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Politics, Security and Crisis – two-year Master’s programme

Politics, Security and Crisis is a master’s programme in Political Science that will give you a deeper understanding of matters relating to security policy, crises and crisis management and enhance your skills in these fields.

The programme will provide both extensive theoretical knowledge and tools to help you understand how the world functions with regard to security policy and crises.

The programme offers advanced training in critical thinking and independent judgement, and tools to help you analyse complex processes, at the same time providing deeper insight into how war, peace and security policies come to be shaped by different actors. This programme will hone your theoretical knowledge and provide training in both advanced scientific methods and analytical skills.

Master's degree in Political Science

This course leads to a Master’s Degree in Political Science with focus on Crisis Management and Security; a degree course which is the only one of its kind available in Sweden. Students who so choose may complete the programme in one year to receive a one-year master’s degree . All tuition is given in English.

The programme also gives you the opportunity to take part in international student exchanges at highly reputed universities in Europe via the Erasmus programme, and you will also be able to enter the internship programme which provides relevant practical experience at public agencies, international organisations and private sector security companies.

Of all the academic institutions in Sweden, the Swedish Defence University (SEDU) is the only one that offers the Master’s Programme Politics, Security and Crisis. Our students move on to careers in relevant fields in public agencies and government departments, such as ministries for foreign affairs, defense research agencies, and agencies and organisations involved in civil contingencies work. Other potential employers are organisations involved in total defence, local crisis and risk organisations, and national and international organisations such as the EU, UN and various international aid organisations. In addition to jobs as analysts there are also opportunities in civil contingency planning and protection at the local, regional and national levels. For graduates who are Swedish citizens there are also openings for a civilian career in the Swedish Armed Forces.

Completion of the programme also makes you eligible for a number of research programmes, for example in the fields of political science, peace and conflict research, war studies and international relations.

About the programme

Thanks to its focus on security policy and crisis management, the Master’s Programme gives you a rare educational grounding. The course will give you deeper knowledge and understanding of how security and insecurity situations arise, and a broader perspective on crisis and crisis management. The emphasis lies on international security issues, but you will also study crises in a societal perspective and learn more about the increasingly transnational character of contemporary security challenges. Thus, this programme gives you a very broad, but also deep, understanding of how society conceives and shapes its security policies and how it is able to handle contemporary and future crises.

The programme will also give you rigorous training in scientific methods designed to promote advanced analytical skills. Scenario based role games, wargaming and a semester devoted to practical training in the form of an internship also form part the of the programme. In other words, the programme will give you not only theoretical and case-based knowledge of security, risk, and crisis management but also the relevant vocational skills.

At the Swedish Defence University students have access to Sweden’s foremost experts on security issues; lecturers and researchers who are not only foremost in their field, but who frequently act as consultants to the media. Research conducted in the field of political science covers a broad spectrum of subjects including crisis management, security and political psychology.

Structure of the programme: overview by semester

Politics, Security and Crisis (15 credits)

Designing and Doing Research, Political Science (15 credits)

During your first semester you will attend an introductory course to political science which focuses on security and crisis, followed by a course in scientific methods. The course will give you basic knowledge of political science with focus on crisis management, while the course in methodology provides you with tools for analysing and understanding policy, security policy and crisis management in a scientific framework.

Elective courses (30 credits)

Examples of elective courses:

The range of elective courses will be determined on an annual basis.

During your second semester you will be able to read four elective modules. You decide for yourself if you wish to delve deeper into a specific area by following the suggested thematic tracks, or if you would prefer to take courses with a broader span. The elective courses offer a broad spectrum of subject matter. For example, you could choose in-depth studies of various types of crisis management, global threats and security policy or opt for modules in War Studies, which focus on warfare, strategy or defence and defence policy. In other words, the master programme offers both breadth and in-depth knowledge based on the latest findings.

Master's Thesis, Political Science (30 credits)

The third semester is reserved for work on your master’s thesis. A master’s thesis gives you the opportunity to conduct an in-depth study of the issues that interest you most and to put your proficiency in scientific methods to the test.

The second and fourth semesters also open up opportunities for studies abroad via our exchange agreements with partner universities.

Student exchanges

The Swedish Defence University takes part in the Erasmus exchange programme, which means that our students have the opportunity to spend one semester of their studies at a university abroad. Participation in an exchange programme is an excellent way of broadening one’s perspectives and acquiring new experiences at prestigious universities such as the University of St Andrews (Scotland), Sciences Po (France) and the University of Bologna (Italy). Our partner universities offer a broad selection of relevant courses, which means that your master’s degree may come to include several different specialties. Read more at our study abroad webpage on the Student Web.

