT and the Psychology of Intelligence Elicitation

About the course

In an era of strategic competition, grey-zone conflict, and persistent uncertainty, intelligence and covert action have become central instruments of statecraft. Yet their use raises profound operational, legal, and ethical questions. This course offers a rigorous and contemporary examination of how states employ covert activity to deter adversaries, disrupt hostile actors, manage escalation, and advance foreign policy objectives. Particular attention is given to the role of covert action by Western powers in countering adversaries who seek to undermine democratic norms, institutions, and values. Through a wide range of historical and modern case studies — from political influence and information operations to sabotage and paramilitary action to state sponsored assassinations and covert regime change — you will analyse the full spectrum of covert capabilities in practice.

Course Highlights

• Career-focused learning: Designed to enhance progression within the intelligence, security, and wider risk sectors, the programme equips you with specialist knowledge and applied insight valued across government and the private sector.
• Flexible study to fit your life: Study full-time or part-time, via distance learning. Pre-recorded lectures allow you to structure your learning around professional and personal commitments.
• Open to graduates and practitioners: We welcome applicants with a first degree as well as those with relevant professional experience seeking to formalise and deepen their expertise. Not holding a first degree is not a barrier to access to this course.
• Learn from experts with real-world experience: Teaching is delivered by former practitioners and internationally recognised experts who work with governments, NGOs, and security organisations worldwide.
• Small-group engagement: Our tutorial model prioritises meaningful interaction, ensuring high-quality discussion and direct engagement with academic staff. All tutorials are also recorded so if for professional reasons you miss a session you can catch up at a later stage.
• Access to the intelligence community: Students benefit from inclusive access to BUCSIS-sponsored national intelligence conferences, providing opportunities to expand knowledge and professional networks.
• Pathway to a master’s degree: Successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate offers the opportunity to progress to, or transfer into, the MA in Covert Action, HUMINT and the
• Psychology of Intelligence Elicitation (subject to approval).
• Funding support: The programme qualifies for ELCAS funding. ELCAS (Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Service) funding is a UK Ministry of Defence initiative providing financial support for higher-level education (Level 3+) to serving and former Armed Forces personnel. It promotes lifelong learning, offering up to £2,000 annually for up to 3 years to help with career development and transitioning to civilian life.
• Study at a recognised centre of excellence: Join the world-leading Buckingham Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS), a hub for cutting-edge research, practitioner engagement, and policy-relevant scholarship in intelligence and security.

The programme equips you with robust analytical frameworks to assess effectiveness, proportionality, accountability, and strategic impact, while engaging critically with debates around national security, civil liberties, and international power dynamics. Importantly, it also develops your ability not only to understand covert action, but to identify, evaluate, and defend against hostile state activity in today’s hybrid security environment.

Another core component of the course focuses on Human Intelligence (HUMINT), one of the oldest yet most strategically significant intelligence disciplines. You will examine how HUMINT operates in both national security and serious crime environments, and how human sources are identified, recruited, managed, and protected. Content on the HUMINT module is informed by the University’s Centre for Research on Covert Human intelligence Sources (CR-CHIS). Central to this is the psychology of intelligence elicitation. Drawing on contemporary scientific research, the course explores why individuals choose to cooperate, what motivates them, and which evidence-based techniques enhance recall, accuracy, and reliability while minimising deception.

By combining theory, empirical research, and practitioner-informed insight, this programme offers a rigorous and applied understanding of covert action, HUMINT, and the psychology underpinning intelligence practice in the twenty-first century.

This Postgraduate Certificate in Covert Action, HUMINT and Psychology of Intelligence elicitation programme builds upon the success of the Centre of Security and Intelligence Studies at Buckingham (BUCSIS) which has established itself as one of the world leaders in educational provision in this subject area. Both the centre and the university at large offer a very diverse environment. With students coming to Buckingham from over 80 countries, it is an ideal situation to learn about matters of international concern and to discuss them with people from differing cultural backgrounds.