Overview

With conflicts becoming either increasingly drawn-out, asymmetric wars of attrition or normalise into states of no peace – no war, our understanding of conflict and conflict intervention is shifting. Conflicts are rarely determined by military victory, diplomacy or long-term development, but require securing populations through a comprehensive approach that sees to their political, and economic, as well as their security-related needs. Their outcome will be determined by how well the different arms of government and civil society, both locally and internationally, can work together and how well they understand each others' perspectives.

The Defence, Development, and Diplomacy MSc at Durham University is designed for graduates with a career in government, the armed forces, inter-governmental organisations, NGOs or academia in mind, and for practitioners looking to enhance their practical skills while placing these within a broader theoretical perspective.

Career Opportunities

Our courses focus on developing self-aware, thoughtful and ambitious global citizens with the skills and knowledge to secure rewarding and stimulating careers inside and outside of politics.

This is underpinned by additional employability support from the University through its careers programme, through employment-related events and by maintaining the alumni network which stretches across the globe.

Our postgraduates achieve successful careers in a wide range of fields including local and national government, diplomacy, newspaper and broadcast journalism, the charity sector, business and finance, publishing, law, manufacturing, teaching and academia, and the armed forces.

Programme Structure

Courses included:

Capturing and Counting Peace and Conflict
Conflict Analysis
Conflict Mediation
Curating Human Remains
Conflict Sensitive Programme Management
Contemporary Challenges in the United Nations Peacekeeping
Defence Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Assessing Martial Power
Everyday Peace Indicators

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 12 months
Part-time
- 24 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-09-29 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-07-31 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2026-08-31 00:00:00 , National

More details

Applicants needing a student visa must submit postgraduate applications by end July, while those not requiring a visa must apply by end August.

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

130

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

90

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

68

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

7

Prepare for Your English Test

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4.9/5 student rating

Credits

180 alternative credits

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Durham, United Kingdom

Disciplines

International Development Diplomacy View 30 other Masters in Diplomacy in United Kingdom

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Academic requirements

GPA

Upper Second Class

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

130

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

90

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

68

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

7

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

UK 2.1 Bachelor degree, or equivalent. The degree should be in the field of social sciences, but we will actively consider significant relevant experience in lieu of this requirement.
English language requirements band B.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

28750 GBP / year

≈ 28750 GBP / year
Domestic Applies to you

Applies to you

Citizens or residents

16250 GBP / year

≈ 16250 GBP / year

Additional Details

EU students: £26,750 per year
Island students: £15,250 per year

Part-time Fees

Home students: £8,400 per year
EU students: £14,800 per year
Island students: £8,400 per year
International students: £14,800 per year

Living costs

Durham

United Kingdom

660 - 1140 GBP / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Defence, Development, and Diplomacy.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

On this page

About

Overview

Career Opportunities

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic Applies to you

Additional Details

Living costs

Durham

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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