Overview
Our International Relations & War MA offers you the opportunity to study international relations and conflict in a multi-disciplinary department devoted to the study of all aspects of war.
You will study this course online, meaning that you can access our high standard of teaching and expert staff from anywhere in the world without disrupting your personal and professional life.
Key benefits
- An entirely web-delivered degree course
- Academically rigorous course on which lecturers provide close support and guidance
- You will develop the skills necessary for in-depth and critical analysis of international affairs and become familiar with the latest research
- Course materials include specially written content, images, videos, maps, intensively used discussion forums and full access to the resources of our library’s extensive electronic holdings
- Maximum flexibility for you: access content and respond to discussion postings in your own time for each study unit
- Be part of a world-leading department, a vibrant research community and an international student body, drawn from a wide variety of academic and professional backgrounds
- As with many of our graduates, this MA enables you to prepare for a career in sectors relating to international, security, and military affairs, or helps you upskill yourself for promotion or career change
Learning from each other and getting knowledge from debates and dialogues creates the total package for a good start in reaching your personal and professional goals in life. And last but not least, I got the best friendships for a lifetime.
Course essentials
Our International Relations & War MA will give you an advanced and comprehensive understanding of the evolution of the international system, how to understand it, the leading ideas that underpin it, the ongoing development of war as a tool of politics, and the current challenges it faces. Processes of globalisation, including the movement of monies and peoples, the impact of new technologies, the rise of identity politics, the rise of transnational and non-state actors and changes in the character of war all pose direct challenges to the state, the international system and global politics. These themes are considered in depth.
The course is structured so that you will firstly develop an understanding of international relations, ways of thinking about its structures, concepts, and issues of conflict and security. You can then choose optional modules and write your dissertation on a subject of your choice, giving you the opportunity to concentrate on those aspects of war and international relations that interest you most.
This MA is based at the Department of War Studies, one of the few academic departments in the world to focus solely on the complexities of conflict and security. War Studies is an interdisciplinary department, and this programme is designed to empower you to think independently, across traditional disciplines, and to provide you with the knowledge and the tools necessary to analyse, evaluate and understand international politics, policy-making, war, peace, and diplomatic practices.
All War Studies students benefit from research-led teaching in a broad range of subjects, such as theories of international relations, strategic studies, the history of war, international law and ethics, specific aspects of modern warfare (e.g., intelligence, seapower, insurgency), future war studies, and regional specialisms (e.g. Russia, the Middle East).
Key Information
Course type:
Master's
Delivery mode:
Online
Study mode:
Part time / Distance Learning
Duration:
Two years
Application status:
Open
Start date:
September 2026
Administrative bodies
Regulating body
Application closing date guidance
We encourage you to apply as early as possible so that there is sufficient time for your application to be assessed. We may need to request further information from you during the application process.
- Our first application deadline is on 9 March 2026 (23:59 UK time)
- The final application deadline is on 25 August 2026 (23:59 UK time).
After the first application deadline in March:
- if the programme is not yet full, we will continue to accept applications until all available places are filled up to the final application deadlines above.
- if the programme becomes full before the final application deadlines stated above, we will close the programme to further applications.