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

120.0 credits, Programme, Stockholm, Second cycle

A group of military vehicles parked on top of a dirt field.

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.

Application opens:: 2025-10-16
Last day for application:: 2026-01-15
Education start:: Autumn Term 2026

Scope:: 120.0 credits
Study mode:: Campus
Study period:: 2026-08-31 - 2028-06-04
Study pace:: 100%
Education cycle:: Second cycle
Language of instruction:: English

Programme syllabus: Master's Programme in Politics, Security and Crisis

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 code:: P2604
Program code:: 2PSC1

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.

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.

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. A semester devoted to practical training in the form of an internship also forms an integral part 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 term

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.

Internship, Political Science (30 credits)

or Elective courses (30 credits)

Examples of elective courses:

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

For the fourth semester you are free to decide whether you wish to apply for an internship or if you prefer to take additional elective courses. In other words, you can choose to engage in in-depth, empirical and theoretical studies or to focus more directly on practical situations in a work environment.

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

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 123 500 Swedish kronor per year. However, students from outside the EU may also apply for scholarships to cover the cost of tuition.

Contact

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

Note: We are unable to provide a preliminary assessment of whether you meet the eligibility requirements before the admissions process has been completed.

Checklist for complete application