MA/MS in Conflict Studies and Human Rights

Utrecht's Conflict Studies and Human Rights master's examines the dynamics behind conflict and collective violence and the political, cultural, and social tensions that surround them. The programme works through a series of open questions rather than fixed answers: what leads people to take up arms, how conflict reshapes the societies it touches, and how technologies such as drones, surveillance systems, and artificial intelligence are changing the character of warfare. It also considers why peacebuilding efforts frequently fail, drawing on cases such as Mali, how the climate crisis is intensifying competition over resources and driving displacement, and how systemic violence, including police violence in urban settings, might be addressed. Students looking for further depth can take up one of the university's interdisciplinary honours programmes alongside their studies, treating conflict as a set of interconnected political, technological, and social processes.