Peace and Conflict Studies

The Swedish National Agency for Higher Education concluded in its 2012 national evaluation of higher education that the education at the Master programme is of the highest quality, receiving the highest mark available on all criteria for evaluation.

The programme is given by the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University. The degree qualifies graduates to apply for doctoral studies in Peace and Conflict Studies or International Relations. As a student at the department you will engage with a vibrant research environment and thrive among motivated high-performing fellow students. All classes are taught in English and the students regularly come from all corners of the world.

Upon completion of the programme, you will have acquired a thorough understanding of advanced issues in peace and conflict research in order to be able to critically examine, assess and analyse the origin, dynamics and resolution of armed conflicts on a scientific basis.

Through elective courses the progamme provides an opportunity to obtain a more individual profile by specializing in areas such as conflict resolution or security challenges. The programme also entails the opportunity for a one-semester long internship, where you can gain valuable practical experience.

Career

The programme prepares graduates for a professional career as analysts or researchers in both the private and the public sector, both nationally and internationally. The Master programme in Peace and Conflict Studies provides a broad competence with special knowledge of how to moderate conflict and build peace and justice at national and global levels. Former students at the department work at international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank, various national ministries and governmental agencies in Sweden and abroad, as well as in various national and international non-governmental organizations.

The programme also prepares students for research and teaching and is a qualification when applying for doctoral studies in Peace and Conflict Studies or International Relations. Former students at the department are completing their PhD studies at, for example, Columbia Univer­sity in New York, Oxford University in Oxford, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, King’s College in London, and Euro­pean University Institute in Florence as well as various Swedish ­universities.

Degree

The programme leads to a Master of Social Science (120 credits) with Peace and Conflict Studies as the main field of study.

After one year of study it may also be possible to obtain a Master of Social Science (60 credits).

Compulsory courses

• Causes of Armed Conflict, 15 credits
• Methods, 15 credits
• Master thesis, 15/30 credits

Elective courses (may vary)

• International Conflict Resolution, 15 credits
• International Peace and Security, 15 credits
• New Military and Non-Military Threats to Security, 15 credits
• Leadership and Conflict Resolution, 15 credits
• International Negotiation, 15 credits
• Review Writing, 15 credits
• Internship I, 15 credits
• Internship II, 30 credits

At the department, the teaching staff goes to great length to anchor their teaching in research. In doing so, the education can maintain high academic quality, while keeping its strong focus on lifting relevant topical practice-related issues in the programme. You will be trained in numerous generic skills to gradually develop and hone your methodological skills and your ability to critically evaluate cases of the onset, the dynamics and the resolution of armed conflicts using different social scientific approaches.
You are expected to take greater responsibility for your learning as the training progresses, and to gradually acquire professionally relevant and research-based knowledge and skills. You are encouraged to create and develop both national and international contacts. The substantive knowledge in the courses is imparted and assimilated through lectures, extensive readings, seminar discussions, tutorials, and individual oral and written work. Throughout the programme considerable weight is placed on developing both written and oral presentations.
The progression in the program aims at leading to a higher degree of intellectual maturity and deepened insights into the complexities of the subject. This, together with the ability to integrate knowledge and skills and to formulate and solve problems, is evaluated in the final thesis. The studies require that students admitted to the program have basic knowledge of qualitative and quantitative methods before the courses begin. Before undertaking the final thesis, students will have to acquire more advanced methodological skills.

A bachelor's degree equivalent to a Swedish degree of at least 180 credits (i.e. three years of full-time studies), including at least 90 credits in peace and conflict studies, or alternatively 90 credits in adjacent relevant subjects and at least 30 credits in peace and conflict studies or corresponding experience, as well as documented written independent academic work. Independent academic work means one or several academic essays or papers (or equivalent) in English, Swedish, Danish or Norwegian or translated into any of these languages.Proof of skills in English to a level corresponding to English B in the Swedish secondary school. This is normally attested by means of an internationally recognised test with the following minimum scores:IELTS: an overall mark of 6.5 and no section below 5.5TOEFL: Paper-based: Score of 4.5 (scale 1-6) in written test and a total score of 575. Internet-based: Score of 20 (scale 0-30) in written test and a total score of 90Cambridge: CAE, CPESelectionSelection will be based on a total appraisal of the quality of the application. Special emphasis is placed on the quality of the degree project (the written independent academic work) in peace and conflict studies or equivalent, but relevance and quality of previous studies as well as quantity (number of credits in peace and conflict studies) are also of importance. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 TOEFL paper-based test score : 575 TOEFL iBT® test: 90

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Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

Uppsala University provides several different scholarships for students. The scholarships cover exclusively the tuition fees for courses within the programme, i e 30 credits per semester.
Read more about scholarships on www.uu.se/scholarships.