Biography
H4MoD is by far the most rewarding course I have taken in my four years in higher education. The most exciting thing about the experience was having the unique opportunity to interview dozens of MoD stakeholders, knowing that your research could have a real-world impact in solving a national security problem. It has also been the most challenging course I have taken. Learning (and simultaneously applying) the lean start-up methodology, while rapidly getting to grips with an ever-evolving understanding of my team's problem concept within a fast-paced start-up environment, are just some of the challenges you face taking H4MoD. This isn't even mentioning the often unreliable internet connection on RAF bases! Nevertheless, is simply unlike any other university course you can take, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone.
H4MoD has given me real world experience working with and interviewing national security stakeholders and policymakers, and key communication, teamworking and interview skills which will undoubtedly be invaluable as I look towards a future career in international organisations.
The international nature of the Intelligence and International Security MA course put in good stead to conducting research within an interdisciplinary and multinational team. Moreover, I found applying the structured analytical techniques and online investigation tools, that I had previously learnt through my degree course, particularly valuable in conducting research and in ensuring my team thought critically about the problem we were given.