Application deadline
Friday 25 April 2025
Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships.
“The postgraduate community brings together an array of extraordinary people from various backgrounds allowing me to meet a great bunch of people who share my interests. The lecturers and other staff are such an amazing group of smart, caring, and wonderful people who have a passion in delivering a fantastic service.”
- Perth, Scotland
Entry requirements
- A 2:1 Honours degree in political science, international relations, social sciences or other relevant disciplines. If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.
- English language proficiency. See English language tests and qualifications.
The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.
Application requirements
- CV
- personal statement indicating your knowledge of the programme and how it will benefit you (1,000 words)
- sample of your own, single-authored previous academic written work or a piece on 'The threat of terrorism is greatly exaggerated. Discuss.' (2,000 words)
- two original signed academic or professional references
- academic transcripts and degree certificates
For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.
English language proficiency
If English is not your first language, you may need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. See approved English language tests and scores for this course.
Course details
The MLitt in Terrorism and Political Violence is a taught postgraduate programme run by the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, Europe’s oldest terrorism research centre, based within the School of International Relations.
This MLitt programme explores terrorism as a phenomenon, with a focus on the history of terrorism as a concept and as a term, the different forms and causes of political violence, and why individuals and groups become involved in violence of this nature.
Throughout your time, you will critically examine selected approaches to researching and studying terrorism and counterterrorism and consider the roles and responsibilities of various actors as they formulate a response to terrorism in its many forms.
Modules
The modules published below are examples of what has been taught in previous academic years and may be subject to change before you start your course. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the module catalogue.
Each module typically comprises:
- one-hour lecture per week
- one-hour tutorial or seminar per week
- office hours
- 100% coursework assessment
Students must take the following compulsory module:
- Research Methods: presents appropriate research methods to enable students to critically understand the literature on terrorism and political violence, and to lay the foundations to enable students to engage in further independent research.
You must also choose one compulsory module from the following:
- Fundamental Issues and Structures of Terrorism: introduces the core conceptual issues of terrorism and political violence.
- Terrorism after 1945: provides an overview of the evolution, characteristics, and decline of terrorist movements and campaigns since 1945.
Students choose two optional modules, with the following four created specifically for the MLitt Terrorism and Political Violence:
- Counter-Extremism: Ethics, Policy and Practice: explores the most appropriate response to extremism through collaborative enquiry and direct engagement with policymakers and practitioners. The roles of education, civil society efforts to counter extremist speech, deradicalisation initiatives, victims, communities, and companies are explored.
- Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict: familiarises students with different approaches that seek to explain how ethnicity and nationhood are created and maintained, how different forms of ethnic conflict and ethnic violence come about, and the possible mechanisms to contain nationalism and ethnic conflict.
- State Responses to Terrorism: takes a holistic look at state responses to terrorism and political violence; students study the work of scholars from right across the social sciences and humanities who have sought to understand and explain aspects of state responses to terrorism.
- Terrorism and Liberal Democracy: addresses conceptual and definitional issues concerning terrorism; the relationship of terrorism to other forms of political violence; the origins, dynamics, and development of contemporary terrorism; the efficacy of terrorism as a political weapon; the dilemmas and challenges of liberal democratic state responses to terrorism; and case studies in terrorism and counter-terrorism.
Optional modules are subject to change each year and require a minimum number of participants to be offered. Some modules may only allow limited numbers of students (see the University's position on curriculum development).
Teaching
The course is delivered through mixed-mode teaching, which involves traditional teaching in the form of lectures, seminars, and tutorials alongside guided independent study.
Lecture sizes range from 10 to 20 students, and tutorial sizes range from 4 to 10 students.
Over the course of a year, students will take four taught modules followed by a three-month research period finishing with the submission of a 15,000-word dissertation.
Assessment comprises coursework in a range of formats, such as essays, briefing papers, presentations, and independent research projects.
Every MLitt student is assigned a dissertation supervisor who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process.
Fees
Home
£14,850
Overseas
£29,990
Application fee
Before we can begin processing your application, a payment of an application fee of £50 is required. In some instances, you may be eligible for an application fee waiver. Details of this, along with information on our tuition fees, can be found on the postgraduate fees and funding page.
Funding and scholarships
The University of St Andrews is committed to attracting the very best students, regardless of financial circumstances.
15% Recent Graduate Discount
If you have graduated from the University within the last three academic years, you may be eligible for a 15% discount on postgraduate taught tuition fees. Terms and conditions apply.
After your degree
Careers
Students who graduate from the MLitt in Terrorism and Political Violence go on to work in various professional fields including:
- law
- policy research and consultancy
- non-governmental organisations
- charities
- international organisations
- civil service
- journalism
- publishing
The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students in building their employability skills.
Further study
Many graduates continue their education by enrolling in a PhD programme at St Andrews.
Postgraduate researchContact us
- Phone
- +44 (0)1334 46 1931
- tsadmin@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Address
- School of International Relations
The Arts Building
The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9AX