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  • Agriculture
  • Ancient History
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Architectural Engineering
  • Architecture
  • Art
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  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Bioveterinary Sciences
  • Building and Surveying
  • Business and Management

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  • Classics and Classical Studies
  • Climate Science
  • Computer Science
  • Construction Management
  • Consumer Behaviour and Marketing
  • Creative Writing
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  • Drama
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  • Economics
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • English Language and Applied Linguistics
  • English Literature
  • Environment

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  • Finance
  • Food
  • Foundation programmes
  • French
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  • History
  • International Development
  • International Foundation Programme (IFP)
  • International Relations
  • Italian
  • Languages and Cultures
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Marketing
  • Mathematics
  • Medical Sciences
  • Meteorology and Climate
  • Microbiology
  • Museum Studies

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  • Pharmacology
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Physician Associate Studies
  • Politics and International Relations
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  • Real Estate and Planning
  • Spanish
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Surveying and Construction
  • Teaching
  • Theatre & Performance

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  • Wildlife Conservation
  • Zoology

Subjects A-C

  • Accounting
  • Agriculture
  • Ancient History
  • Animal Sciences
  • Archaeology
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Business (Post-Experience)
  • Business and Management (Pre-Experience)
  • Chemistry
  • Classics and Ancient History
  • Climate Science
  • Computer Science
  • Construction Management and Engineering
  • Consumer Behaviour
  • Creative Enterprise
  • Creative Writing

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  • Data Science
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Energy and Environmental Engineering
  • Engineering
  • English Language and Applied Linguistics
  • English Literature
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Film, Theatre and Television
  • Finance
  • Food and Nutritional Sciences
  • Geography and Environmental Science
  • Graphic Design

Subjects H-P

  • Healthcare
  • History
  • Information Management and Digital Business
  • Information Technology
  • International Development and Applied Economics
  • Languages and Cultures
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Meteorology and Climate
  • Microbiology
  • Nutrition
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Physician Associate
  • Politics and International Relations
  • Project Management
  • Psychology
  • Public Policy

Subjects Q-Z

  • Real Estate and Planning
  • Social Policy
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Strategic Studies
  • Teacher training
  • Theatre
  • Typography and Graphic Communication
  • War and Peace Studies
  • Zoology

MA Strategic Studies

  • Year of entry
    2024/25 See 2023/24 entry
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  12 months Part Time: 24 months
  • Year of entry
    2024/25 See 2023/24 entry
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  12 months Part Time: 24 months

Explore how various means – including military force – can be used to achieve political goals with our MA Strategic Studies programme.

At the University of Reading, you’ll acquire a strong grounding in the strategic studies tradition, as well as the ability to critically question and evaluate it in light of recent developments in warfare. 

This programme strikes a balance between a core focus on strategic studies, – including analysis of canonical works such as Carl von Clausewitz’s On War, and their contemporary relevance – and pursuit of your own personal interests. 

You will have the opportunity to choose from a range of other graduate-level modules in the Department, for example on security or international relations. 

Benefit from a long-standing partnership with the UK’s armed forces

Reading’s Department of Politics and International Relations is internationally renowned for its expertise in strategy, and has a close, long-standing relationship with the UK's armed forces.  

Together with Henley Business School, the Department provides the British Army's Higher Education Pathway (AHEP), which offers distance-learning BSc and MSc degrees in Leadership and Strategic Studies to officers while they serve.  

Our Visiting Fellows include selected academic faculty from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and serving officers and civil servants from the UK armed forces and the broader UK defence and security sector. Regular visiting lecturers and 'witness seminars' are provided through the Ways of War Centre to both students on the MA Strategic Studies programme and officers on AHEP. Recently, they have featured a number of senior UK military officers.

Through our expertise and connections with the armed forces, we aim to provide students with a first-class education to enable them achieve their goals.

Develop key employability skills 


If you’re interested in pursuing or advancing a career in the armed forces, defence community or broader civil service – either in the UK or across the world – this programme offers ideal preparation.

You’ll gain skills and knowledge to prepare you for a range of careers. You will:

  • achieve an understanding of warfare in its changing forms, both historical and contemporary
  • understand and being able to critically evaluate the strategic studies tradition
  • be able to put strategic studies into the context of a wider knowledge of politics and international relations
  • deepen your skills of critical thinking, textual analysis, oral presentation and research.

Conduct independent research  

You will complete the programme by undertaking a 13,000-15,000-word research dissertation, allowing you to deepen your knowledge of strategic studies in a particular area of interest. 

Past students have pursued dissertations on topics from major works of strategic theory, to the history of US military interventions, to defence diplomacy, to gender and peacekeeping, to hybrid and cyber warfare.

You dissertation will be supervised by an expert in your area.

Learn more about our experts.

Department of Politics and International Relations at University of Reading

  • Recognised for research quality: 97% of our research outputs are rated ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, meaning that the University of Reading is 6th highest in the UK for research outputs (Times Higher Education analysis of the latest REF 2021 – Politics and International Studies, when scoring by GPA Output)
  • Wide-ranging expertise: Our areas of strength include Applied Political Theory, Comparative Politics, Public Policy Analysis, Conflict, Security, Strategy and International Relations.
  • Research-led, relevant teaching: Our academics regularly feature in academic literature and the media, offering their expertise on current issues.  Learn more about how we engage in real-world politics.
  • Exciting optional modules: Across all of our master's degrees, you’ll have the flexibility to study the subjects you're most passionate about.Wide variety of teaching and assessment methods: Teaching primarily occurs through small discussion-based seminars, supplemented by lectures and other activities. Assessments range from traditional essays and oral presentations to various ‘real-world’ assignments.
 

