倫敦國王學院

Overview

Our unique National Security Studies MA enables participants to develop an in-depth understanding of national security both in the UK and from an international perspective. Designed to bring together security policy practitioners in the public and private sectors and postgraduate students with an interest in policy, the course focuses on cross-governmental responses to security challenges and is structured around key themes such as strategy, counter-terrorism, and ethics in national security. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of national security issues and security approaches in the international context. The course will educate students in key national security themes, enabling them to critically analyse current and future developments in the field.

Course detail

The course in National Security Studies is unique in bringing together security policy practitioners and postgraduate students in the Department of War Studies. The core modules in National Security Studies are delivered on a weekly basis over two terms and consist of highly interactive lectures and group sessions with academics and experienced officials that may include Professor Sir David Omand, Professor Lord Peter Ricketts and Sir Mark Lyall Grant, amongst others. The course enables participants to develop an in-depth understanding of national security both in the UK and from an international perspective. The course also focuses on cross-governmental responses to security challenges, and is structured around key themes such as strategy, counter-terrorism and ethics in national security. The course culminates in the King’s National Security Policy Briefing, where participants present their policy ideas to an elite panel of UK security practitioners. This course has been designed to train security practitioners and postgraduate students in the fundamentals of national security, while also exposing them to practical and conceptual issues and challenges such as cyber security, counter-terrorism and the oversight of national security. The course enables students to critically analyse national security and educates them in key national security themes, allowing them to critically analyse developments in the field.

Teaching and assessment

The primary methods of assessment for this course are assessed essays, individual and group presentations, seminar participation, exercises, and/or exams. The dissertation module assessment will be based on a 100% dissertation assignment (up to 12,000 words).

Career prospects

War Studies graduates go on to work for NGOs, the FCO, the MOD, the Home Office, NATO, the UN or pursue careers in journalism, finance, academia, the diplomatic services, the armed forces and more. Recent posts held by our alumni include Threat Analyst, Director of Political Violence Forecasting, Research Advisor at NATO Defence College, Foreign Policy Fellow.