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Should I Avoid 1 Year Master's programs? (Conflict/Security/IR)


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I've been looking at both master's and PhD programs broadly in peace and conflict/international relations/political science over the past few months.  For reference I'm from the US and looking at programs both domestic and in Europe.

Many of these PhD programs, including a few US-based ones, require a master's degree to be eligible for admission.  Specifically, it seems that most of the departments which match my interests the best (armed conflict, SALW, civil and ethnic conflict) require a master's beforehand and do not necessarily offer combined programs.

What I've noticed is that some of the programs distinguish the specific type of master's degree that "counts" for admission.  While some simply list "master's degree" or "MA" in the requirements, certain European programs state that candidates must have either a minimum of 5 years at the bachelors + master's level (3 + 2) or they'll outright require the master's degree to be 120 ECTS.  

Given the popularity of 1 year (September to September including thesis) 90 ECTS master's programs in this field from institutions like LSE and KCL, should I be avoiding these programs to ensure higher compatibility with PhD programs?  Even though programs like LSE's MSc Conflict Studies are more theoretically grounded with statistical methods courses not found in other 1 year/90 ECTS master's, I'm worried that the nature of the program's length and credits will hinder my PhD eligibility.

Of course, some of these PhD programs state "If the scope of the applicant’s education at the master's level is less than two years, the Faculty may make an individual assessment" but I'm just not sure if it's worth the risk.

TL;DR: Certain European PhD programs specify 2 year/120 ECTS master's degrees for admissions eligibility, is this an absolute hardline thing to note when picking a master's program or am I just being obtuse about the minor details?  I don't want to waste money and time on applying to master's programs that may be ineligible for PhD admissions.

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