
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.
Future career opportunities
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
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
Supporting documents must be uploaded through www.universityadmissions.se with your application. All documents issued in other languages than Swedish, English, Danish or Norwegian must be translated by an authorised translator. Please note that the original documents should be uploaded as well.
For students on their last year of Bachelor’s studies with no graded thesis/work yet, an extended deadline for the thesis/academic paper is given until February 13, 2023. Submitted work that has not been graded by the extended deadline will not be considered. All other supporting documents must be submitted February 1, 2023 latest.
Application period opens 17 October 2022 and closes 16 January 2023.
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.
Application Code
P2302
Study Pace
100%
Credits
120
Starting Term
Autumn Term 2023
Study Period
2023-08-28 -- 2024-01-14
Level
Advanced level
Teaching Method
normal
Type
Program
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.
Location
Stockholm
Language of Instruction
The teaching is conducted in English.
Courses
Contact
If you have questions about the course, please contact the Study Counsellors.
You can reach us by e-mail: masterprogramme@fhs.se
Discover the Swedish Defence University
Watch the film for information on Political Science and War Studies.
Gustav's first year of the Master's Programme in Political Science
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Internship at the UN in New York
Från Uppsala till New York och en praktikplats i FN-skrapan. Masterprogrammet Politik, säkerhet och krig har fungerat som en hiss upp till händelsernas mittpunkt för Ulla Lovcalic.

It is hugely enriching to get the best of the two worlds
During his internship as a research assistant at the Swedish Defence University, Magnus Lundström became aware of the university's unique academic environment. Now he is studying in the mast...

Academia meets reality at the Master's Programme
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Education at the Swedish Defence University
Studies at Swedish Defence University - a both civil and military university - offers a completely different experience compared to most other universities.