The Double Degree in International Relations, Security and Development with the University of Sussex offers an innovative educational program that combines the analysis of international security dynamics with the study of global transformations and development challenges. The program provides students with multidisciplinary skills to understand and address major global policy issues, from environmental and humanitarian crises to conflicts and new threats to international security.
The University of Sussex (Brighton, UK) is internationally recognized for its excellent programs in this field: 1st in the world for Development Studies in the 2025 QS rankings.
The program is structured as follows:

• The first year is carried out at Luiss University (Rome)
• The second year is carried out at University of Sussex (Brighton, UK)

During the second year at the University of Sussex, students will engage with one of only four dedicated International Relations departments in the UK, world-renowned for its critical perspectives on security and development. The MA in Conflict, Security and Development focuses on the complex relationships between (in)security and global development through issues such as war and armed intervention, global health and poverty, and environmental degradation. Students will learn theories and critical perspectives that will help them understand crises in innovative ways and address them across the power relations between the Global North and the Global South.
Graduates of this program emerge with a comprehensive understanding of the political, economic, security and ecological dimensions of global development that gives them the ability to navigate complex global systems and advocate for sustainable and equitable solutions. Both programs foster analytical rigor, cross-cultural competence and a nuanced understanding of the challenges shaping today’s interconnected world and equip its graduates with a dual qualification and a comprehensive skill set tailored for careers in international organizations, NGOs, government agencies, think tanks and policy institutions.

Interested students are required to send an application via e-mail to the International Degree Programs Office by March 16, including:

• Personal statement
• English language certificate (if available) 
• CV
• ID/Passport
• Transcript of records

In case of doubts about the documents to upload or to get further information about the requested documents, students are invited to contact the International Degree Programs Office before the application deadline.
 

A selection commission composed by members of Luiss and Sussex will evaluate the applications and might hold selection interviews with candidates in the week commencing on April 6. 
Students will be notified of their selection on April 10 via email. 

Selection will be conditional to the following:

• enrolling at Luiss according to the applicable admission procedure
• obtaining the Bachelor’s Degree by August 2026
• submitting a valid English language certificate by August 2027 among those listed in paragraph Requirements. The certificate must have not been obtained before September 2025.

Students who fail to meet these conditions by the specified deadlines will be excluded from the program and will continue enrolled in the Luiss Master's Degree in International Relations.
 

• Students pay applicable tuition and administrative / university fees only to the institution where they are studying at any given academic year.
• The applicable tuition fees for the second year at the University of Sussex are:
  • £ 11,250 (Home/UK)
  • £ 23,500 (Overseas/non-UK)
• A student’s fee status at Sussex is determined in accordance with the UK government regulations. Please check the website of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) for further details.
   

• Selected students will be enrolled at Luiss for the first year and at both Luiss and the University of Sussex for the second year. 
• The participation in this program will provide additional points to the Final Grade of the Master’s Degree, according to Luiss rules.
• Luiss students will be able to participate only if they have no pending administrative issues with Luiss.
• Exams passed at Sussex University will be transferred to the Luiss career according to the study plan. It is not possible to request an official renounce of the grades registration.
• If compliant with both universities’ rules and conditions, as for credits envisaged, attendance, deadlines, academic integrity etc., participating students will receive two degrees, which will be released according to each university’s procedures.