International Security

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) or a non-UK equivalent in a social science, humanities, or another related discipline (that includes a minimum of five social science and humanities modules).

Months of entry

September

Course content

Societies around the world face evolving, often interlinked, threats to their peace, integrity, and prosperity. Matters of international security – from military conflict and hybrid threats to climate change and the shifting international order – present major challenges for governments and other stakeholders. These challenges demand new thinking and new solutions. 

The Masters in International Security is designed to develop your knowledge of the complex and diverse issues which define the global security agenda. By studying this interdisciplinary course, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of theoretical approaches in security studies and become equipped to consider key challenges and their policy responses through a critical lens. 

You’ll study a range of pressing real-world issues from a variety of security perspectives and consider the political and ethical implications of security interventions in these areas. Topics include climate security, nuclear weapons, technological challenges and Artificial Intelligence, global health security, terrorism, and the Women, Peace and Security agenda. 

Security challenges defy academic boundaries and must be analysed within their social, cultural, historical, legal and political contexts. This course draws from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives to interrogate the way we currently understand and address security issues. The course will also help you to critically examine the ways in which different security agendas sometimes conflict with one another and how securitising our challenges can sometimes introduce new ones. 

This Masters course unites our commitment and expertise in seeking to understand and develop responses to the most pressing global challenges. 

Security at Leeds 

This course is part of a suite of three postgraduate courses in the School of Politics and International Studies with a focus on security issues. You may also be interested in our specialist MA Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding and MA Terrorism and Insurgency courses. 

Course highlights

• Benefit from the academic expertise within the School of Politics and International Studies and the Centre for Global Security Challenges, a leading interdisciplinary research centre for security debates that examines themes of environment, health, gender, conflict, terrorism and international order.
• Gain specialist knowledge in the debates around global security challenges and the political and ethical concerns they raise.
• Tailor the course according to your interests with optional modules in climate security, civil war, terrorism, global governance, insurgency, and more.
• Develop transferable skills in research, analysis, group work and communication.
• Gain the knowledge, experience and analytical skills needed for a career delivering change, for example in the civil service, non-governmental organisations, the armed forces, international organisations, the private sector, campaigning and political lobbying, policing, academia, and more.