Conflict, Security & Development - MA

The MA Conflict, Security & Development explores the conceptual, historical and policy issues surrounding security and development and how these manifest themselves in the wider context of contemporary warfare and international security. 

Key benefits

• Development and security are inextricably linked, yet all too often both academics and policymakers address them separately. Our MA in Conflict, Security & Development is a unique globally recognised course that brings together these interrelated areas of study, acknowledging that conflict, insecurity and underdevelopment interact in dynamic ways and that a full understanding of them requires a holistic approach.
• The course exposes you to a variety of complex transnational issues, taking a multidisciplinary approach to some of the key questions facing policymakers and scholars today.
• It is designed to enhance your analytical, research and critical thinking skills, to provide you with detailed practical knowledge of conflict, security and development around the world, and to prepare you to become a leader in the public and private sectors, government or academia.

Description

Our course is designed to provide students with an advanced and comprehensive understanding of the complex linkages between issues of security and development in contemporary international relations. The course encourages

you to explore the conceptual, historical and policy issues surrounding security and development and how these manifest themselves in the wider context of contemporary warfare and international security. Our course’s core course introduces you to the major debates in the fields of security and international relations, regarding the interaction between processes of political and economic development, conflict and violent social change.

Course format and assessment

Teaching

We use lectures, seminars and group tutorials to deliver most of the modules on the course. You will also be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study. Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.

There will be 40 hours of teaching per 40-credit module and 360 hours of self-study. For the dissertation module there will be 12 hours of dissertation supervision, to complement 588 hours of self-study.

Assessment

Assessment methods will depend on the modules selected. The primary method of assessment for this course is:

• Most 20 and 40-credit modules are assessed through a combination of essays (2,000-6,000 words), presentations, oral vivas and/or exams.
• The dissertation module assessment will be based on a 100% dissertation assignment (up to 15,000 words).

Career prospects

Students on our MA courses have gone on to build careers in further academic research, NGOs, civil service, NATO, UN, media and publishing, finance and investment, teaching, and the armed forces.

Visit the Conflict, Security & Development - MA page on the King’s College London website for more details!