Violence, Conflict and Development

Entry requirements

Months of entry

September

Course content

Why study MSc Violence, Conflict and Development at SOAS:
• We are ranked 2nd in the world for Development Studies (QS World University Rankings 2023).
• You will have the opportunity to take work placements as part of your degree, and we offer internships in the department and in partner organisations. This year MSc students were offered placements in the International Organisation for Migration, the London International Development Centre and international NGOs.
• Get a placement in a partner organisation working in international development with our new International Development Placement module - available as in-person and virtual options.
• Our academic staff create an intellectually stimulating and challenging space across the many branches of international development and humanitarianism that make up Development Studies. All modules engage with questions of climate crisis, recognising its impact and interaction with processes of inequality and change.
• Our staff specialise in a range of thematic areas including sustainability and climate change, migration and displacement, conflict, humanitarian action, labour, political ecology, and aid and institutions.
• Combined with exceptional resources and our interdisciplinary approach, we offer a unique learning and research opportunity for our diverse and vibrant student community.

What you will study:
This programme examines the analytical, political and policy relationships between violence, conflict and development. The core module addresses empirical trends, difficulties of data collection and the importance of categorisation and boundaries to matters of violence. It goes on to present foundational theories on conflict and violence, including gender perspectives, debates about the origins of human violence (anthropological, historical, psychological sources of violence) and the role of violence in historical change.The focus then shifts to the means, mechanisms and markers of violence, including themes related to boundaries, war economies, inequality, land and the environment. This provides the basis for analysing interventions in violent conflict including humanitarian aid, conflict resolution and reconstruction.

Information for international students

For details, including English language requirements

Fees and funding

For details of postgraduate fees