MA International Security

Programme

Qualifications and durations

• Full-time MA (90 credits - 1 year)
• Full-time Postgraduate Diploma (60 credits - 9 months)
• Full-time Postgraduate Certificate (30 credits - 4 months)
• Part-time MA (90 credits - 2 years)
• Part-time Postgraduate Diploma (60 credits - 21 months)
• Part-time Postgraduate Certificate (30 credits - 16 months)

Overview

The MA in International Security (MAIS) will provide you with:

• A unique postgraduate experience designed to train graduates pursuing international careers in administration, diplomacy, policy formation and research
• The opportunity to study in an internationally diverse postgraduate community
• An enthusiastic and approachable teaching team who are internationally renowned experts in their research fields
• A broad and in depth understanding of the new international security environment of the post-Cold War era.

The programme offers a distinctive focus on security issues, with academic expertise in both international security and European homeland security. You will gain an insight into the interplay of international power, order and institutions.

Programme structure

The MAIS programme may be taken full-time (one year) or part-time and includes PG Certificate and PG Diploma qualifications.

The first semester comprises an advanced introduction to the core elements of the field of International Security.

The second semester encourages you to focus on our department’s key strengths in conflict and security, European studies, politics and society.

You will prepare a dissertation during the final three months of the programme, drawing on core ideas by undertaking a more sustained piece of research on a question that you will identify.

Examples of themes for dissertations include peace resolution in the Balkans, the EU’s external action agency, EU-China relations, international intervention and the ‘responsibility-to-protect’, eco-politics and sustainability, ethnic belonging and desecuritization, bio-terrorism, and counter-terrorist policies.

Core units

• International Security, theories & concepts
• International Security: the contemporary agenda
• Scopes & methods of politics & international relations
• International relations Masters dissertation

Optional units

• International organisations in world politics
• Foreign policy making & analysis
• International terrorism
• International relations theories
• European security
• European foreign policy
• National security of the UK: policy, strategy and practice
• The politics of sustainability: environmental security & international relations
• The politics of migration
• Organised crime in Europe: threats and challenges
• Memory culture – memory politics
• Multilevel governance & multi-layered citizenship in Europe
• Britain and Europe

View programme catalogue for further information about units.

Please note that:

• The programme catalogue and units listed above are applicable for the 2012/13 academic year only and should be treated as an example of the programme content. Students beginning or continuing their studies in 2013/14 and beyond should not assume that later years of a programme will be in the format displayed here for 2012/13.
• Programmes and units are subject to change at any time, in accordance with normal University procedures.
• Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.

Learning and teaching

Our programmes are modular, consisting of self-contained units, taught and assessed on a semester basis. As you progress through each semester and successfully pass the examinations, you will receive credit for the units, thus providing you with a clear indication of your academic progress.

Teaching takes the form of lectures, classes and seminars. Lectures are quite formal, whereas classes and seminars involve interaction between the lecturer and a small number of students for study skills and discussion.

Methods of assessment

Assessment consists of a combination of coursework essays, class exercises, projects, oral presentations and examinations.

We also place strong emphasis on developing presentation and discussion/communication skills which, in many units, is part of the assessed work.

Careers

Graduates from our MA International Security acquire broad knowledge about politics and policy-making in the contemporary international arena and about the role of Europe and the European Union within it, as well as essential skills to apply this knowledge in a wide variety of professional contexts. They are well-equipped to pursue successful careers in international organisations, multinational corporations, public bodies and think tanks.

Particularly outstanding candidates with an interest in academia can also proceed to doctoral research.

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

• A good undergraduate degree (first or 2:1 Honours degree, or equivalent) in an appropriate subject, from a recognised university.
• In addition, we will also take the following into account: extended and responsible experience in a relevant field in commerce, or industry, or in teaching, or in a government establishment, together with authorship of papers or other work of an acceptable academic standard, e.g. published translation.

English Language requirements

Certificates must be dated to within two years of the start of the programme of study.

• IELTS 6.5 (with not less than 6.0 in each of the four components)
• TOEFL 580 (paper-based test) or 237 (computer-based test) with a score of not less than 4 in TWE or 92 (internet-based test) not less than 21 Writing, Listening 21, Reading 22 and Speaking 23.

If you wish to improve your English proficiency before commencing your studies, pre-sessional language training can be arranged through the English Language Centre.

References

• Two references are required. At least one of these must be an academic reference.

Read details for how to apply to study.

Financial information

Costs

• Deposit of £250 payable upon receipt of an offer of a place to study.
• Tuition Fees

Potential sources of funding

• Studentships and Scholarships

Deadlines

We suggest you apply before the following dates if you wish to study this programme:

• 30 June 2013 for International Students (who need to apply for a UK Visa).
• 31 August 2013 for Home/EU students.
• Funding deadlines for Studentships and Scholarships

Contact

Admissions Officer: Dr Gian Luca Gardini (Director of Studies)
Email: polis-pgt-admissions@bath.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1225 38 3037

Related links

• Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies
• Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences Graduate School

Our Research

Experts from our department are publishing regularly in the most highly ranked international journals and we have consistently achieved top results in official Research Assessment Exercises (RAE).

Our academic expertise and research activities are organised into three broad Research Clusters:

• Conflict, Security & International Order
• Governance, Citizenship & Policy
• Memory, History & Identity

International collaboration

Many staff are internationally leading scholars in their field. We are involved in a wide range of research activities, including collaborative projects at both national and international levels.

Projects are funded by a variety of bodies such as:

• Economics & Social Research Council (ESRC)
• European Commission Framework Programme
• Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC)

Stimulating cutting edge research

Our diversity and the disciplinary mix of political science, political theory, policy analysis, social anthropology, political sociology and others make for a very stimulating environment for students to develop their own research projects.

The integration of our research community is further enhanced through the International Relations & European Politics (IREP) postgraduate group.

Keywords: Europe, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Translation, Conference, Liaison, Interpreting, Conference Interpreting, public service interpreting, Chinese, Liaison Interpreting, public speaking, CI, SI, LI, PSI, 通訳、翻訳、会議通訳、逐次　

About the Department

The Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies (PoLIS) is one of the largest departments in the University.

Many staff are leading scholars in their field and are involved in a wide range of research activities, including collaborative projects at both national and international levels.

International and industrial links

• Our department has links with 22 Erasmus partner institutions, as well as universities in Russia and Mexico.
• Research students regularly engage in fieldwork abroad, especially in the countries of the European Union, but also in Russia, Latin America and the United States.
• Students on the Euromasters programme study at two or three different sites in either Europe or the USA.
• In the case of the MA Interpreting & Translating and the MA Translation & Professional Language Skills, a number of work placements in Western Europe are made available to students in the language services of international organisations, government departments and commercial enterprises.

Careers

Our graduate prospects have been consistently ranked among the best in the UK.

Our wide-range of programmes enables graduates to find employment in many different fields. Some examples include:

• Diplomatic service
• Media
• Academia
• International organisations
• Multinational corporations
• Policy-forming institutes
• The language services of the United Nations and European Union

Many of our undergraduate programmes include a year abroad or placement year. These are highly valued by employers and will give you an edge in the competitive job market when you graduate.

Faculties

• Specialist interpreting laboratories
• Language laboratories
• Online international TV streaming service
• Self Access Language Centre (SALC)
• European Community and European Union publications
• Extensive local archive collections relating to research programmes in French and German politics
• Departmental film library

Centres

Our Foreign Languages Centre offers a wide range of language courses at different level that students can also choose to follow.

The English Language Centre provides Academic English classes and support for international students.