Geopolitics, Resources and Territory

Program Overview

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Geopolitics, Resources and Territory MA

Key information

Delivery mode: In person Study mode: Full time, Part time Duration: One year full-time, September to September, two years part-time Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent): UK 180/ECTS 90 Application status: Open Start date: September 2025

Programme Description

Our Geopolitics, Resources and Territory (GRT) MA is a unique multidisciplinary programme that has a dual focus on the territorial and resource-related components of inter-state relations, rooted in the social sciences but also engaging with important areas of international law. It delivers research-led teaching on critical and fundamental questions relating to international boundaries, sovereignty disputes and environmental geopolitics. This is supplemented with teaching and guidance from leading external practitioners in the field of international dispute resolution and environmental management.

Key Benefits

• Deepen your foundational understanding of territory, natural resources and international boundaries.
• Learn from international legal and technical experts, policy experts and recognised scholars
• Master cutting-edge debates and policy solutions on environmental disputes such as water and natural resources
• Access an extensive collection of resources for researching historical and contemporary aspects of international boundary questions and territorial disputes, including the National Archives and the British Library
• Explore a range of regional geopolitical issues guided by academic experts
• An optional Internship module helps students take their first steps towards employment in a relevant vocational field
• Enjoy considerable autonomy in developing the focus of your coursework, including your dissertation, allowing you to specialise

Entry Requirements

UK Applicants

• Standard requirements: A minimum 2:1 undergraduate Bachelor’s (honours) degree
• Programme-Specific Requirements: 2:1 undergraduate degree. Candidates who do not achieve a 2:1 but have professional or voluntary experience will also be considered.

International Applicants

• Equivalent International qualifications: Select a country to view equivalent qualifications
• English language requirements: English language band B

Teaching and Structure

Teaching Methods

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Self-Study

Assessment

• Coursework
• Practical Examinations
• Written Examinations
• Oral Presentations
• Lab Work
• Dissertation

Structure

• Programmes are divided into modules. You will take modules totalling 180-190 credits as outlined below.
• Required modules:
  • Dissertation (60 Credits)
  • Geopolitics of Boundaries, Borderlands and Territory (15 credits)
  • Practising Social Research (15 credits)
  • Security and the Global Natural Environment (15 credits)
• Optional modules:
  • Critical Geographies of Violence and Terror (15 credits)
  • Critical Geopolitics (15 credits)
  • Territorial & Boundary Dispute Resolution (15 credits)
  • Understanding Human Mobility (15 Credits)
  • Water Sustainability, Society and Governance (15 credits)

Careers

Our Geopolitics, Resources and Territory MA graduates have gone on to occupy senior management positions in academia, government agencies and international consultancies. Many have also gained employment with NGOs involved in dispute resolution, international law firms, government ministries, oil and water companies, departments of the United Nations and the European Union.

Fees and Funding

Tuition Fees

• UK: Full time: £14,500 per year (2025/26), Part time: £7,250 per year (2025/26)
• International: Full time: £31,600 per year (2025/26), Part time: £15,800 per year (2025/26)

Deposit

• Home deposit: £500
• International deposit: £2000

Additional Costs

• Books
• Clothing for optional course related events and competitions
• Library fees and fines
• Personal photocopies
• Printing course handouts
• Society membership fees
• Stationery
• Graduation costs
• Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses
• Some modules include the option to undertake other short day-trip fieldwork. These fieldwork options will enhance the modules, but they are not assessed as part of the module. The additional costs for short day-trip fieldwork would typically not exceed £50 per year.
• Costs may be incurred for your dissertation work if fieldwork and/or laboratory materials are needed for the chosen study topic, but such work is not mandatory and would not impact academic success if an alternative approach to dissertation research is taken.

Program Outline

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Degree Overview:

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Geopolitics, Resources and Territory MA

This unique MA program offers a multidisciplinary focus on the territorial and resource-related components of inter-state relations. Rooted in the social sciences, it also engages with critical areas of international law.

• Learn from leading legal and technical experts, policy specialists, and renowned scholars.
• Master cutting-edge debates and policy solutions on environmental disputes such as water and natural resources.
• Explore a range of regional geopolitical issues guided by academic experts.

