How long does the MA in Security and Global Politics take to complete?

The MA in Security and Global Politics runs one year full-time or two years part-time across on-campus, online and distance routes. The final six months of the MA in Security and Global Politics are dedicated to the dissertation.

Can I study the MA in Security and Global Politics online?

Yes. The MA in Security and Global Politics is delivered on-campus, online and by distance learning, and every mode shares the same seminar structure and named supervision.

Is the MA in Security and Global Politics UK recognised?

The MA in Security and Global Politics is a UK Level 7 Master's award aligned with BISA, IISS and Chatham House-adjacent research frameworks, and it prepares graduates for doctoral study.

What are the entry requirements for the MA in Security and Global Politics?

Applicants need a UK 2:2 Bachelor's or equivalent, IELTS 6.5 where required, and a 500-word research proposal. Serving military and intelligence professionals can enter the MA in Security and Global Politics on a portfolio route.

How much does the MA in Security and Global Politics cost and is funding available?

Tuition varies by mode and intake. LSLPE admissions publishes current fees at offer stage and discusses instalment plans and scholarships for the MA in Security and Global Politics on request.

MA in Security and Global Politics | LSLPE | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MA in Security and Global Politics at LSLPE is a research-informed UK Level 7 Master's degree running one year full-time or two years part-time across on-campus, online and distance routes. The programme reads security as a broadened field encompassing traditional military threats, cyber and hybrid warfare, energy and climate security, transnational organised crime and great-power competition. It is aligned with the guidance of the British International Studies Association, the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

By graduation you will have produced strategic net assessments, drafted defence-policy briefs, contributed to war-gaming and red-teaming exercises, produced a Chatham House-style research paper for peer review, and defended a 12,000 to 15,000 word dissertation to a supervisor drawn from Whitehall alumni networks or a defence think tank.

Key Features

Weekly seminars taught by tutors drawn from Whitehall, defence think tanks and international security research.
Curriculum aligned with BISA, IISS and Chatham House-adjacent research standards.
Supervised dissertation with academic and, where relevant, practitioner co-supervision.
Regular war-gaming and structured analytic techniques training.
Guest sessions from defence policy and intelligence-community alumni.
Careers pipeline into defence policy, intelligence assessment and international-body roles.

What You Will Learn

Contemporary security studies theory beyond the traditional military domain.
Cyber, space and hybrid warfare and their strategic implications.
Great-power competition, deterrence and coercive diplomacy.
Intelligence analysis, tradecraft and structured analytic techniques.
Energy, climate and human security frameworks.
Transnational organised crime, terrorism and counter-terrorism policy.
Research methods for security studies including elite interviewing and case work.
Dissertation design, ethics approval and defence.

Who This Course Is For

Serving military officers building an academic credential for post-service transition.
Defence-policy officials and intelligence-community staff.
Journalists and analysts covering security and international affairs.
International applicants working across security portfolios.
Graduates preparing for doctoral research in security studies.

Career Pathways

Defence Policy Analyst at the Ministry of Defence or Whitehall department.
Strategic Intelligence Analyst in government or private-sector practice.
Foreign Policy Adviser at the FCDO, an embassy or an international body.
International Relations Analyst at a think tank such as IISS or Chatham House.
Global Affairs Analyst in a research house or intelligence consultancy.
International Affairs Officer at NATO or a UN agency.
Political Analyst covering security policy for media or research bodies.

The LSLPE careers service maintains standing conversations with defence-policy recruiters, intelligence-community assessment pipelines and international-body hiring managers.

Entry Requirements

A UK Bachelor's degree (2:2 or above) or equivalent international qualification in a relevant discipline.
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
Applicants without a Bachelor's degree but with 5+ years of senior professional experience in defence, security or intelligence are considered on portfolio.
One academic and one professional reference.
A 500-word research proposal or professional practice statement for the MA in Security and Global Politics.

Why Study at LSLPE

LSLPE is a specialist division of Harold International College of London that reads security as inseparable from law, politics and economics. The MA in Security and Global Politics is delivered in small, tutor-visible cohorts using the case-room and select-committee tradition, so assessments are argued in public against evidence.

Central London places the FCDO, the Ministry of Defence adjacent institutions, Chatham House and IISS within a short tube ride of every classroom. Online and distance students join the same weekly seminar structure with named programme-tutor support, so serving practitioners complete the MA in Security and Global Politics without leaving post.