Teaching & modules
Modules
Course structure
Courses are divided into modules. You will take modules totalling 180 credits.
Required modules
You are required to take the following modules:
- Theories of Communication in War and Peace (30 credits)
- Political and Strategic Communication in Practice (30 credits)
- Dissertation (60 credits)
Optional modules
In addition, you are required to take 60 credits from a wide range of optional modules offered by the Department of War Studies that may typically include:
- Power-sharing Agreements in Deeply Divided Societies (15 credits)
- The United States and China (15 credits)
- Gender in International Politics and Security (15 credits)
- Negotiation and Mediation (15 credits)
- Russia and its West (15 credits)
- Armchair Intelligence - Open Sources and Online Investigation (15 credits)
- Diplomacy & Foreign Policy (30 credits)
- Approaches to Understanding Violence and Atrocity in Civil Wars (15 credits)
Part time students are required to take Theories of Communication in War and Peace (30 credits), Political and Strategic Communication in Practice and up to 30 credits of optional modules. In your second year you will write your Dissertation (60 credits) and take optional modules adding up to the remaining credits from the optional module list.
Teaching methods - what to expect
The following table will give you an idea of what a typical academic workload might look like as you progress through your studies:
|
Module |
Lectures, seminars and feedback |
Self-study |
|
Per 15-credit module |
20 hours of teaching. Typically, 2 hours per week over one 10-week term. This can be split into lectures and seminars and flexible delivery teaching options available. A 30-credit module will be double this. |
130 hours |
|
Dissertation module (60 credits) |
Up to 12 hours of online guidance, training workshops and, in addition, personal supervision.
|
588 hours |
Typically, 1 credit equals 10 hours of work.
Please note: Teaching for part-time students in the Department of War Studies is scheduled between the hours of 9 AM and 6 PM Monday-Friday. Individual student timetables are dependent on the modules chosen and vary each year, so we are unable to provide these in advance. Timetables are usually released in mid-September following enrolment.
Assessment
- Coursework
- Written/Practical Examinations
- Essays
- Case studies
- Creative project work
Your performance will be assessed through a combination of coursework and written/practical examinations. Assessment methods will depend on the modules selected. Forms of assessment may typically include, essays, case studies and creative project work, including AV assignments. The dissertation module assessment will be based on a 100% dissertation assignment.
Application closing date guidance
Key Information
Course type:
Master's
Delivery mode:
On campus
Study mode:
Full time / Part time
Duration:
One year full-time, September to September, two years part-time
Application status:
Open
Start date:
September 2026