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Program Description:

This program draws on the wealth of experience of its successful predecessor, the Geopolitics, Territory and Security MA. This legacy program has produced alumni in diverse fields like international civil service and diplomacy, international law, academia, NGOs, and specialized political and security risk agencies. You'll be taught by leading academic specialists with extensive policy networks and experience, alongside practicing international lawyers. The program focuses on applying critical scrutiny to resource and territorial disputes, with a distinct emphasis on their spatial manifestations. You'll also be exposed to cutting-edge debates concerning border disputes, water diplomacy, and major global drivers of geopolitical change. Additionally, you'll explore various themes:

• Topical issues like water conflicts
• The factors driving contemporary territorial disputes
• The impact of natural resource scarcity on these disputes

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Outline:

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Duration:

One year full-time, September to September; two years part-time

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Credit Value:

UK 180 / ECTS 90

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Modules:

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Required Modules:

• Dissertation (60 Credits)
• Geopolitics of Boundaries, Borderlands and Territory (15 credits)
• Practising Social Research (15 credits)
• Research Design and Project Management (15 credits)
• Security and the Global Natural Environment (15 credits)

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Optional Modules:

(Select 60-70 credits from the following):

• Critical Geographies of Terrorism (15 credits)
• Critical Geopolitics (15 credits)
• Geopolitics of Natural Resources (15 credits)
• Territorial & Boundary Dispute Resolution (15 credits)
• Understanding Human Mobility (15 Credits)
• Water Sustainability, Society and Governance (15 credits)

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Additional Optional Modules:

• Internship (Environment and Society) (15 credits)
• Any Level 7 (Masters) modules offered in the Department of Geography, including those listed above.
• Any Level 7 (Masters) modules offered in the Department of War Studies, subject to availability.
• The Law and Practice of the United Nations: Edging Towards Transnational Constitutionalism?
(15 credits) (KCL Dickson Poon School of Law, by arrangement).
• The UN Collective Security System: When Theory Meets Practice (15 credits) (KCL Dickson Poon School of Law, by arrangement).
• Up to 20 credits of Level 7 (Master’s) modules from any King’s Departments or Institutes outside of Geography, subject to approvals.

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Part-Time Students:

• Advised to take 75-90 credits of taught modules in their first year, including the compulsory modules Geopolitics of Boundaries, Borderlands and Territory and Security and the Global Natural Environment.
• This allows sufficient time to focus on the dissertation in their second year.
• Normally advised to take the compulsory research methods module Practising Social Research in their second year, but with flexibility for the first year under specific conditions.
• Research Design and Project Management should be taken in the second year.

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Assessment:

• Your performance will be assessed through a combination of coursework and written/practical examinations.
• Typical forms of assessment include:
• Essays and other written assignments
• Oral presentations
• Lab work
• Occasionally by examination, depending on the modules selected.
• All students also undertake a research-based dissertation of 12,000 words.

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Teaching:

• The program utilizes a combination of lectures and seminars, typically 20 hours per module.
• Independent study is expected, amounting to 130 hours for each module.
• The program employs innovative technology alongside face-to-face teaching, ensuring a rich and exciting learning experience from the start.

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Careers:

• Graduates have pursued positions in:
• Government agencies and international consultancies
• NGOs involved in dispute resolution
• International law firms
• Government ministries
• Oil and water companies
• Departments of the United Nations and the European Union
• The program also offers an Internship module (available to full-time Home and Overseas students, but not part-time Overseas students due to UK government visa restrictions), providing students with valuable career-enhancing opportunities and counting towards their degrees.

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Other:

• The program focuses on the Middle East and North Africa region within the context of resource geopolitics and associated environmental security questions.
• This focus draws on the politics of water, energy, climate, and beyond.
• You'll develop multidisciplinary lenses, applying geopolitical and political geography analysis, elements of international law, other approaches from the social sciences and humanities, and international relations theory.

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UK: Full time: £13,380 per year (2024/25) Part time: £6,690 per year (2024/25) International: Full time: £27,996 per year (2024/25) Part time: £13,998 per year (2024/25) These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions. Deposit Deposit payments are credited towards the total tuition fee payment. The Home deposit is £500. The International deposit is £2000. If you receive an offer between 1 March and 20 May, payment is due within one month of receiving the offer. If you receive an offer between 16 July and 15 August, payment is due within one week of receiving the offer.