Masters applications for 2025 entry are now closed.
Applications for September 2026 will open on Wednesday 24 September. Applications are now open for programmes with a January 2026 start. View our programmes »
| UCAS code |
1234 |
| Duration |
1 year full time
2 years part time |
| Entry year |
September 2026 |
| Campus |
Streatham Campus
|
| Discipline |
Security Studies
|
| Contact |
|
Overview
- You’ll gain an insider’s view of the challenges faced by organisations and government agencies when responding to humanitarian crises, civil wars and international conflict
- Benefit from an accredited work placement in the UK or overseas in the development, diplomacy or policy making sectors
- Expand your knowledge with regular extra-curricular departmental talks by policy makers, activists and visiting scholars
- Learn from world-leading experts with real-world experience
- In a time of constant global change your understanding of complex political and cultural issues will be highly relevant to a range of careers in international politics, security and development
Top 15 in the UK for Politics
Top 100 in the world for Politics
Accredited work placement in the UK or overseas
Top 150 in the world for Political Sciences
Top 15 in the UK for Politics
Top 100 in the world for Politics
Accredited work placement in the UK or overseas
Entry requirements
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree or above (or equivalent). We welcome students from any academic background.
Please also see our guidance on essential documentation required for an initial decision on taught programme applications.
Entry requirements for international students
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B1.
Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content
The MA Conflict, Security and Development builds on Exeter’s strengths in international relations and security and is particularly relevant to students hoping to work for NGOs, aid organisations, international bodies such as the United Nations or other international agencies. Our high quality academic training is balanced with valuable professional skills development, giving you a fully-rounded degree which truly enhances your CV.
The programme aims to give you first-hand insight into the challenges faced by organisations and government agencies when responding to humanitarian crises, civil wars and international conflict. By gaining an insider's view of the challenges involved in activities such as conflict analysis, post-conflict reconstruction or policy development, you'll be better equipped to interrogate the myths that surround conflict, security and development and improve your understanding of their relationship within a political context.
You can tailor your programme to your specific interests or careers ambitions with our array of optional modules such as Quantitative Data Analysis, State and Society in the Middle East, US Foreign Policy and State Building after Civil War.
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module |
Credits |
|---|
| POLM084 |
Conflict, Security and Development in World Politics | 30 |
| POLM085 |
Work Placement in Conflict, Security and Development | 30 |
| POLM886 |
Dissertation | 60 |
Optional modules
Optional module(s) (60 credits)
Please note that modules are subject to change and not all modules are available across all programmes, this is due to timetable, module size constraints and availability
| Code | Module |
Credits |
|---|
|
MA Conflict, Security and Development option modules 2025-6 |
| POLM897 |
Surveys and Experiments: Design, Implementation and Analysis |
15 |
| SPAM002 |
Security, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies |
30 |
| SSIM912 |
Introduction to Social Network Analysis |
15 |
| POLM168 |
From Oppression to Resistance: Exploring the Intersections of Race, Class and Gender |
30 |
| POLM173 |
Theories of International Development |
30 |
| POLM174 |
Tools, Policy and Practice of International Development |
30 |
| POLM343 |
Gender, War and Militarism |
30 |
| POLM502 |
International Relations: Power and Institutions |
30 |
| POLM503 |
Foreign Policy Decision-Making |
30 |
| POLM651 |
State and Society in the Middle East |
30 |
| POLM063 |
Qualitative Methods in Social Research |
15 |
| POLM140 |
Qualitative Methods in Social Research |
30 |
| POLM809 |
Applied Quantitative Data Analysis |
15 |
| POLM222M |
The Politics, Policy and Practice of Sustainable Development |
30 |
| POLM228M |
Leadership, Equality and Diversity |
30 |
| POLM237M |
Collaborative and Participatory Governance |
30 |
| POLM342M |
Public Accountability and Governance |
30 |
| POLM148 |
Brexit: Causes, Interpretation and Implications |
30 |
| POLM156 |
The Transformation of Politics in the Global Age |
30 |
| POLM158 |
Digital Politics and Policy |
30 |
| POLM307 |
International Politics of the Body |
30 |
| POLM803 |
Sources in Modernity and Post-Modernity |
30 |
| POLM887 |
Public Policy Process |
30 |
| POLM231 |
State Crime |
30 |
| POLM110 |
Theories of Diplomacy and Foreign Policy |
30 |
| POLM242 |
Strategy |
30 |
| POLM241 |
How to Make a Decision |
30 |
| POLM240 |
Security Futures |
30 |
| POLM245 |
Ethnopolitical Conflicts in International Law and Politics |
30 |
| POLM246 |
The Politics of the Future |
30 |
| SOCM021 |
Food Systems, Alternative Food Networks and Ethical Consumption |
30 |
| SOCM054 |
Food Systems, Alternative Food Networks and Ethical Consumption |
15 |
| SOCM045 |
Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment |
30 |
| SOCM044 |
Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment |
15 |
| SPAM007 |
Which Policies Work? Causal Methods for Policy Evaluation |
15 |
| POLM344 |
Empire and Hierarchy in Russia and Eurasia |
30 |
Fees
2026/27 entry
UK fees per year:
£12,650 full-time; £6,325 part-time
International fees per year:
£25,550 full-time; £12,775 part-time
Scholarships
The University of Exeter offers a wide range of scholarships to support your education, with £7 million available for international students applying to study with us in the 2026/27 academic year, including our prestigious Exeter Excellence Scholarships *. We also provide awards for sport, music and other achievements, as well as regional and partner scholarships with organisations such as Chevening, The Beacon Trust and the British Council. For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship
We are pleased to offer University of Exeter alumni beginning a standalone postgraduate programme in 2026/27 with us a scholarship towards the cost of your tuition fees. Full details can be found here.
