Master in International Security Studies (MISS)
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
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TUITION FEES
EUR 7,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* the Faculty of Social Sciences offers a set of scholarships and fee reductions
Introduction
Master in International Security Studies (MISS) is a two-year English-language Master's degree program, which offers students a complex guide through security, conflict, and strategic studies in the context of international relations. Moreover, dual degrees are being offered in cooperation with the University of Konstanz (Germany) and newly also with the University of Glasgow (United Kingdom).
Security studies already have several decades of history behind them, in the course of which their shape and area of concern have changed markedly. Throughout the Cold War, it was a field closely wedded to war studies and military science, and it concentrated on questions dealing with nuclear weapons, disarmament, and potential confrontations between the superpowers. After the end of the Cold War, security studies underwent a significant transformation, which, along with the ever-widening understanding of the notion of security, began to move beyond military questions to include themes such as the environment, human security, ethnic conflicts, and the debate about natural resources and energy. The current shape of the field is the result of this dynamic process.
Admissions
Curriculum
MISS promotes a progressive approach to teaching which, among other things, includes reducing class sizes and an emphasis on seminars. The pedagogical instructors aim to conduct their classes through presentations, discussions, or simulations incorporating students, rather than through a one-sided monologue of facts that can be acquired by other means. This logically requires a thorough preparation on the part of the student outside the class through extensive reading of the course texts. The main goal of this is to streamline the teaching process by actively involving the students in class and making it possible for them to present their opinions on and understandings of the material.
In cooperation with the University of Konstanz and the University of Glasgow, dual degrees are also being offered. For more information about the latter program, which combines MISS with MSc. International Security, Intelligence, and Strategic Studies, please refer here.
To complete the program the students must collect 120 ECTS credits, defend their Master’s Thesis, and pass the final state examination.
Gallery
Program Outcome
Graduates of the Security Studies - International Security Studies program will learn to analyze security problems in their specificity and complexity based on general concepts of security, conflict, and strategic studies. They will be able to locate them in the relevant political, social, and historical and, last but not least, technological context, assess their relevance, identify key actors and evaluate their motivation, and propose practical solutions to these problems. They will be able to apply their knowledge on specific regional or functionally defined examples with an emphasis on the European context. Graduates will gain the necessary training for work in the public sphere, private sector, or academia. At the same time, training provided in English will open prospects for working in international environments.
Career Opportunities
The graduates of the International Security Studies Program will acquire proficiency in recent security threats and risks, a competence in analyzing and solving political and social problems connected with them, and will get trained in information processing, analyzing, and conceptualizing. During the studies, the students will get acquainted with the strategic concepts and the development of strategic thought. They will get familiar with the historical background of the recent international settings and the security dimensions of the globalized international system, particularly in the European and Transatlantic arenas. After graduation, they will be ready to take positions both in international institutions, administration and foreign services, NGOs, media, education, academia, or proceed with postgraduate studies.