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Politics and International Relations at UEA
Find out more about studying Politics and International Relations at UEA, and browse our other courses.
Find out moreMA International Security
Key details
- Attendance
- Full Time
- Award
- Degree of Master of Arts
- Course Length
- 1 year
- Course Start Date
- September 2027
Other Start Dates
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UEA is ranked top 20 in the UK for Research QualityCourse Overview
Why MA International Security at UEA?
In an era of conflict, climate pressures, and shifting power, this MA equips you to analyse what security means and how it’s achieved.
At UEA, you'll be taught by researchers who are actively shaping how these challenges are understood and addressed.
Why Choose UEA
- From theory to practice: Connect security theory directly to the challenges shaping today's world, developing the confidence to engage with both
- Build your expertise: Tailor your degree through optional modules covering cybersecurity, environmental threats, regional security, and more
- Research with impact: Access research assistantships, policy collaborations, and partnerships with leading international security institution
What is MA International Security?
This MA offers a rigorous and comprehensive approach to contemporary security studies, spanning both traditional and emerging threats. You'll examine everything from interstate conflict and deterrence theory to pandemics, migration governance, and environmental security.
The curriculum balances theoretical depth with practical application, developing the skills valued across security-focused careers. Optional modules allow you to build genuine specialist knowledge alongside core training in international relations theory and research methods.
Open to graduates from any discipline, the programme provides accessible entry points alongside the expert guidance to take your analytical skills further.
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Careers
Career Pathways
With a MA International Security degree, you could launch a career as:
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Intelligence analyst: Assess threats and produce evidence-based intelligence for government agencies, security services, and international organisations
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Diplomatic and foreign service officer: Represent national or international interests across bilateral and multilateral diplomatic contexts worldwide
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Risk analyst: Evaluate political, environmental, and security risks for corporations, consultancies, and financial institutions operating globally
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NGO and international organisation professional: Design and implement programmes addressing conflict, human rights, and humanitarian security challenges
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Policy researcher: Conduct security-focused research for think tanks, government departments, and international bodies including the UN and NATO
Career Support
UEA's Career Central(opens in a new window) offers tailored support for students pursuing roles across the security, policy, and international relations sectors. You'll have access to one-to-one guidance, skills workshops, and networking opportunities with practitioners and policymakers in the field. Our school's employability director works alongside the careers service to provide specialist support for security sector roles and internship placements.
Partnerships with organisations such as the European Institute for Asian Studies offer additional opportunities to gain published research experience before graduation.
After the Course
Graduates have gone on to roles in intelligence services, diplomatic corps, defence ministries, and international organisations including the UN, NATO, and the EU. Others have built careers in think tanks, NGOs, journalism, and corporate security and risk assessment roles across the globe. The analytical, research, and strategic thinking capabilities developed on this programme are highly valued across all these sectors. Whichever path you choose, you'll be equipped with both the theoretical grounding and practical experience to make an impact in international security.
Study and Modules
Structure
Our MA in International Security is designed to take you from critical engagement with core security frameworks to independent expertise across a single, intensive academic year.
Your first semester establishes the theoretical and methodological grounding that will shape how you approach security questions throughout the programme. Core modules in international relations theory provide conceptual tools to help you analyse security dynamics from the outset, regardless of your prior background. Alongside this, a dedicated research methods module develops your capacity for independent inquiry. You'll learn how interview techniques, survey design, and data analysis can help youinvestigate security questions rigorously.
A distinctive feature of the first semester is the opportunity to engage with security challenges through simulation and scenario-based learning. Working through immersive diplomatic and strategic exercises, you'll encounter the kinds of real-world dilemmas that security professionals face. You’ll develop a grounded understanding of conflict dynamics, deterrence, and crisis management that goes well beyond theoretical study.
Your second semester deepens your specialisation, tracing the evolution of security studies from Cold War strategic concerns to today's broader and more complex landscape. You'll critically examine a wide range of contemporary challenges, from new forms of warfare and humanitarian intervention to transnational crime, terrorism, and environmental security, while developing the sophisticated analytical frameworks to engage with them. Optional modules throughout both semesters allow you to pursue specific security dimensions aligned with your own interests and career ambitions.
Your year closes with a dissertation on a security question of your choosing, supervised by an academic whose expertise aligns with your research interests. This substantial independent project is your opportunity to demonstrate the analytical depth, research capability, and subject expertise you‘ve developed.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 40)Optional B Modules
(Credits: 40)Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning, and Assessment
Teaching and Learning
Teaching on the MA International Security is research-led, asking the same critical questions of students as academics pursue in their own work. An interdisciplinary approach connects international relations theory, strategic studies, and policy analysis to develop a genuinely comprehensive understanding of security. Seminars, workshops, and simulation exercises create a dynamic learning environment that develops both analytical depth and practical professional skills. Our diverse postgraduate community, drawing students from across the globe, enriches discussion with a wide range of international perspectives and professional experiences.
In your first semester, structured teaching in core modules is balanced with research methods training and simulation-based learning. As the year progresses, the emphasis shifts toward independent inquiry, with supervision increasingly shaped by your dissertation questions and specialist interests.
Assessment
Assessment on this MA reflects the diverse demands of security careers, combining academic rigour with practical professional outputs. You'll complete policy briefs, research essays, security briefings, and simulation exercises, each building specific analytical and communication capabilities. Formative feedback opportunities throughout the year allow you to refine your approach before final submission.
In your first semester, assessments combine individual and collaborative formats, developing both independent analysis and the ability to work effectively under pressure. The dissertation, on a security question of your choosing, is where your independent research capabilities come fully into their own. Your final degree classification will reflect your performance across all modules and your dissertation, providing a comprehensive picture of your academic and professional development.
Entry Requirements
- This course is open to
This course is open to UK and International applicants. The annual intake for this course is in September each year.
- Typical UK Entry Requirements
Degree classification
Bachelors degree - 2.2
Degree Subject
Any subject area
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
- This course is open to
This course is open to UK and International applicants. The annual intake for this course is in September each year.
- Typical International Entry Requirements
Degree classification
UK Bachelors degree - 2.2 or equivalent
Degree Subject
Any subject area
- English Foreign Language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
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IELTS: 6.0 overall with minimum 5.5 in each component.
Test dates should be within 2 years of the course start date.
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies(opens in a new window) for a list of qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.
If you do not meet the English language requirements for this course, our UEA International Study Centre offers a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the required English skills.
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- UEA International Study Centre
If you do not meet the academic requirements for this course, you may be able to study the International Pre-Masters programme offered by our partner UEA International Study Centre. This programme guarantees progression to selected Master's degrees if students achieve the appropriate grade. For more details, please click here:
International Pre-Masters in Business, Economics and Social Sciences
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
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Fees and Funding
Tuition fees for the Academic Year 2027/28 are:
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UK Students: £11,200
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International Students: £23,580
We estimate living expenses at £1,171 per month.
Further Information on tuition fees can be found here(opens in a new window).
Scholarships and Bursaries
The University of East Anglia offers a range of Scholarships(opens in a new window); please click the link for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
Please see Additional Course Fees(opens in a new window) for details of course-related costs.
How to Apply
How to apply
Applications for Postgraduate Taught programmes at the University of East Anglia should be made directly to the University.
To apply please use our online application form(opens in a new window).
Further information
If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances prior to applying, please do contact us:
Postgraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk(opens in a new window)
International candidates are also encouraged to access the International Students(opens in a new window) section of our website.