Do I have to apply online for a postgraduate taught degree? Yes. To apply for a postgraduate taught degree you must apply online. We are unable to accept your application by any other means. Do I need to complete and submit the application in a single session? No. You have 42 days to submit your application once you begin the process. You may save and return to your application as many times as you wish to update information, complete sections or upload additional documents such as your final transcript or your language test certificate. What documents do I need to provide in my application? As well as completing your online application fully, it is essential that you submit the following documents:

• A copy (or copies) of your official degree certificate(s) (if you have already completed your degree)
• A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained
• Official English translations of the certificate(s) and transcript(s)
• Two supporting reference letters on headed paper*
• Evidence of your English Language ability (if your first language is not English). Please see below for accepted English-language proficiency tests.
• Evidence of knowledge of a second language at Level B2 (not being English or Italian) (Required for Trento Pathway B only)
• CV
• A copy of the photo page of your passport
• Scholarship Application Form OR Personal statement (if not applying for an Erasmus Mundus Scholarship)

*References must be:

• Dated, within 24 months from the date of submission of the application
• On institutional headed paper or with an official stamp. If neither are available a reference can be submitted directly to erasmusreferences@glasgow.ac.uk from the referee’s institutional email address. References will not be accepted from a personal email address.
• Signed, with an electronic or wet-ink signature. A typed name is not sufficient
• At least one of the two references should be an academic reference. One may be a professional reference where it is not possible to obtain two academic references.

Please note, in order to be considered for a scholarship for entry in September 2023, you MUST have submitted ALL of the above documents by the submission deadline of 13th January 2023. If your application status is ‘holding for documents’ then you will NOT be considered for a scholarship unless you submit the required documents by the set deadline.

Do my supporting documents need to be submitted online? Yes, please upload the supporting documents with your application. Can I email my supporting documents? No. We cannot accept email submissions of your supporting documents. Further Information Please see the Frequently Asked Questions for more information on applying to a postgraduate taught program.

Guidance notes for using the online application

These notes are intended to help you complete the online application form accurately, they are also available within the help section of the online application form. If you experience any difficulties accessing the online application then you should visit the Application Troubleshooting/FAQs page. When searching for the programme in the online system please use the following search options:

• Academic Careers – Postgraduate Taught
• Admit Term – Academic year 2023/24
• Mode of Study – Full time
• Programme Description – Security

You are also reminded to ensure the following:

• Name and Date of birth: must appear exactly as they do on your passport. Please take time to check the spelling and lay-out.
• Contact Details: Correspondence address. All contact relevant to your application will be sent to this address including the offer letter(s). If your address changes, please contact us as soon as possible.
• Choice of course: Please select carefully the course you want to study. As your application will be sent to the admissions committee for each course you select it is important to consider at this stage why you are interested in the course and that it is reflected in your application. See above for details on selecting the course.
• Education and Qualifications: Please complete this section as fully as possible indicating any relevant Higher Education qualifications starting with the most recent. Complete the name of the Institution(s) as it appears on the degree certificate or transcript.
• English Language Proficiency: Please state the date of any English language test taken (or to be taken) and the award date (or expected award date if known).
• Employment and Experience: Please complete this section as fully as possible with all employments relevant to your course. Additional details may be attached in your personal statement/proposal where appropriate.
• References: References should be completed on letter headed paper and uploaded on to your application, or instances where referees are submitting reference to erasmusreferences@glasgow.ac.uk then you must include a document with the referee name and email address with your application so that this can be cross referenced. All references must be received by the scholarship application deadline on 13th January for a scholarship application to be valid.

You should have a 2.1 Honours degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject, such as social sciences, philosophy, geography, literature, language sciences, law, economics and management, political science, international relations, development, cooperation, peace studies, sociology, history. Other disciplines not listed here will be considered on an individual basis. Academic backgrounds in the fields of science/engineering and computer science will be considered for Pathway A only. Applicants with a relevant work experience background in the fields of policing, security, intelligence and risk analysis will also be considered for Pathway A only. You can check your country-specific requirements on our country information pages.  If you are unsure whether your degree is suitable, you can email the programme convener to discuss. International students with academic qualifications below those required should contact our partner institution, Glasgow International College, who offer a range of pre-Masters courses.

Academic Background: The programme is opened to students from various academic backgrounds and we encourage those who have been in employment for some time to consider applying.

English Language Requirements:  For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)

• overall score 6.5
• no sub-test less than 6.0
• or equivalent scores in another recognised qualification (see below)
• Common equivalent English language qualifications

All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:

• ibTOEFL: 90 overall; no sub-test less than Reading: 20 ; Listening: 19; Speaking: 19; Writing: 23
• CAE (Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169
• CPE (Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English):  176 overall; no sub-test less than 169
• PTE Academic (Person Test of English, Academic test): 60 overall; no sub-test less than 59
• Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English: ISEII at Distinction with Distinction in all sub-tests

For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept an IELTS test (Academic module) from any of the 1000 IELTS test centres from around the world and we do not require a specific UKVI IELTS test for degree-level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.

Trento Pathway (B) Language Requirements: The requirement for Trento pathway is English and a second language not being Italian at Level B2 or above. The University of Trento will provide Italian classes for those who choose to study there, previous knowledge of Italian is not required.

