Global Security Challenges MA

Course overview

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

The Masters in Global Security Challenges 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 armed conflict, development, migration, climate change, public health, 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 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.

Applying

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).

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component.. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Politics and Society (6 weeks) and Language for Social Sciences and Arts: Politics and Society (10 weeks).

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional and our 10 week online pre-sessional.

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

Career opportunities

This course prepares you for various career paths in the international political arena, equipping you with critical thinking, research and communication skills and in-depth knowledge sought after by employers.

Graduates may pursue careers in non-governmental organisations, armed forces, the civil service, journalism, policing, campaigning and political lobbying or can continue into academia by undertaking research at PhD level.