MA in Conflict, Security and Development
London, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline *
EARLIEST START DATE
Request earliest startdate
TUITION FEES
GBP 33,258 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* first application deadline
** UK students: £18,258 per year | International students: £33,258 per year
Introduction
Development and security are inextricably linked, yet all too often, these topics are addressed separately by both academics and policymakers. This Conflict, Security and Development MA is a unique, globally recognised course that does the opposite. It takes a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to teach you the dynamic ways in which conflict, insecurity and development interact, and help you develop a full understanding of these issues.
Key benefits
- Learn about the relationship between poverty, inequality and war; state fragility and peacebuilding; disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration after civil wars, and beyond
- Enhance your analytical, research and critical thinking skills, and gain detailed practical knowledge of conflict, security and development around the world
- Build strong intellectual and methodological foundations for further research, preparing you to become a leader in the public and private sectors, government or academia
- Develop communication skills by presenting and disseminating research and analysis in written and oral forms to classmates, tutors, and the wider academic community
- Learn from core teaching staff that are highly engaged with the policy world, who bring their field-grounded analysis directly into the classroom
- Join an active alumni network of graduates working in academic research, the UN, the EU, NGOs, the civil service, NATO, think tanks, media and publishing, finance and investment, teaching, risk consultancy, and the armed forces
Course essentials
This Conflict, Security and Development MA is a practical, policy-focused master’s that’s taught by policy-engaged teachers who are active researchers. This means you’ll learn from their field-grounded analysis, instead of being educated just by textbooks.
You will learn about the theories underpinning the connection between security and development, and then use this knowledge to consider how it works on the ground. This will teach you how to apply theories to real-life scenarios, without lecturing theory for the sake of it.
This master’s in conflict, security and development takes a thematic approach to its curriculum. You’ll begin by studying the theories of development before learning about the root causes of conflict and how countries tip over into it. You’ll learn about the dynamics of war itself, discovering what happens in the aftermath of conflict and during conflict resolution and the peace-keeping process. You will also think about the state-building process, how the UN deals with the fall-out of conflict, and what we do with ex-combatants.
You will take a population-centred approach to explore how people on the ground experience conflict, and what policymakers can do. You’ll consider how factors like gender and race influence people’s experience of conflict, and examine big thematic policy issues, like the global health implications of insecurity, the role of private military companies, or what donors want from countries in conflict.
Because this course is taught within the world-renowned War Studies department, you will get the opportunity to choose from a varied list of interdisciplinary modules. You’ll find yourself reading across politics, anthropology, sociology, economics, geography, history, law, and beyond. Some of the modules you could choose to study include Comparative Civil Wars, Approaches to Understanding Violence and Atrocity in Civil Wars, Russia and the World, and Gender in International Politics and Security.
As a Conflict, Security and Development MA student, you’ll also get the opportunity to enhance your experience through extracurricular activities. For example, you could contribute to the student-led annual conference, or attend the speaker series that’s seen previous guests including Kofi Anan, Pulitzer Prize-winners and former UN Special Representatives of the Secretary-General speak.
You’ll graduate from this Conflict, Security and Development MA with an analytical and empirically informed understanding of the linkages between issues of security and development in contemporary international relations.
Duration: One year full-time, September to September, two years part-time
Admissions
Curriculum
Structure
Courses are divided into modules. You will take modules totalling 180 credits.
Required modules
Courses are divided into modules. You will take modules totalling 180 credits.
You are required to take the following modules:
- Dissertation (60 Credits)
- Security and Development (30 credits)
Optional modules
In addition, students take 90 credits from a range of optional modules that may typically include:
- Approaches to Understanding Violence and Atrocity in Civil Wars (15 credits)
- Russia and the World (30 credits)
- Comparative Civil Wars (30 credits)
- State Failure & State Building (15 credits)
- Transitional Justice & International Criminal Law (15 credits)
- Power-Sharing Agreements in Deeply Divided Societies (15 credits)
- International Politics of the Middle East (30 credits)
- Gender in International Politics and Security (15 credits)
You are also able to choose from a wide range of optional modules available within the Department of War Studies. Please Note: the optional modules available change each year and are therefore only made accessible to enrolled students during the module allocation process.
At the start of the programme, you will be asked to select several optional modules in preference order. The department will then allocate you the required number of optional credits. Please note, that whilst we endeavour to give all students their top choice preferences, this will not always be possible due to limited spaces on each module.
As a part-time student in your first year, you will take Security and Development and up to 60 credits worth of optional modules. In your second year, you will write your dissertation (60 credits) and take optional modules adding up to the remaining credits.
King’s College London reviews the modules offered regularly to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, the modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.
Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place for all students who elect to study this module.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Conflict, Security and Development MA graduates have gone on to build stellar careers in several fields, including academic research, the UN, the EU, NGOs, the civil service, NATO, think tanks, media and publishing, finance and investment, teaching, risk consultancy, and the armed forces.
Recent graduates have even gone on to win Pulitzer Prizes and to sit on the US National Security Council. Some of the roles held by graduates include:
- Humanitarian Military Interaction Officer at the World Food Programme (UN)
- International Protection Officer at Nonviolent Peaceforce
- Global Crisis Analytics Manager at Mercy Corps
- Security Intelligence Analyst at AIG
- Senior Global Policy Adviser at Global Witness
- Rule of Law Officer at UN Women
- Head, Multilateral Research Group at UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
When you graduate, you’ll become part of a dynamic alumni network that’s active on LinkedIn and Facebook, where you’ll find guidance and introductions to new job opportunities, and more.
Even after graduating, CSD alumni maintain a dynamic community on LinkedIn and Facebook, providing guidance and introductions to new job opportunities across a range of fields. Recent graduates have even gone on to win Pulitzer Prizes and to sit on the US National Security Council.