• Non-native English or Italian students – need to prove skills in a language other than English/Italian, which can be done by having a secondary school or degree certificate in that language
• Native English speakers – need to prove skills in a second language other than Italian through one of the options as described below.
• Native Italian speakers – need to prove skills in a second language other than English through one of the options as described below.

a) either a secondary school diploma acquired in any third language or a degree certificate (undergraduate or masters) acquired in any third language; b) or a certificate from a recognised testing institution that makes clear reference to CEFR level B2. Pre-sessional courses The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We also consider other BALEAP accredited pre-sessional courses:

• School of Modern Languages and Cultures: English for Academic Study
• BALEAP guide to accredited courses

What do I do if… my language qualifications are below the requirements? The University’s English for Academic Study Unit offers a range of Pre-Sessional Courses to bring you up to entry-level. The course is accredited by BALEAP, the UK professional association for academic English teaching; see Links. my language qualifications are not listed here? Please contact the Admissions Team: gla.ac.uk/study/enquire 

The following documents are required:

• Degree Certificate (and an official translation) NB: Students who have not yet completed their degree can also apply. Please provide academic transcripts to date. Offers of a place on the programme will be conditional pending receipt of the final degree result. Applications will be considered for scholarship but any offer of a scholarship will also be conditional until the final degree result is confirmed. See ‘Note on conditional offers’ below.
• Official academic transcript(s), translated in to English (official translation) and showing full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained
• Two supporting reference letters. References must be:
  • Dated, within 24 months from the date of submission of the application 
  • On institutional headed paper or with an official stamp. If neither are available a reference can be submitted directly to erasmusreferences@glasgow.ac.uk from the referee’s institutional email address. References will not be accepted from a personal email address. 
  • Signed, with an electronic or wet-ink signature. A typed name is not sufficient 
  • At least one of the two references should be an academic reference. One may be a professional reference where it is not possible to obtain two academic references. 
• English Language Proficiency (if your first language is not English) NB.  In cases where it is not possible to provide proof of language qualification at this stage, applications will still be accepted but any offer of a place on the programme or of a scholarship will be conditional until the test result is received & verified by Admissions. See ‘Note on conditional offers’ below.
• A copy of the photo page of your passport
• CV – we highly recommend that you use the Europass CV format

One of the following documents is also required:

• Scholarship application form which includes a personal statement (for applicants applying for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship by the application deadline)
• Self-funder application form which includes a personal statement (for self-funding applicants only)

Applicants who want to be considered for Pathway B (University of Trento) must also submit the following:

• Evidence of knowledge of a second language at Level B2 (not being English or Italian)

Please note, in order to be considered for a scholarship, you MUST have submitted ALL of the above documents by the submission deadline 13th January 2023. If your application status is ‘Holding for Documents’ then you will NOT be considered for a scholarship unless you submit the required documents by the submission deadline 13th January 2023. The only exception to this is English language proficiency certificates, and final degree certificates and transcripts where an applicant is still currently studying. Note: Conditional offers An applicant who is completing the final year of his/her first degree or who has yet to provide the required evidence of proficiency in English will be considered for entry to the IMSISS programme but will not receive an unconditional offer of a place on the programme until we have received his/her final degree and/or English language test results. In such cases, you may be made a conditional offer on finishing your degree at the required grade and/or obtaining the required English language test results. This documentation must be submitted to the IMSISS via the University of Glasgow before you can enrol on the IMSISS programme.

The Erasmus Mundus scholarship application deadline date is 13th January 2023. The deadline for self-funded applications to the programme is 26th July 2023 for International and EU applicants, and 31st August 2023 for UK applicants.

For unsuccessful scholarship applicants, the applicant will have four weeks from the announcement of the scholarship results to pay a £1000 deposit to secure a self-funded place on the programme (either conditional or unconditional). This will not be required for applicants successful in receiving an Erasmus Mundus scholarship.

Self-funding applicants applying after 13th January 2023 will also have to pay a deposit to secure their place, the deadline for which will be detailed in their offer letter.

Classes for the 2023-2025 cohort of students start in September 2023 and you will be expected to attend induction sessions from the week before.

The deadline for applications for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship competition is 13th January 2023. All individuals interested in applying for a IMSISS Erasmus Mundus scholarship must read the Scholarship Application Information.

You should complete the standard online application form at the University of Glasgow. You need to complete and submit the scholarship application form and a copy of your latest CV. Your application will be assessed according to the following criteria:

Supporting Personal Statement:

Please be as precise as you can when writing your Supporting Personal Statement. Do not repeat yourself and do not exceed the word limit (600 words). You should make sure that you address the following issues in your personal statement:

• You should outline your motivation for choosing the IMSISS programme (i.e. how it complements and develops your previous studies; how it relates to your career path; how it relates to your personal and academic interests).
• Explain why you think you are a good candidate for the programme given your previous studies and the courses offered on the programme in both years. Briefly indicate what you see as being the topic of your year 2 dissertation (this can change later).
• You should highlight your participation in conferences, internships, non-governmental organisations, summer schools, and other socially sensitive or political activity; as well as any prizes/awards received even if these activities are not specially connected to the area of Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies.

And Finally:

For more tips and useful information on completing a successful application to an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree please read the excellent document produced by the Erasmus Mundus Ace Project Team: Play Your Ace!

Please note that the data you provide in your application will be shared with the IMSISS Consortium Partners as part of the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship review process. Please see our Privacy Notice for details.

Personal data will be sent to the Educational, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) and may be used for the purposes of evaluating the programme, efficiently managing the project, and producing statistics. Data could be made available to the EACEA, the European Commission, the European External Action Service staff, as well as to other stakeholders of the Erasmus+ programme, such as Erasmus+ National Agencies, National Erasmus+ Offices and the Erasmus Mundus Student and Alumni Association.

The EACEA Privacy Statement document can be found here.