King's College London

The new MA in Security Studies is designed to expand students’ knowledge of defence, security, war and conflict studies while building towards a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert), Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) or Masters qualification. Students entering the programme can select from a wide variety of courses available within the Department of War Studies, Department of Defence Studies and the King’s Institute for Applied Security Studies (KIASS), as well as from within the broader Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy at King’s.

The programme is highly flexible, enabling students to build an educational framework according to their particular interests and work requirements, with the ability to extend their studies over multiple years. Most notably, the MA in Security Studies also recognises that students may already have a broad range of prior knowledge, skills and experiences to bring to their studies. Previously accumulated educational credits, professional learning and on the job experience may be used to contribute towards the qualification.

KIASS, which is running the programme, is focused on building innovative educational offerings in defence and security for practitioners – and the MA in Security Studies will help it achieve its goal of reaching new audiences within government, the military and the private sector. Here, the ultimate objective is to have positive societal impact, by directly tackling today’s most pressing global security challenges and developing new cadres of professionals with in-depth understanding of national, regional and global security issues, including their important legal, ethical and diversity aspects.

The new programme aims to:

• Develop skills related to security, conflict and defence studies focused at a professional level, for career progression, or as preparation for research or further study.
  
  
• Cultivate participants’ abilities to convert theory into practice from a critical and informed perspective, in order to enhance and advance awareness of security related issues within employing organisations. 
  
  
• Strengthen participants’ abilities to apply knowledge and understanding to complex or difficult topics, both systematically and creatively, including within an international context.
  
  
• Enhance participants’ self-awareness and personal development appropriate to their career aspirations. 
  
  
• Foster participants’ lifelong learning skills, including engendering an enthusiasm for learning, as part of continuing personal and professional development.

For more information on the MA in Security Studies, contact the KIASS Programme Administration Team