Entry requirements

Academic requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Also required is:

• 30 credits in peace and conflict studies, or the equivalent; and
• a written independent work such as a Bachelor's thesis or one or more academic essays written in English or Swedish of which you are the only author of.

Language requirements

Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6. This requirement can be met either by achieving the required score on an internationally recognised test, or by previous upper secondary or university studies in some countries. Detailed instructions on how to provide evidence of your English proficiency are available at universityadmissions.se.

Aims

The Master programme in Peace and Conflict Studies is an international programme. It aims to provide advanced knowledge and analytical skills of relevance to peace and conflict issues. The programme includes mandatory courses as well as a system of elective courses that provides students with in-depth knowledge in key areas. The programme is research oriented, placing emphasis on independent writing, critical thinking, methods training, and analytical skills. The programme prepares the students with the knowledge and skills needed for professional careers in peacebuilding and international cooperation, as well as for post-graduate research.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the programme, the students will have acquired a thorough understanding of advanced issues in peace and conflict research in order to be able to critically examine, assess and analyse the origin, dynamics and resolution of armed conflicts on a scientific basis. Students acquire knowledge and skills that provide them with the capacity to solve problems independently and the ability to monitor and critically evaluate the development of knowledge within peace and conflict research independently.

Layout of the programme

The first semester the programme consists of compulsory courses in causes of armed conflict as well as methods. This creates a common basis with advanced knowledge about theory and methods for all students. The compulsory courses are necessary for the overall progression of the programme.

The second semester consists of elective courses. This semester provides an opportunity for the students to specialise and tailor their programme towards their special interests. Students that will end their programme after year one take elective course(s) the first half of the semester and then take the one-year Master's thesis course. Students that follow the entire two-year programme can choose from a wide variety of courses throughout the semester. Students are encouraged to choose elective courses that are relevant for their planned Master's theses.

During the third semester, students can choose between internship courses and other elective courses. Internships can be for the whole third semester, or for half of the semester and combined with other electives.

The fourth and final semester consists solely of the Master's thesis course. Before commencing the thesis course, students are required to have completed the other mandatory courses. Education will be done in English.

Instruction

The program will provide students with the skills necessary to gradually develop methodological competence and a scientific approach. Students are expected to take greater responsibility for their learning as the training progresses, and to gradually acquire professionally relevant and research-based knowledge and skills. Students are encouraged to create and develop both national and international contacts. The substantive knowledge in the courses is imparted and assimilated by lectures, extensive readings, seminar discussions, tutorials, and individual oral and written work.

Throughout the programme considerable weight is placed on developing both written and oral presentations. The programme leads to a higher degree of intellectual maturity and greater insight into the complexity of the subject. This, together with the ability to integrate knowledge and skills and independently formulate and solve problems, will be presented in a final degree project. The Master's thesis course (30 credits) presupposes knowledge of qualitative and quantitative methodology at the advanced level.

Degree

The programme leads to a Degree of Master of Social Science, 120 credits, with Peace and Conflict Studies as the main field of study. The two-year Master's degree requires 120 credits with at least 60 credits being in Peace and Conflict Studies including the Master's thesis (degree project) of 30 credits.

After one year of study it is also possible to get a Degree of Master of Social Science, 60 credits. For the one-year Master's degree 60 credits are required, with at least 30 credits being in Peace and Conflict Studies, including the Master's thesis (degree project) of 15 credits.