(Full time / Part time) 2023 start
War and Strategy MA
Overview
Our MA War and Strategy course will allow you to gain a thorough understanding of relevant methodological approaches and the questions and challenges of writing and researching military history. You’ll analyse the role of war in human history from its early beginnings to the present day in our core module. You can then choose to study optional modules about a broad range of topics in the history of war, from medieval and early modern times to today.
You’ll have opportunities to use internationally-renowned collections in your studies, including the Liddle Collection of artefacts and private papers from the First World War in our Brotherton Library, the holdings of the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, and material from the Imperial War museum North at Salford. The Second World War experience museum in nearby Wetherby provides a huge collection of private papers from the Second World War.
Course content
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.
Modules
Year 1
Compulsory modules
- Dissertation (MA) 60 credits
- A History of War 30 credits
Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
- Making History: Archive Collaborations 30 credits
- Secrecy and Espionage in Early Modern Europe 30 credits
- Medicine and Warfare in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries 30 credits
- Defending the Nation: Britain during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1793 to 1815 30 credits
- The Medieval Tournament: Combat and Spectacle in Western Europe, 1100-1600 30 credits
- European Defence and Security Analysis 30 credits
- The Politics of the Israel-Palestine Conflict 30 credits
- Terrorism 30 credits
- Civil War and Intrastate Conflict 30 credits
- Conflict, Cooperation and Strategic Decision Making 30 credits
Learning and teaching
We use a range of teaching and learning methods. The majority of your modules will be taught through weekly seminars, where you’ll discuss issues and themes in your chosen modules with a small group of students and your tutors. Independent study is also crucial to this degree, giving you the space to shape your own studies and develop your skills.
Listen to the School of History podcast – a series of interviews with our academic staff about their latest groundbreaking publications, their research interests and how they bring them into the classroom, and what inspired them to become historians in the first place.
On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment
A History of War is assessed through 2 book reviews, 2 presentations (of the book reviews in class) and an assessed essay of 4,000 words.
Optional modules are usually assessed through the submission of two written assignments.
The dissertation is of 15,000 words in length, to be submitted by the end of the academic year.
Applying, fees and funding
Entry requirements
A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (Hons) in history, or a degree scheme that includes a significant proportion of history, or a related subject such as politics.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in all components.
Improve your English
International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Arts and Humanities (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Arts and Humanities (10 weeks).
We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. You could study a part-time online course starting in January, or a full-time course in summer. Find out more about online pre-sessionals.
You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.
How to apply
Documents and information you need:
You’ll need to upload the following documents when completing the online application form:
A transcript of your completed BA degree or grades to date
A personal statement of around 500 words in response to the questions asked in the supporting statement section of the application form
If English is not your first language, you’ll need to submit proof of your English language results (eg IELTS).
We do not generally request references, unless further information is required to support the assessment of your application.
Where further information to support the assessment of your application is needed, we may ask for a recent sample of written work.
Deadlines:
We usually aim to process your application within 2-4 weeks. However, during the busy April-June period this can take up to six weeks.
We recommend that you apply as early as possible so you can leave enough time to make any arrangements before starting the programme, such as moving to Leeds or visa applications. Application deadlines for scholarships are likely to close much sooner.
Occasionally we may invite applicants to interview before deciding whether to offer them a place.
This link takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.
If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures receives very large numbers of high-quality applications and regrets that it cannot make offers to all of its applicants. Some particularly popular schools may have to reject many that hold the necessary academic qualifications.
Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.
Admissions policy
University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2023
Fees
- UK: £10,750 (total)
- International: £22,250 (total)
For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.
Read more about paying fees and charges.
Part-time fees
Fees for part-time courses are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.
Additional cost information
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.
Scholarships and financial support
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more at Masters funding overview.
Please view our Scholarships and Employment page for the latest information about School scholarships.
Career opportunities
Careers support
We offer various employment opportunities which give you valuable work experience whatever your chosen career destination:
Induction week tutoring:
All postgraduate students are invited to provide "mock tutorials" for Level 1 undergraduates during Induction week, where you introduce students to the expectations and criteria of undergraduate learning. This employment is paid at the same hourly rate as module teaching, and gives you a chance to refine your teaching skills and ideas, as well as offer a valuable service to new students.
Mentoring final year undergraduate dissertations:
All postgraduate students are invited to become paid academic mentors within the school, offering advice to Level 3 undergraduates as they research and write their dissertations. Mentors will be paired with Level 3 mentees with similar research interests and asked to provide advice on primary research, archival and electronic resources, thesis planning and writing.
This employment is hourly-paid and flexible, depending on the number of mentees you wish to take on. It provides valuable training towards teaching, as well as more generic skills such as one-to-one communication and people management.
Internships:
We have several paid internships which run for a year or more and offer you the opportunity to learn skills such as marketing, group leadership, journalism, recruitment, careers, administration, newsletter production, events management and website development, all of which enhance your employability.
History Open Days and other school events provide opportunity for more casual employment throughout the year.
Study abroad and work placements
Our optional placement module "Making History" provides a fantastic opportunity to gain relevant experience in areas relating to History such as archiving and heritage. You will gain 50 hours work experience working on a project with a partner organisation. You will also develop your critical analysis skills through the completion of a critical essay and a project portfolio.