European Studies (MA)

The European Studies – European Policy Analysis Master’s programme prepares students to analyse, evaluate, and influence the policy-making process of the European Union. It does so by combining insights from political science, sociology, cultural studies, and economics. When applying for this degree, prospective students have to choose between one of two specialisations: European Social and Economic Policy Analysis (EPA) European Social and Cultural Policy Analysis (CPA) By linking an interdisciplinary academic education with practice-centred teaching formats, students will learn to think critically about today's challenges and develop practical solutions based on sound knowledge. In addition to the core academic component of this course of study, students will gain skills in communication, teamwork, and knowledge transfer so that they will be ideally prepared for the job market. We provide learning opportunities in small groups that cater to your personal interests and needs in an interactive, welcoming learning atmosphere, along with personal supervision from an engaged EUS team! First semester: Disciplinary and methodological basics The first semester is devoted to gain or brush up on essential academic knowledge relevant for European Studies. Students will enrol in thematic introductory lectures and seminars according to their specialisation and take modules on research methods. Second semester: Introducing European policy analysis In this semester, students study the core module introducing policy analysis. Pending on the selected focal point, students are introduced to economic policy analysis or intercultural communication. The core courses are complemented by elective courses based on the individual students' preferences. Third semester: Transfer of academic approaches in practice and beyond Europe In the second year, students take courses in which they apply their academic knowledge in a concrete policy context. In the transfer module, students apply the technical and methodical knowledge via a critical confrontation with practitioners in the field of EU policy making. Elective courses widen the analytical perspective to contexts beyond the EU and cover global politics, economics, and cultures. Fourth semester: Independent policy analysis In the last semester, students apply their theoretical and methodological knowledge in an interdisciplinary group project. The projects focus on specific, self-selected policy problems and will be presented in a student-organised conference. Each student concludes the programme with a Master's thesis.