Overview

Explore how various means – including military force – can be used to achieve political goals with our MA Strategic Studies programme.

At the University of Reading, you’ll acquire a strong grounding in the strategic studies tradition, as well as the ability to critically question and evaluate it in light of recent developments in warfare. 

This programme strikes a balance between a core focus on strategic studies, – including analysis of canonical works such as Carl von Clausewitz’s On War, and their contemporary relevance – and pursuit of your own personal interests. 

You will have the opportunity to choose from a range of other graduate-level modules in the Department, for example on security or international relations. 

Benefit from a long-standing partnership with the UK’s armed forces

Reading’s Department of Politics and International Relations is internationally renowned for its expertise in strategy, and has a close, long-standing relationship with the UK's armed forces.  

Together with Henley Business School, the Department provides the British Army's Higher Education Pathway (AHEP), which offers distance-learning BSc and MSc degrees in Leadership and Strategic Studies to officers while they serve.  

Our Visiting Fellows include selected academic faculty from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and serving officers and civil servants from the UK armed forces and the broader UK defence and security sector. Regular visiting lecturers and 'witness seminars' are provided through the Ways of War Centre to both students on the MA Strategic Studies programme and officers on AHEP. Recently, they have featured a number of senior UK military officers.

Through our expertise and connections with the armed forces, we aim to provide students with a first-class education to enable them achieve their goals.

Develop key employability skills 


If you’re interested in pursuing or advancing a career in the armed forces, defence community or broader civil service – either in the UK or across the world – this programme offers ideal preparation.

You’ll gain skills and knowledge to prepare you for a range of careers. You will:

  • achieve an understanding of warfare in its changing forms, both historical and contemporary
  • understand and being able to critically evaluate the strategic studies tradition
  • be able to put strategic studies into the context of a wider knowledge of politics and international relations
  • deepen your skills of critical thinking, textual analysis, oral presentation and research.

Conduct independent research  

You will complete the programme by undertaking a 13,000-15,000-word research dissertation, allowing you to deepen your knowledge of strategic studies in a particular area of interest. 

Past students have pursued dissertations on topics from major works of strategic theory, to the history of US military interventions, to defence diplomacy, to gender and peacekeeping, to hybrid and cyber warfare.

You dissertation will be supervised by an expert in your area.

Learn more about our experts.

Department of Politics and International Relations at University of Reading

  • Recognised for research quality: 97% of our research outputs are rated ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, meaning that the University of Reading is 6th highest in the UK for research outputs (Times Higher Education analysis of the latest REF 2021 – Politics and International Studies, when scoring by GPA Output)
  • Wide-ranging expertise: Our areas of strength include Applied Political Theory, Comparative Politics, Public Policy Analysis, Conflict, Security, Strategy and International Relations.
  • Research-led, relevant teaching: Our academics regularly feature in academic literature and the media, offering their expertise on current issues.  Learn more about how we engage in real-world politics.
  • Exciting optional modules: Across all of our master's degrees, you’ll have the flexibility to study the subjects you're most passionate about.Wide variety of teaching and assessment methods: Teaching primarily occurs through small discussion-based seminars, supplemented by lectures and other activities. Assessments range from traditional essays and oral presentations to various ‘real-world’ assignments.
 

Entry requirements

Please note that entry requirements for 2024/25 have not yet been confirmed. The entry requirements for 2023/24 were:

IELTS: 6.5 overall with no element less than 5.5 (or equivalent).

Entry requirements: Normally a good undergraduate honours degree (high 2.2 level or above), or equivalent from a university outside the UK. All of our programmes are appropriate for students from any disciplinary background, although an arts, business, humanities or social science subject is preferred. Relevant work experience may also be taken into account.

Pre-sessional English language programme

If you need to improve your English language score, you can take a pre-sessional English course prior to entry onto your degree.

  • Find out the English language requirements for our courses and our pre-sessional English programme

Structure

  • Modules

We will be updating this page with module information over the coming weeks. You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Fees

New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £10,800

New international students: £22,350

Tuition fee information

The fees listed are for full-time study, unless otherwise stated. Fee information will be confirmed in offer letters sent out to successful applicants. You can find further information, including information for part-time study, through our dedicated fees and funding page.

EU student fees

With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.

Additional costs

Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

Careers

You will develop a range of career-enhancing skills such as critical thinking, advanced writing and oral presentation.

Our graduates move on to a wide range of roles, including:

  • UK ambassadors
  • military officers
  • members of the SAS or intelligence analysts
  • bankers
  • political analysts
  • university lecturers
  • staff college lecturers
  • journalists
  • officials in international organisations
  • police officers.

Others have gone into industry, teaching, local government administration, charitable foundations or parliament.

 

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Related Subjects


  • Politics and International Relations
  • Strategic Studies
  • War and Peace Studies

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