Master in International Security

General objectives

This Master in International Security at PSIA trains students to develop the tools and knowledge they need to effectively understand and analyse issues in the international security field in the 21st century, including : changes in the international environment (remodelling of geopolitical systems, new forms of crises and conflicts, controversial military interventions, transnational terrorism, nuclear proliferation, cyberwarfare, etc.), conflict-ridden regions and the specific internal transformations in security and defence activities (specialisation, institutional transformation, "judicialisation", new technologies, etc.)

Main orientations and specific features

The curriculum for International Security is divided into three academic semesters and one semester dedicated to a professional internship or an exchange study program at a partner university.

Students study Master core courses relating to the major themes of the international security field, including:, strategy, defence economics, war and crises, peace, development and diplomacy.

Additionally, students must choose two concentrations from 12 thematic and 5 regional concentrations.

The program enjoys close collaboration with French defence institutions, notably the Saint-Cyr-Coetquidan military school and the École de Guerre allowing students to familiarise themselves with the existing articulations between public and private decision making in the fields of defence and security. This collaboration also allows them to acquire the theoretical and technical knowledge related to political-military relationships.

PSIA’s Pedagogical Committee approved an amended degree structure for students starting PSIA degree programs in September 2020. Further details regarding PSIA’s general program structure.

Below is the new degree structure for the Master in International Security:

Download the program structure (PDF, 64 ko)

If you choose the Enhanced Master option in place of a second concentration, you must choose one course from each block in semesters 1 and 2, and choose one course in three out of four blocks in semester 4.

The degree structure for students in the following programs can be found at: Dual Degree program, Joint Master program and One-Year Master program.

Programs

• Fall courses - Semester 1
• Fall courses - Semester 3
• Spring courses - Semester 2
• Spring courses - Semester 4

Career Opportunities

The International Security program is aimed at applicants with a career plan. Previous work experience related to the field of international security is not a requirement, but it is certainly valued in the selection process. The majority of our international security graduates work in national administrations and governments, international organisations, non-governmental organisations as well as in private security and risk analysis companies. The main sectors of employment include defence, intelligence, consulting, peace-keeping, conflict resolution and reconstruction.

Scientific advisor

Professor Benoît Pelopidas is the founding director of the Nuclear Knowledges program (formerly chair of excellence in security studies) at Sciences Po (CERI). His program, “Nuclear Knowledges”, is the first independent scholarly research program on the nuclear phenomenon in France. He is also an affiliate of the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at Stanford University. His research has received four international prizes and the most prestigious European grants based on scholarly assessment by peers, most notably an ERC Starting Grant.

This interdisciplinary effort of independent scholarship has led to the following discoveries over the last five years: the lack of credibility and rationality of the French nuclear arsenal at least until 1974; the underestimation of the effects of French nuclear weapons tests in Polynesia; the role of luck in the past avoidance of unwanted nuclear explosions; the limits of popular support for nuclear weapons policy and the role of nostalgia and imagined futures in shaping nuclear weapons politics.

TESTIMONIALS FROM GRADUATES

• Loukas, Blue Book Trainee in the Cabinet of the European Commission Vice-President
• Daniela, Young Graduate Trainee in the Strategic Foresight and Planning Office at the European Space Agency, France
• Leona, Communication and Knowledge Management Expert, FAO, Papua New Guinea
• Gabriela, Senior Consultant in Crisis and Resilience and Curator, Deloitte Switzerland
• Inès, Wealth Management Associate, Hexagone Capital, Shangaï
• Seong Jae, Associate Counter-Terrorism Officer, UNODC
• Camille, Partnership and Communication Officer, WFP, Copenhagen
• Akshaya, Research, Assessment, and Monitoring Officer at the UN World Food Programme, Cambodia
• Ole, Research Assistant in the Office of the Director, German Council of Foreign Relations
• Lukas, Junior Advisor, GIZ Ethiopia and Djibouti
• Bora, Junior Policy Analyst, Science, technology and Innovation, OECD
• Aleksandra, Geopolitical Intelligence & Travel Security Manager, Kering in Paris
• Wiola, Junior Analyst Policy, Crises & Fragility, OECD 
• Héloïse, Regional Project Officer for Fragility, Crises and Conflicts, AFD's Sahel Office
• Sandor, Peacebuilding Fund Coordinator, UNDP in Sudan
• Marianne, Delegate, Weapon Contamination Unit, International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan
• Sasha, Project officer, The Center for Humanitarian Dialogue in Bierut
• Lauranne, Political Attaché at the EU Delegation at Barbados
• Wiam, consultant, ReD Associates
• Shreya, Junior Assesment Officer, REACH Initiative
• Stijn, Project Development and Reporting Officer, IOM Niger
• Olivier, Sales and Business Manager, Safran Electronics & Defense

Discover 2024 Summa Cum Laude: 

• Larissa Pietersma
• Samantha Teta
• Yuwei Zhong

CONTACTS

Academic Advisors: 

• Annie Jafalian
• Daniel Rodrigues

Academic Assistants: 

• Homa Soroosh

Secretariat open:

• Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9:30-12:45 and 2:15-4:45
• Wednesday and Friday 9:30-12:45

Key information about the application process (requirements, documents, deadlines and calendar, etc) can only be found on Sciences Po’s Admissions website.