Application fee and scholarships

Students coming from a country outside the EU must pay an application fee of 900 Swedish kronor and a tuition fee of 105,000 Swedish kronor per year. However, students from outside the EU may also apply for scholarships to cover the cost of tuition. Read more about the scholarships available at the Stockholm Defence University.

Checklist for complete application

  1. Degree certificate, transcript/grades and supporting documents must be uploaded on www.universityadmissions.se with your application. All documents must be in Swedish, English, Danish or Norwegian or translated to any of these languages by an authorised translator. Please note that the original documents should be uploaded as well.

  2. If you are in your final Bachelor year, you can still apply. Please provide a signed and stamped document from your home university stating that you are likely to graduate before the semester start at SEDU. Please read more and use the statement of enrollment status form and upload it under your personal account on universityadmissions.se. If admitted, you will be admitted with the condition that you submit proof of your degree before the start of term.

  3. Upload your Bachelor's thesis, you must upload a graded, written independent work (Bachelors's thesis) in its entirety together with your application. If your thesis was co-written, please also upload a graded independently written essay related to the subject of Politics, security and crisis as well as your thesis.
    An extended deadline is given until February 14, 2025 for students within their final Bachelor year. Please note that the official grade must be clearly visible and documented in your application. The thesis must be written in Swedish, English, Danish or Norwegian, or translated into one of these languages.

  4. If your Bachelor's does not include a thesis or if you are in your final year and have not completed your thesis yet, you are given the option to attach two relevant independent works such as course essays. These works must be connected to politics, security and crisis, and have obtained an official grade which must be clearly visible in your application. (Only those who are in the final year of a bachelor's program ((or are in a program that does not include a bachelor's thesis)) can refer to other academic works).

  5. Upload your proof of English eligibility (equivalent to English 6/English B in Sweden) on universityadmissions.se To find out if your upper secondary studies meet the requirements check here on the universityadmissions webpage. Check your specific country's requirements on the same webpage here. Please consult universityadmissions.se for rules and regulations regarding Toefl, IELTS or other systems.

  6. All supporting documents must be submitted by February 3, 2025.

  7. Admission results will be posted on universityadmissions.se on March 27.

  8. Accepting your offer. If admitted, we will email you with an offer to confirm or decline your seat. Note that you cannot accept your seat through Universityadmissions.

Selection of eligible candidates

Selection is based on a comprehensive assessment of previous studies and the relevance of previous studies. Particular importance is given to the quality of submitted academic works in terms of grade and subject relevance. Please note that a higher weighting is given to theses over other works so if you are a finalist on a programme with a thesis yet to be graded, you may want to apply the following year.

Application and Tuition Fees (for applicants outside the EU)

  • Application fee for citizen outside of EU/EEA/Switzerland: SEK 900
  • Tuition fee for citizen outside of EU/EEA/Switzerland: SEK 105 000 per year (60 credits)

Application code

P2501

Program code

2PSC1

Type

Programme

Starting Term

Autumn Term 2025

Study period

2025-09-01 - 2027-06-06

Level

Second cycle

Scope

120.0 credits

Study pace

100%

Study mode

Campus

Location

Stockholm

Language of instruction

English

Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree corresponding to 180 credits, of which 90 credits must be in Political Science with a focus on Crisis Management and Security or another relevant subject such as Public Administration, International Relations, or Peace and Conflict Studies.

A graded, independent research project (BA thesis) or the equivalent (for applicants with foreign academic qualifications).

In addition, a level of proficiency in the English language, corresponding to English 6/English B or equivalent (for example, IELTS level 6.5 and above) is required. Students applying with a Swedish Bachelor's degree meet this language requirement.

Certain elective courses may have additional entry requirements in order to ensure students can properly benefit from the course.

Application opens

2024-10-15

Application closes

2025-01-15

Admissions round

International Master's Programmes Autumn Semester 2025

Elective Courses

In the program there are several elective courses available. A selection is listed in the box "Semester 2" and "Semester 4".

Contact

If you have questions about the programme, please contact us by e-mail: masterprogramme@fhs.se

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Studies at Swedish Defence University - a both civil and military university - offers a completely different experience compared to most other universities.

How to apply and entry requirements  

Here we guide you through the application process, explain the entry requirements, admissions and other important things that you need to know when applying to our programmes and courses.

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Published 2024-08-12 Updated 2024-10-29