History of War MA

Overview

The History of War MA provides a platform to explore all aspects of the emergence of modern war from its late medieval origins to the present day, equipping you with the critical skills needed for further study or for a variety of careers in a complex and changing world. You will have the opportunity to complete a major piece of independent work with the freedom to choose whichever topic interests you most, along with developing your communication skills, both written and oral through presenting it.

Course detail

The modern world has largely been shaped by centuries of warfare and by the prospect of future wars. Understanding the history of war is, therefore, essential to understanding the world we live in today. You will be studying the many cultural, social, economic, and strategic changes in warfare over time, working with a huge range of some of the world’s leading professional historians within the multi-disciplinary environment of the Department of War Studies and elsewhere in the college. They will explore with you the many conceptual, practical, and methodological challenges of studying the past which will allow you to develop your own expertise, interests, and understanding. In addition to a range of optional modules which approach the study of war from many different angles, you will have the opportunity to write a substantial dissertation on a subject of your own choosing related to the history of war. Graduates like you have gone on to enjoy productive academic careers as historians in universities, museums, and other types of organisation. The course is designed to equip you to progress to doctoral study, though the range of skills that you will gain, preparing you for a career in any number of areas, including education, government, media, publishing, and more. The Department of War Studies was the first academic department in the world to focus solely on the complexities of conflict and security, and has an unmatchable international reputation. As a multidisciplinary department, in addition to historical subjects, it provides unique opportunities to broaden your study across a range of disciplines, as well as access to research-led teaching in the evolution of war, past present, and future. Other subjects are also available to you, such as arms control and non-proliferation, grand strategy, migration, strategic and military thought, cyber warfare, conflict and the environment, the influence of science and technology on international security, along with regional specialisms covering Africa, Asia (East and South), Russia and elsewhere. No other department anywhere can provide this range of expertise and broader context for your study of the history of war. This MA is based in the Department of War Studies, one of the only academic departments in the world to focus solely on the complexities of conflict and security. War Studies is an multidisciplinary department and all War Studies students benefit from research-led teaching in such subjects as the history and evolution of war and grand strategy, arms control and non-proliferation, migration, strategic thought, cyber, conflict and the environment, the influence of science and technology on international security, along with regional specialisms covering Africa, Asia (East and South), Russia and elsewhere.