Overview

Designed to bring together security policy practitioners in the public and private sectors and postgraduate students with an interest in policy, the National Security Studies MA at King's College London focuses on cross-governmental responses to security challenges and is structured around key themes such as strategy, counter-terrorism, and ethics in national security.

 The course will educate students in key national security themes, enabling them to critically analyse current and future developments in the field.

Key benefits

• Transferable skills such as the development of practical, policy-oriented insights into national security coordination and strategy.

• High level oral presentation and effective writing skills, developed through a programme of formative and summative exercises throughout the course.

• Development of strategic analysis and policy development. The course culminates in the King’s National Security Policy Briefing, where participants present their policy ideas to an elite panel of UK security practitioners.

• Development of in-depth and critical analysis of national security, and familiarisation with the latest research in the discipline.

• A chance to network and connect with visiting academics, government ministers, diplomats and other experts in the field of national security.

• Students benefit from the unique central London location, enabling them to participate in a wide range of national security-related activities and events within and beyond King’s, and to build their professional networks in the field.

Career prospects

War Studies graduates go on to work for NGOs, the FCO, the MOD, the Home Office, NATO, the UN or pursue careers in journalism, finance, academia, the diplomatic services, the armed forces and more. Recent posts held by our alumni include Threat Analyst, Director of Political Violence Forecasting, Research Advisor at NATO Defence College, Foreign Policy Fellow.