Security Studies

Looking for a security studies Master’s in Birmingham? Our MA Security Studies is open to graduates from all subjects. The subject of security has considerable contemporary relevance, both nationally and internationally. A long and diverse list of issues have been characterised as security threats from warfare to global warming.

On this Master's you will consider events such as these across a range of different perspectives discussing their implications for security at the international, national and local levels as well as their relevance to different actors such as the state and the individual.

For example, the ongoing Syrian civil war and the breakdown of the Syrian state may represent a security risk for the UK by giving groups likes ISIS the space to operate and potentially attack the West. However, if we alter our focus we quickly become aware of a range of different insecurities felt by civilians displaced from their homes and struggling to survive as a result of the conflict.

The course takes a detailed and critical approach to the study of security, incorporating all of these different perspectives within a contemporary and international context. On this course, you will get a mix of the traditional focuses of the discipline such as conflict between states and theories of international relations, new security challenges such as cybersecurity and an opportunity to reflect upon what security is, who or what it is for and the impacts of practicing security.