Queen's University Belfast

MA Violence, Terrorism and Security

Political violence, terrorism, and civil conflict have seriously affected the lives of millions of people around the world. Moreover, the legacy of 9/11, the rise of groups like ISIS in Syria and Iraq, and the emergence of far-right groups in the West have brought questions about the nature, evolution, causes, and consequences of non-state political violence to the forefront of academic, policymaking, media, and popular debates. Similarly, security responses to these challenges feature prominently in global politics. Governments pursue security strategies to preserve order and protect their citizens. Yet many governments also participate in conflict and political violence by holding onto power and preserving systemic injustices.

The MA in Violence, Terrorism and Security at Queen’s University Belfast provides you with the tools to understand and critically engage with these issues. It equips you with the foundations and the most up-to-date research and methodologies in the fields of terrorism studies, security studies and conflict analysis. This programme helps students develop a critical and analytical approach to the study of the use of political violence and terrorism in history and the contemporary world. The MA in Violence, Terrorism and Security also challenges accepted wisdom and opens debate about the role of violence in relation to political power in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It assesses state responses to the threat of terrorism and the challenge for security.

This programme provides you with the essential transferable skills and in-depth knowledge of theories and issues in the areas of violence, security, and terrorism for career development at any stage, from students straight from an undergraduate degree with limited to no prior professional experience, to those seeking continued professional development. This programme enables you to broaden your horizons providing you with a competitive edge in a global graduate market in a wide variety of areas such as the security sector, including intelligence agencies, government agencies and public office, the military, NGOs, academia, businesses and corporations, and the media among many other possibilities.

Violence, Terrorism And Security Highlights

This programme offers a unique opportunity to develop your knowledge, understanding, transferable skills and critical engagement with central issues in the study of political violence and terrorism as well as state responses to these challenges.

Global Opportunities

• Located in Belfast, Northern Ireland we offer a unique opportunity for our students to access and engage with a community context previously challenged by violence, terrorism, and security as part of the programme of study. Our students have the opportunity to live and study in a post-conflict environment with access to guest lecturers who were involved in the Northern Irish conflict, the peace process, and including researchers, policymakers to ex-combatants.

World-Class Facilities

• Queen’s University Belfast campus is at the heart of Belfast’s culture, as well as its art and social scenes. We’re proud to be part of a bustling, cosmopolitan city boasting a vibrant social life and rich cultural heritage. The McClay Library, which opened in 2009, blends the best features of a traditional library with the latest technology. It brings together wide-ranging library, computing and media services in a single location as well as offering study facilities suitable for quiet study and group work. Queen's University Belfast is a member of the Russell Group, combining excellence in research and education with a student-centred ethos.
• We have a world-class Graduate School. The Graduate School provides an exclusive postgraduate hub that values the needs of our students. Queen’s was ranked 3rd out of 199 universities worldwide and 2nd out of 44 UK universities for our Graduate School.

Internationally Renowned Experts

• Our teaching staff have global standing as experts in their field. They regularly interface with policymakers, state governments, and sectoral actors giving expert advice and expertise to the field. We also have excellent links to our Research Institutes, such as the Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. Queen’s is ranked in the top 75 universities in Europe for Teaching Excellent (Times Higher Education, 2019). Politics was ranked joint 1st in the UK for Research Intensity (Complete University Guide, 2021). Queen’s is ranked 14th in the UK for research quality (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020).

Student Experience

• Located in Belfast, Northern Ireland we offer a unique opportunity for our students to access and engage with a community context previously challenged by violence, terrorism and security as part of the programme of study. Our students have the opportunity to live and study in a post-conflict environment. We also hold numerous events and guest lecturers who were involved in the Northern Irish conflict, the peace process, and including researchers, policymakers to ex-combatants. We offer an optional extra-curricular custom-designed field visit to Brussels organised by our partners in the Leuven Institute where students engage with counterterrorism experts, security practitioners in NATO, EU Commission and various NGOs. This optional extra is subsidised but will incur some additional costs. Our programme attracts international award holders of the highest calibre, including Marshall and Mitchell scholars. Study with like-minded students from various backgrounds in VTS. Some of our students have previous experience in the United Nations, national police forces, military, among many others, before coming to study with us. Study with like-minded students from various backgrounds.