The Department is proud of its thriving community of research students. A recent HEFCE study found that King's College London is the most successful university in Britain in terms of PhD completion rate. The Department of War Studies is recognised by the British Academy, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the Economic and Social Research Council. Nearly 200 students are currently undertaking doctoral research in the Department. Every year, about 60 new students join our MPhil/PhD programme. They work under the supervision of faculty members from the Department of War Studies and also from the Department of Defence Studies. The Department is especially interested in receiving applications from students planning research projects in fields that will enhance the quality and impact of the Department's research groups, programmes and centres. Students are encouraged to contribute fully to our research units, enhancing our research culture and contributing to Department of War Studies' research strategy. It is College policy to review the progress of full and part-time students within three months of initial registration and again after a period of nine months' registration. Thereafter, the progress of all students will be reviewed every six months.
Which department am I in?
Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy
Study options
Full Time
(3 Years)
- multiple study locations
Tuition fees
£30,000.00 (US$ 38,743)
per year
This is a fixed fee
Application deadline
01/10/2026
Start date
February 2027
Venue
King's College London, University of London
Strand Campus,
London,
Greater London,
WC2R 2LS, Southern England, United Kingdom
Entry requirements
For international students
A Master's degree with high merit, and a 2.1 honours degree at the bachelor's level. It is not essential to have taken courses in this field at postgraduate level but we advise students to consider taking our MA or a similar course elsewhere before undertaking research work in the Department of War Studies.
Extensive practical experience in the relevant field (e.g. military, diplomatic, journalistic, humanitarian or developmental) may be taken into account when evaluating an application.
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
Both King's College London, University of London and National University of Singapore (NUS) will appear on your degree certificate
What else should I know?
King’s-University of Hong Kong (HKU): Students should spend the equivalent of 50% of their time at each university. King’s-National University of Singapore (NUS): Students must spend a minimum of one year and a maximum of two years at the partner university.
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