Overview

Our Defence Studies degrees at King's College London draw upon the expertise of a large and multidisciplinary department. Our acknowledged strength in the field of diplomatic and military history is complemented by world-class research into numerous aspects of contemporary and future warfare, such as security and defence policy, strategy, land, air and maritime doctrine and operations, proxy warfare, conflict termination, space power, and the relationship between artificial intelligence, military operations and conflict.

Features

In addition, we offer tremendous expertise across a range of non-military subject areas such as regional and area studies, international security organisations, gender, war and violence, domestic and international terrorism, peacebuilding, political economy, and ethics.

Programme Structure

Curriculum:

The Defence Studies Department’s unique position as an academic department based at the Defence Academy heavily influences its research. Sitting at the heart of security and defence education in the United Kingdom, it is able to draw on the experiences and knowledge of not only UK military officers, but officers from a wide range of allied nations.

The Department’s research is therefore able to benefit from and influence defence thinking and policymaking not just in the UK, but across the world.

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 36 months
Part-time
- 36 months
- Flexible

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-10-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-08-25 00:00:00 , National
- Apply before 2026-07-25 00:00:00 , International
Starting 2027-02-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-11-20 00:00:00 , National
- Apply before 2026-10-20 00:00:00 , International

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

100

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

7

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Delivered

Online

Campus Location

London, United Kingdom

Disciplines

Military Science Educational Research

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Academic requirements

GPA

Upper Second Class

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

100

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

7

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

Master's degree with high merit, and a 2:1 honours degree at the bachelor's level. It is highly desirable (but not essential) to have taken courses in this field at postgraduate level before undertaking research work in the Defence Studies Department.

Extensive practical experience in a relevant field (eg military, diplomatic, humanitarian or developmental) may be taken into account when evaluating an application.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

28000 GBP / year

≈ 28000 GBP / year
Domestic Applies to you

Applies to you

Citizens or residents

7500 GBP / year

≈ 7500 GBP / year

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Defence Studies.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

About

Overview

Features

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic Applies to you

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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