MA in Diplomacy / Global Security and Strategy

With the MA in Diplomacy and Global Governance and the MA in Global Security and Strategy, the Brussels School of Governance offers two separate English-taught Master programmes that can be considered as ‘twin programmes’: they have a similar structure and a common set of core compulsory courses in the first trimester to build on, but then further expand on the subject of the MA chosen by the student. Both these Master programmes can be taken either as a 90 ECTS programme (12 months for a full-time student) or a 120 ECTS programme (16 months). The 120 ECTS option adds an intensive internship to the curriculum, in addition to expertise on the subject of the twin programme, as well as a set of Risk Analysis and Crisis Management modules.

The MA in Diplomacy and Global Governance provides students and professionals with comprehensive knowledge and policy-oriented skills at the intersection of diplomacy and global governance. Both diplomacy and global governance are important institutions of the international order, but they are also the institutions undergoing permanent processes of change in the modern and at times turbulent world. With its strong links to the policy-making world and university/think tank partners in Brussels, wider Europe, the US and Asia, the programme offers students a truly global exchange between theory and practice. By bringing together key practitioners with scholars from these fields, graduates of this programme will be equipped to extract insights and advantages of the various perspectives and approaches at this turning point in the history of diplomacy and global governance.

The MA in Global Security and Strategy provides students and professionals with comprehensive knowledge and policy-oriented skills at the intersection of security and strategic studies. The programme enables students interested in an international career in government, international organisations, think tanks or NGOs to gain unique theoretical foundations, practical skill sets and high-level contacts. Leading scholars, think tanks and senior strategists in security studies (from organisations including NATO, the United Nations, the Royal Military Academy of Belgium and the Egmont Institute) are brought together in the partnership circle, advisory board and faculty of this programme to allow for critical and balanced exchange between the perspectives. Graduates of this programme will be equipped to extract the insights, advantages and limitations of these perspectives and approaches to global security and strategy.

This MA in Diplomacy/Global Security and Strategy is a programme of which the degree will be awarded by Vesalius College. Vesalius College is part of the Brussels School of Governance, an alliance with the Institute for European Studies, established in February 2021.

Prestigious Internships

As part of this MA program, you will have an opportunity to do a tailor-made internship with one of our high-profile internship partners which you will be involved in the deep end of our partners’ activities from day one. The program has a wide range of agreements with international organizations for internships during the summer after the completion of your major coursework, allowing you to focus full-time on your internship in addition to writing your thesis.

Key Features

• Organised in cooperation with the Royal Military Academy
• A strong link between theory and actual practice
• The limited class size ensures high interaction and close contacts among students and with the professors
• Internship placement in international organisations think tanks and NGOs
• Intensive skills training and policy workshops, e.g. during a Capstone course that exposes students to real-life issues and challenges of policymakers and practitioners; during several simulations, students participate in (SUNY model EU, Model NATO, Model UN MEDMUN)
• Strong link to the policy-maker scene in Brussels
• Accredited by the Flemish educational authorities (NVAO)
• Supported by the extensive expertise of our Office for Teaching, Learning and Innovation to accommodate sophisticated blended teaching methods.