Program Overview

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MSc Gender, Peace and Security

The MSc in Gender, Peace and Security examines how the conduct of war, the provision of security, and the attainment of peace are experienced in gendered ways and shaped by gendered logics. Some of the key questions we address include: "How and when do wars start and end?" "How are the experience of war and knowledge about security gendered?" and "How does militarisation shape global politics and everyday lives?" To examine these questions, we draw on scholarship across a range of disciplines, as well as examining global governance mechanisms, policies, media, activism, and artistic production. Throughout, we attend to gender as an intersectional category and seek to understand issues through a transnational lens.

Introduction

The programme is distinctive for both its centring of gender in the study of peace and security, as well as its interdisciplinary home. This approach offers exciting and innovative avenues for examining regional, national and global peace and security issues and policies.

Preliminary Readings

• S Basu, P Kirby, and LJ Shepherd (eds), New Directions in Women, Peace and Security (Bristol University Press, 2020)
• C Cohn, Women and Wars (Polity Press, 2013)
• R Coomaraswamy, Preventing Conflict, Transforming Justice, Securing the Peace: Global Study on the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UN Women, 2015)
• SE Davies and J True, T he Oxford Handbook of Women Peace and Security (Oxford University Press, 2018)
• C Enloe, Nimo’s War, Emma’s War: Making Feminist Sense of the Iraq War (University of California Press, 2010)
• M Evans, C Hemmings, M Henry H Marsha, H Johnstone, S Madhok, A Plomien, and S Wearing, The SAGE Handbook of Feminist Theory(Sage Publications, 2014)
• D Otto and G Heathcote, Rethinking Peacekeeping, Gender Equality and Collective Security: an introduction (Routledge, 2014)
• T Väyrynen, S Parashar, E Féron and CC Confortini, Routledge Handbook of Feminist Peace Research (Routledge, 2021)
• M Zalewski, P Drumond, E Prugl and M Stern, Sexual Violence Against Men in Global Politics (Routledge, 2018)

Key Information

Study Mode / Programme Availability

• Home full-time students (12 months) Open
• Home part-time students (24 months) Open
• Overseas full-time students (12 months) Open

Academic Year

2026/27

Start Date

28 September 2026

Location

Houghton Street, London

Application Deadline

None – rolling admissions. However, please note the funding deadlines

Entry Requirements

• Upper second class honours degree (2:1) or equivalent in relevant discipline.
• English language requirements: Higher.

Programme Content

Year 1

You'll take three compulsory courses, options to the value of one and a half units and a dissertation.

• GI424: Half unit, Gender Theories: An Interdisciplinary Approach
• GI425: Half unit, Introduction to Gender, Peace and Security
• GI499: One unit, Dissertation - Independent Research Project
• Courses to the value of between half a unit (minimum) and one unit (maximum) from the following:
  • GI413: Half unit, Gender, Race and Militarisation
  • GI427: Half unit, Thematic Topics in Global (In)Security
• Courses to the value of one unit and one and a half units (depending on previous selections) from a range of options

Why Study with Us

Student Stories

Meet student Hannah Lee (USA)

Meet the Department

Established in 1993, the Department of Gender Studies is an internationally renowned hub of research and teaching in the field of Gender Studies.

Why LSE

• University of the Year 2025 and 1st in the UK
• 1st in London for the 14th year running
• 6th In the world
• Carbon Neutral In 2021, LSE became the first Carbon Neutral verified university in the UK

Your Application

Overview

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified prospective students.

When to Apply

Applications for this programme are considered on a rolling basis.

Fees and Funding

Home

£18,300 (Home student fee for 2026/27)

Overseas

£30,400 (Overseas student fee for 2026/27)

Fee Status

At LSE, your tuition fees, and eligibility for any financial support, will depend on whether you’re classified as a home or overseas student.

Scholarships, Bursaries and Loans

• Fee reduction for students who completed undergraduate study at LSE
• Scholarships and other funding
• Government tuition fee loans and external funding

Learning and Assessment

How You Learn

• Contact hours and independent study
• Teaching methods
• Academic support

How You're Assessed

• Formative coursework
• Summative assessment

Graduate Destinations

Overview

We expect the degree to assist our students with careers in conflict and post-conflict settings; in humanitarian assistance; UN field offices; peace governance roles; and into further study.

Career Support

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Find Out More

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• MSc Gender (Research)
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• MSc International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies
• MSc Culture and Conflict in a Global Europe

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