Study programme
Programme structure
The Master's in European Studies comprises 60 ECTS credits. The first semester comprises several core courses and a skills seminar. The second semester allows you to tailor the programme to your own interests through a series of electives and the Master's thesis.
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Cultures of European GovernancePeriod 1Period 212
In this multidisciplinary and theoretical course, insights into the driving forces, organisation and practices of European governance in terms of policymaking will be related to wider historical, cultural and geographical contexts.
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Skills Seminar: BrusselsPeriod 36
You will practice the skills needed to successfully conclude a Master's thesis, including defining a research question and problem, identifying methods and theoretical approaches and data-gathering techniques. During a visit to Brussels you will learn more about the practice of European policymaking, with interactions with EU officials.
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Restricted-choice electivesPeriod 1Period 212
These courses provide a further contextualisation of the theories of EU governance, EU policies, European geopolitics and European integration, and also allow students to pursue regional and/or policy specific interests. The course restricted electives discuss relevant important EU policy areas and pressing issues in EU policy.
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Free-choice electivesPeriod 1Period 2Period 4Period 5Period 612
You will follow electives from this programme or you have the opportunity to develop a fully customised programme with a selection of courses from other Master's programmes. A proposal for such an individual programme must be approved by the programme’s examination board.
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Master's Thesis European StudiesPeriod 4Period 5Period 618
The Master's thesis is an individual research project carried out by the student under the supervision of a faculty member. The subject of the thesis should relate to topics covered in the courses and will be mutually agreed upon by the student and the supervisor. You will also follow a thesis tutorial that prepares you for thesis writing. Serving as a complement to the January skills seminar, the tutorial will help you in starting to define your research problem and question, as well as beginning data gathering and determining the structure of the thesis.
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Core courses
The programme's core courses give an in-depth introduction to theories of EU governance, EU policies, European geopolitics and European integration. A trip to Brussels is included and will take place in the fourth week of the course (if conditions permit).
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Course restricted and free electives
The course restricted electives which take place in the first semester complement the programme's core courses. You make a selection of two course restricted electives (12 ECTS credits) from the following list of courses:
- Enlargement and External Relations of the EU
- The State of the European Economy
- The Power of Law
- European Geopolitics
- Climate Change in EUrope: policy and politics
- Building a Digital Europe: critical reflections on the digital turn in the European Union
During the second semester you will follow free electives (12 ECTS credits) of your own choice which will also include courses offered by the other MA programmes:
- Intimate Politics: Culture and Subjectivity in Soviet and post-Soviet Russia
- Facing Srebrenica: Representing Genocide in Contemporary Europe
- Contemporary China-Europe Relations: Norms, Values and Ideology
- Religion, Violence, Conflict Resolution
- Ukraine – Battleground for a new Europe?
- European Cultural Policy
- Democracy in the European Union
- Memory and Conflict in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe
- European Policy Lab
- Europe and its Discontents: A Political History of Anti-liberalism
- Gender, Race and Power in European Security
- EU Policy Lab (based on intake)
- Multilateral Diplomacy in Action (based on intake)
- From Moscow with Love? Russia’s disinformation activities and social media
- Capitalist West, Communist East and the Global South
- EU Enlargement Policy and Europeanisation
- Which lives matter? Narratives and experiences of humanities and ‘human’ rights in Europe
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Internship
The one-year Master's in European Policy can be extended with an additional internship which you can do at an EU institution, an international organisation or a national or regional administration. The organisation of the internship is the full responsibility of the student and, in consultation with the programme coordinator, we will attempt to accommodate the internship within the framework of the programme.
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Field experience
The programme combines theory with hands-on field experience. If conditions permit, this will include a workshop in Brussels as well as an extended field course to Athens that examines the ways in which EU policies ‘touch down’ in different national and regional contexts.
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Transferring to a Research Master's
Students who show exceptional promise for research during a regular or professional Master's programme are encouraged to continue their studies in a Research Master's programme in History. Once students are admitted to the Research Master's programme, they can transfer credits earned during their previous course of study towards their Research Master's degree. The Examinations Board determines which courses qualify for transfer.
The Master’s in European Policy provides students with a critical approach to some of the main challenges the EU is facing today.Prof. Luiza Bialasiewicz
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How does this Master’s programme differ from European Studies programmes at other universities?
European studies at the UvA stands out for two reasons. First of all, this Master takes a multidisciplinary approach to studying Europe. In comparison to many other programmes in European studies which mainly focus on EU-politics, we try to render justice to Europe’s complexity – its multi-layered governance, its cultural diversity etc. – by combining perspectives from politics, economics, law, history, culture, anthropology and geography. Secondly, as European studies at the UvA is embedded in the humanities, we explore how history and culture in particular contribute to the understanding of Europe and its (dis)contents.
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Can I take language courses?
Yes, it is possible to take language courses offered by the language departments of the UvA. However, you will not get academic credits for these courses.
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I am finding it difficult to choose between two tracks (e.g. European Policy and Identity & Integration): can I do a mixture of both?
You need to register for one of the tracks, which both have their own core programmes. It is nevertheless possible to study at the cross-roads of two tracks, because many electives are open for students from all three Master tracks. This means that you can practically tailor your programme to your own interests
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Can I do this Master’s part time and take two years to accomplish the programme?
The programme is designed as a one-year programme and is not meant for part time studying. Nevertheless, it is possible to extend the programme over a two-year period. You can best contact the track coordinator in order to discuss and organize your study schedule.