Defence Acquisition Management - MSc

Whether you are involved in establishing or managing capability requirements; engaged in procurement, commercial or contracting activities; or developing and implementing support solutions, this course will provide the underpinning knowledge and develop the critical thinking skills required for effective management of defence acquisition.

Who is it for?

​The course is focused on the wider Defence community and attracts civilian and military students from the public and private sectors globally.

Serving military officers and Ministry of Defence civil servants will be well prepared for a range of roles, including: the leadership of strategic change; project team leadership and management; commercial and contracts management; resources management and programme scrutiny; engineering management; capability management; and the management of integrated logistic support and supply chain operations.

Students from defence industry, commercial organisations, research organisations, and other Government departments should also acquire a more detailed knowledge of how Defence procurement and through life support works and be able to advance their business and personal career interests accordingly.

Why this course?

Whether you are involved in specifying or managing capability requirements; engaged in the procurement of systems, services, equipment and materiel; managing commercial relationships and contracts; designing and optimising supply chains through better logistics and inventory control; or managing efficient and effective support solutions to sustain large diverse fleets of maritime, land, and air systems through long service lives; this course will provide the underpinning knowledge and develop the critical thinking skills you will require.

The course teaches and encourages you to develop the skills to critically evaluate and apply a rich array of management theories, models, tools and techniques to meet your needs effectively in a dynamic national and international context.

Accreditation

The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and we are an Approved Centre for the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

Course details

Students are offered a range of modules, of which eleven are compulsory and one is elective. Eight of the compulsory modules are common to all students, and three are determined by the student’s choice of pathway: General Acquisition, Through Life Support, or Commercial. The twelfth module is the elective.

Success in 6 modules will earn a student the postgraduate certificate (PgCert). On passing 12 modules the student will earn the postgraduate diploma (PgDip) and be able to go on to complete the Thesis to earn the MSc.

Individual project

The individual research project begins with a one week compulsory module on Research Methodology and the subsequent production of a 20,000 word research-based thesis.

Assessment

A mixture of written assignments, examinations, case study analyses and individual reports

Your career

This qualification will take you on to career development in the equipment capability area, a defence equipment and support organisation (or other relevant areas such as defence estates), defence manufacturers, commercial organisations or government departments. It also provides a relevant lead-in towards PhD studies focused on acquisition.

Visit the Defence Acquisition Management - MSc page on the Cranfield University at Shrivenham website for more details!