Programmes and courses

Our programmes and courses

We offer programmes at first-cycle, second-cycle and third-cycle (research) level.

Below, you can find more information about our programmes and the different study levels.

• Bachelor programmes
• Master programmes
• Doctoral studies
• Freestanding courses this and next term
• Bachelor courses

Bachelor programmes

A Bachelor’s programme is a three-year first-cycle programme comprising 180 credits.

At the Department of Political Science, Bachelor’s programmes are structured programmes of study over six semesters and lead to a degree in Political Science or Peace and Conflict Studies, the two main subjects available at bachelor's level.

Bachelor’s programmes combine a main subject with complementary studies. You will study your main subject for at least three semesters. The remaining semesters consist of courses in other subjects that broaden and strengthen your academic profile.

Some courses are programme-specific and cannot be taken as standalone courses. As a registered Bachelor’s student, you have priority access to courses that form part of your degree.

Entry requirements vary between Bachelor’s programmes. Selection is based on upper secondary school grades and results from the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test (Högskoleprovet).

Course information for the programme on the Department's website:

Bachelor's programme in Development Studies (BIDS) | Department of Political Science (lu.se)

You apply to our bachelor programme on Lund University's website:

Development Studies - Bachelor of Science Programme | Lund University

Master programmes

To be eligible for a Master’s programme, you must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science or Peace and Conflict Studies. A Master’s programme is a two-year second-cycle programme comprising 120 credits and leads to the degree of Master of Science (MSc).

Some Master’s programmes are thematically structured, allowing you to specialise in a particular field. Others offer greater flexibility, enabling you to shape the focus of your studies through elective courses. All Master’s programmes include a combination of courses that are restricted to admitted programme students and courses that are open to students outside the programme.

Master’s programmes always begin in the autumn semester, and two of the department’s three Master’s programmes are taught in English.

Detailed course information for the programmes is available on the Department’s website.

Master programme: European Affairs | Department of Political Science (lu.se)

Master programme: Welfare Policies and Management | Department of Political Science (lu.se)

You apply to our master programmes on Lunds University's web site:

European Affairs - Master of Science programme | Lund University

Welfare Policies and Management - Master of Science programme | Lund University

Doctoral studies

Doctoral studies leading to a PhD degree comprise 240 credits, corresponding to four years of full-time study. Doctoral education is a core part of Lund University’s mission and academic responsibility.

As a doctoral student (also referred to as a PhD candidate or doctoral candidate), you are an integral part of the research environment at Lund University. At any given time, around 30 doctoral students are affiliated with the Department of Political Science, and new doctoral candidates are normally admitted once a year.

Admission to doctoral studies offers an intellectually stimulating and varied period of study. Alongside your doctoral research, you are expected to contribute to teaching at the first-cycle level and/or undertake administrative duties as part of your academic role.

To qualify for doctoral studies, you need:

• A degree at an advanced level
• Completed course requirements of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are at the advanced level, or
• Otherwise, within the country or abroad, acquired substantially equivalent knowledge.

More information about doctoral studies

Freestanding courses this and next term

Many courses at the Department of Political Science are linked to a specific research project that specific teachers are involved in, and are therefore not offered each term.

See all of our freestanding courses

For up-to-date information on the courses available in your semester, please see here:

Spring 2026 (preliminary courses)

Undergraduate course:

• FKVB21 – War and Peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Master courses:

First half of semester:

• STVN13 – War and Peace in a World in Transition
• STVN24 – Comparative Politics: Institutions and Actors

Second half of semester:

• STVN17 – Power, Politics and the Environment
• STVN26 – Intelligence Analysis

Autumn 2025

Master courses:

First half of semester:

• STVN22 – Policy Processes: Actors, Causes and Consequences
• STVP30 – European Governance

Second half of semester:

• STVN14 – Political Science Methodology
• STVN25 – Environmental and Planetary Politics

We now also offer two X-courses:

• STVD01 – Political Science: AI and Democracy
• UNDD01 –  Intelligence Analysis: Intelligence Cooperation in an Uncertain World

Here you can read more about X courses: 

X-courses | Faculty of Social Sciences

More about freestanding courses

Did you know that:

• The courses vary in length from 7.5 credits to 30 credits.
• As some courses are connected to ongoing research projects, they may not be offered every semester.
• You can combine courses of your choice, aiming for a unique degree.

Admitted to one term at a time

Freestanding courses are a good option if you do not wish to enrol in a full degree programme but still want to study within our subject areas and work towards a degree. As you are admitted one semester at a time, freestanding courses also provide an opportunity to experience university studies and assess whether our subjects are the right fit for you.

Some more advantages

• You can design your very own training program and study towards an exam with a unique profile
• You decide your course of study
• You have the opportunity to access the exact knowledge you need for your continued professional life, or your personal skills

From 7.5 to 30 credits

Whatever your goal or reasons for studying, you are welcome to study our courses at the bachelor's and master's levels. Most of the department's courses (with some exceptions) are open for you to apply for as separate courses. The courses vary in length from 7.5 credits to 30 credits.