Master

Military Strategic Studies

The Faculty of Military Sciences (FMS), part of the Netherlands Defence Academy (NLDA),
provides academic education in the initial officer-training courses at the Royal Netherlands
Military Academy in Breda and the Royal Naval Institute in Den Helder. Besides catering for
three acknowledged Bachelors Degree Courses, the Faculty also offers a Masters Degree
programme in Military Strategic Studies (MSS) in English.

Introduction
The Masters Degree course is a modular part-time education that
offers academic enrichment to its students, both civilian and military.
The course requires a considerable amount of individual self-study,
since the lectures, given at the Royal Netherlands Military Academy in
Breda, are only scheduled on Fridays.

relationship between politics and the multiple forms of military power ranging from irregular warfare to the cyber threat and the possible
use of nuclear weapons.
Lessons are drawn from history, security studies, political science,
sociology, psychology, law, organisational studies, engineering, ethics
and economics. The MSS also thoroughly analyses todays strategic

This brochure provides information about the curriculum and the

problems, the challenges of managing a military organisation, and

intended target group of the Military Strategic Studies course.

ideas from strategic theory and doctrine about the wielding of power
in the modern world.

Master programme

No claims can be founded on the contents of this brochure. I October 2014

The multifaceted Military Strategic Studies programme aims to

contribute to understanding, analysing and explaining the military
dimension of international security. The programme explores the

In the course of their study students will specialise in one of three

main subjects: War studies, Intelligence & Security, and Military
Management & Logistics.

A Master students account

research methods. Subsequently, there are four modules belonging to

Major Minne Boelens

the chosen main study, in which subjects like Peacekeeping & Statebuilding and The Practice of Military Intelligence give students more
For me there are three important

in-depth knowledge about the chosen study theme. An optional

reasons why I chose for the

module completes this part of the Masters Course. To conclude the

Military Strategic Studies Masters

Masters Course, students are required to attend a research seminar

course. Firstly, because my career

and to select a topic for their research thesis. There is also the

has come to the point where I feel

possibility for students to make a selection from the modules offered.

the need for additional education

These modules will be concluded with a certificate.

with a specific focus on the operational and strategic context of the

military within society.
The second reason is that the
Master gives me the unique
opportunity to develop myself further, specifically within my field
of work by way of the Intelligence and Security specialisation.
Thirdly, I am convinced that soldiering is a real profession, which
increasingly requires a thoroughly professional and academic
foundation, considering the political dynamics the armed forces are
operating in.
All these aspects and possibilities converge in the Masters course,
which is why I very deliberately and purposefully chose to enrol.

Eligible candidates

Career possibilities

The Masters Degree programme is intended for three categories of

applicants all of whom are required to have at least a university
Bachelors Degree:
1. officers actively serving in the Dutch Armed Forces or in a foreign
military;
2. civilian armed forces employees;
3. civilian students or employees from other civil service departments
or, for example, NGOs that, because of the nature of their activities,
cooperate with the military.

The programme offers invaluable knowledge to those who currently fill

a position, or are pursuing one, in the armed forces and/or in an international security organisation. The study also provides opportunities
for personal growth in leadership potential concerning aspects, such
as showing initiative, accepting responsibility, and making decisions in
complex situations.

Learning from each other is a didactic pillar of the Master education.

The variety of students with their different perspectives is conducive to
the discussions and stimulates the expression of opinions and personal
experiences during the lectures.

Research
The academic staff and sometimes students of the FMS conduct
research within the framework of their expertise. Evidently, the
Netherlands Ministry of Defence benefits from this research. Moreover, this research serves as an impulse to the education since the
academic staff is encouraged to include their research findings in
their lectures. Research projects focus on technological innovations
and new scientific insights that apply to military operations in all
military domains (land, sea, air and space). Only recently the faculty
has added the fifth domain, cyberspace, to its areas of expertise.

Focus
The main emphasis of the MSS programme lies on the WesternEuropean perspective of international security and the application
of the military instrument. Moreover, the study highlights the
developments in security politics and in the military, debates, insights
and issues that have emerged since the end of the Cold War. MSS,
therefore, concentrates on the post-modern era.
MSS aims to imbue students with a proper understanding of presentday security issues, the functions of armed forces and the employment
of armed forces in peacetime and in conflict situations. Management
and organisation is the central focus of the Military Management &
Logistics Major, together with armed forces personnel and ethical
aspects. The logic and dilemmas of operational deployment and its
legitimacy in three different strategic settings feature in War Studies,
whereas the role and the workings of intelligence services are the main
elements of the Intelligence & Security Major.

The curriculum of the Masters Course

Fees and application

The two-year course consists of a number of ten-week modules of

5 ECs (study credits) each. The students specific subjects may vary due
to the differences between the three main Master studies. The first
three months the students follow a general programme, consisting
of four core modules with subjects all students are obliged to know
about, such as War, Defence & Society. One core module focuses on

Military and civilian employees of the Ministry of Defence and military

students from foreign armed forces are exempted from paying fees.
Other students of the FMS Masters Course pay the legal tuition fees
set by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. Students
attending parts of the master programme that have already paid
tuition fees at another university:
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For students not yet qualified for the FMS Masters Course standard
programmes have been developed for distance learning. They are free
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Every year students are allowed to enroll from 1 February until the last
Sunday of April, but they may already show their interest via e-mail;
master.mss@mindef.nl.

Additional information
For additional information prospective students are advised to consult
Masteropleiding Military Strategic Studies (Masterprogramme
Military Strategic Studies) on the NLDA site (http://www.defensie.nl/
onderwerpen/defensieacademie/inhoud/opleidingen). Questions and
remarks about this brochure or the MSS Course can be emailed to
master.mss@mindef.nl.