Our students

Who we are

Our students are at the heart of everything we do in the Department of War Studies. Ranging from age 18 to 70+, they come from different backgrounds, faiths, ethnicities, and nationalities, bringing a broad range of experiences, skills and perspectives which enriches our inter-disciplinary study of conflict in all its forms.

Our Department is committed to supporting extra-curricular opportunities for students and student-led activities and initiatives that underpin our vibrant and dynamic department, as well as fostering new skills and experiences for our students helping stimulate careers ideas and equip them for the world of work.

Oppportunities for students

Studying at university isn’t just about the classroom experience but to prepare students to excel beyond it. As such our department offers two funds for our academics and students to enable this.

Extra-curricular activity fund

We encourage our academics to make use of this fund to sponsor enriching education activities outside the classroom that build student’s understanding of the material in a real world context. Past examples include trips to Normandy for a battlefield tour and a trip to NATO and the EU parliament.

Student fieldwork fund

This fund is open to final year undergraduate and postgraduate students who would like to do fieldwork to support their dissertation.

Discover funding opportunities.

Study Abroad

The Department has established links and global partnership arrangements with universities all over the world. Students from the department of War Studies (including those on the BA International Relations) have the opportunity to study abroad for their full second year.

Studying in London

Access libraries, archives and events at prestigious institutions across London.

Chatham House

Chatham House, the home of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is an independent policy institute which carries out rigorous analysis of critical global, regional and country-specific challenges and opportunities. Based in St James’s Square in London, Chatham House brings together people and organisations with an interest in international affairs. It is also well known for the Chatham House Rule, which facilitates free speech and confidentiality at meetings.

The Department of War Studies holds a ‘Student Pass’ which students can use throughout the year to access Chatham House’s extensive events programme and the library.

Royal United Services Institute

The Department also has longstanding links with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), down the road in Whitehall. The Director, Dr Karin von Hippel, is a War Studies alumni, and some of our faculty serve as subject experts. War Studies students have access to RUSI’s library and archives, home to over 30,000 volumes on a broad range of military history topics.

Liddell Hart Archives

Even closer to home, War Studies students can access the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. The Centre's holdings include the personal and semi-personal papers of nearly 800 senior British defence personnel, research papers for a number of television documentary collections, published microfilms and microfiche of USA official documents and the former private library of Captain Sir Basil Liddell Hart.