Why you should study this course

The course has been designed to reflect the changing perceptions of international relations in the 21st century. It puts the twin threats of the ‘war on terror’ and transnational organised crime into context with modern societies facing broader challenges, including economic inequality, environmental pollution, disease, natural disasters, state collapse and racial or religious tensions.

Research-informed teaching will be delivered by our many experts on peacekeeping, foreign policy, criminal mafias, security and policing. Current staff include a current Director of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, a senior security adviser to the British government’s stabilisation unit and the academic responsible for pioneering the study of mafias within UK universities (staff may be subject to change).Our academic expertise is complemented by the input of international security practitioners. You can benefit from interaction with professionals such as counter-crime and counter-terrorism experts, police officers, judicial prosecutors, diplomats and NGO workers. You could also have opportunities to attend workshops at the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House, travel to Sicily to study the mafia and anti-mafia organisations in situ or study organised crime in Costa Rica2.The interdisciplinary approach of this course provides transferrable skills valued by employers and has helped former students secure a broad range of employment worldwide, as civil servants, diplomats, journalists, military and police offers, NGO leaders and security professionals, for example. The course also includes the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) accredited module, Global Professional Development. Students who successfully complete the CMI module will also gain a Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Leadership and Management and a Level 7 Award in Professional Consulting.