*Terms and conditions, including deadlines, apply. See our website for details..
Teaching and research
With the exception of the dissertation and work placement, each module on this programme is normally taught through academic lectures expanded through seminar discussion, presentations, group work, reading and essay assignments.
You will have an individual supervisor for your dissertation, which is a 15,000 word extended essay on a topic of your choice (following discussion and approval from your supervisor).
Library services
Our main library is open 24/7 throughout the academic year. With a book stock in excess of 1.2 million, we have one of the highest UK academic library ratios of books to students. The main library offers self-service machines, state-of-the-art multimedia facilities, and an extended wifi network. The library provides world-class study facilities to all students. It has extensive holdings of works on political science, international relations and the various sub-disciplines.
Dr Pedro Perfeito Da Silva
Programme Director
Professor Duncan Russel
Professor in Environmental Policy
Dr Kevork Oskanian
Lecturer in International Relations
Dr Pedro Perfeito Da Silva
Programme Director
Pedro's research and teaching interests revolve around the challenges that globalisation introduces for the pursuit of development and the sustainability of democratic regimes at the capitalist periphery. In light of this broad political economy theme, I have investigated topics like the financial agenda of populist parties, the regulatory implications of the Latin American Pink Tide, the macroeconomic effects of capital account liberalisation, and the socioeconomic impact of creative industries.
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Professor Duncan Russel
Professor in Environmental Policy
Duncan Russel is a Professor in Environmental Policy. His research and teaching interests include UK and European climate, climate and public policy, policy appraisal and coordination, evidence and policy interactions and budgetary politics.
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Dr Kevork Oskanian
Lecturer in International Relations
I obtained my PhD at the London School of Economics’ Department of International Relations, and have previously taught at the LSE, and the Universities of Westminster and Birmingham. My latest monograph - ‘Russian Exceptionalism between East and West: The Ambiguous Empire’ (Palgrave) - provides a novel long-term approach to the role of Russia’s imperial legacies in its interactions with the former Soviet space. My current research interests include the International Relations of Eurasia, and Bourdieusian and post-liberal approaches to International Order.
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Careers
Employer-valued skills
In addition to the academic and knowledge-based skills provided by this programme’s subject material, your studies will also develop personal skills which are highly valued by employers, such as:
- Advanced independent thinking, with the ability to undertake self-directed learning and time management to achieve consistent, proficient and sustained attainment
- Experience of working as an individual on challenging material
- The ability to reflect on your learning, evaluate personal strengths and weakness, and map out a plan of personal development based on those reflections
- Competence with standard IT applications, and an understanding of efficient and effective ways to obtain information from library, database, and online sources.
- Experience of working as a participant and/or leader of a group, and of contributing effectively to the planning and achievement of that group’s objectives
- Experience of giving presentations to others in your field
- The ability to construct a rigorous argument, and defend that argument citing relevant sources, both in written form and orally.
Career paths
A postgraduate degree in Conflict, Security and Development is a pathway to a range of careers in international politics. security and development. It is particularly relevant to students hoping to work for NGOs, aid organisations, international bodies such as the United Nations or other international agencies. Our high quality academic training is balanced with valuable professional skills development, giving you a fully-rounded degree which truly enhances your CV.
Read more
Top 150 in the world for Political Sciences
