Master of Peace and Conflict Studies (MA) (International Joint Degree) Marburg University

The MA in Peace and Conflict Studies is an exciting international and interdisciplinary two-year programme focusing on violent conflict as well as its prevention and management. It is a unique programme that is jointly offered by the University of Kent, UK, and the Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany, and it is taught in English.

You will gain advanced knowledge in peace and conflict research, designed to help you understand the causes of violent conflict and to explain its effects and dynamics. As befits the complexity of violent conflict, the programme is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing on insights from politics and international relations, sociology and psychology. It examines the major theories and leading practices of conflict and conflict resolution, supplementing theory with detailed case studies. Topics typically covered within the programme include risk analysis, negotiation, mediation, conference diplomacy, twin-track diplomacy, third-party intervention, peace-keeping, peace-making, and coercive diplomacy.

The programme draws on the large pool of expertise in the field of conflict analysis at Kent and Marburg, concentrated in the Centre for Conflict Studies at Marburg and the Conflict Analysis Research Centre at Kent, both leading research centres in the field.

You will develop your high-end analytical skills, along with more practical capabilities in areas such as mediation. Valuable skills will be gained from dedicated research exercises such as conflict simulations, while you will learn additional practical skills from an internship that is usually undertaken between the first and second years of study. Overall, the programme will provide you with an outstanding basis from which to pursue a variety of careers, including in government, international organisations, NGOs, media, business, and consultancy and research.

Students spend the first year at Kent University and the next at the University of Marburg.

Programme structure:

First year
Autumn semester (September-December) at Kent University

• Three modules of 10 ECTS credits (20 Kent credits) each
• Required:
  • Philosophy and Methodology of Politics and IR
  • Conflict Resolution in World Politics
• Optional:
  • International Relations Theory
  • Federalism and Federal Political Systems
  • Decision-making in the European Union
  • International Security in a Changing World
  • Terrorism and National Security
  • International Political Economy: Conflict, Co-operation, and Institutions
  • Designing Democracy

Spring semester (January-April) at Kent University

• Three modules of 10 ECTS credits (20 Kent credits) each
• Required:
  • Conflict Resolution and World Politics
  • Research Methods
• Optional:
  • Negotiation and Mediation
  • Human Rights in a World of States
  • European Public Policy
  • American Foreign Policy: Ordering and International
  • Regional Conflict & Security
  • Resistance and Alternatives to Capitalism and Democracy

Summer semester (April-September): Internship of at least 10 weeks (students choose the organisation and location)

Second year
Winter semester (October-March) at Philipps-Universität Marburg

• Required:
  • Psychology of Peace and Conflict
  • Two optional modules (e.g. Simulating Peace and Conflict, Collective Action and Protest, Development and Peace, or language courses)

Summer semester (April-September) at Philipps-Universität Marburg: Dissertation of 14,000 words (due by August)

Upon successful completion of the programme, students will be awarded an MA degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from Kent University and an MA degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from Philipps-Universität Marburg.

University of Kent/Canterbury (UK)

Mandatory internship of at least 10 weeks

A first or upper-second class honours degree in a relevant subject or equivalent.
All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications. Professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications.
Applicants whose first degree is from a German university must have achieved one of the following qualifications: "Diplom", "Erstes Staatsexamen", "Magister Artium", "Fachhochschuldiplom", Bachelor's degree, Bakkalaureaus at level "gut" or "sehr gut". The new Bachelor's degree can be regarded as equivalent to a UK Bachelor's degree (Honours) and the "Magister"/Master's degree to a UK-taught Master's degree.

There is a semester fee, which includes the mandatory student union membership (required by state law) and a free travel pass for public transport in the state of Hesse and beyond, as well as access to subsidised accommodation and meals. In the summer semester of 2026, the semester fee amounted to approx. 406 EUR.
https://www.uni-marburg.de/en/studying/life-at-umr/finance

Living costs depend on individual lifestyles and on regional prices. The Marburg foreigners' registration office ("Ausländerbehörde") requires international students to prove that they have at least 992 EUR per month at their disposal in order to cover their living costs.
https://www.uni-marburg.de/en/studying/life-at-umr/finance

Within certain legal limits, job opportunities are available for international students. Fluent German is required for most jobs. Employment for international students must be approved by the foreigners' registration office. There are hardly any legal restrictions on taking academic assistant jobs at the university.

Further information on job opportunities and university career services: https://www.uni-marburg.de/en/studying/life-at-umr/work-1

Our Career Advisory Service supports students transitioning from their studies to professional life. Each semester, Marburg University offers a wide range of workshops and events on topics such as job applications, career planning, and entering the workforce, which are open to students from all faculties. In one-on-one counselling sessions, some in cooperation with the Employment Agency’s Career Team in Marburg, students receive advice regarding career orientation and career options in Germany. Our staff support students in integrating their strengths, interests, and values in order to actively shape rewarding career paths.

The market situation for accommodation is not easy in Marburg. However, the university assists international students in finding suitable and affordable accommodation. The student services office ("Studierendenwerk Marburg") maintains student residence halls with a total of approx. 2,100 units. Apart from single rooms, there are two- to three-room flats for student families. Only students registered at Marburg University are entitled to a place in a residence hall. The "Konrad Biesalski House", in which handicapped and non-handicapped students live together, offers round-the-clock assistance. A bus service and services such as physiotherapeutic exercises and massage baths are offered. Many students live in private accommodation or shared flats. The supply of flats in the centre of Marburg is limited, especially in the Old Town ("Oberstadt"). The situation on the outskirts of Marburg and in the immediate vicinity is better. There are good bus connections. Experience shows that demand for accommodation is highest at the beginning of each semester (April, October), so you should start looking for accommodation around the end of the previous semester (February, July) if possible.
https://www.uni-marburg.de/en/studying/life-at-umr/housing