Forced migration is a global phenomenon and an area of increasing concern in Europe and beyond. On this course you will study the multiple factors associated with refugee crises and the economic, political, social, cultural, and environment pressures which lie behind the search for asylum.
A distinctive feature of this course is that it considers the perspective and experiences of the people forced to flee conflict, generalised violence, and human rights violations. It highlights social, cultural and community responses to people in search of sanctuary in the contexts of restrictive border practices. It encourages informed understanding about contemporary conflicts, forced displacement and human security.
Although the majority of refugees are in countries of the developing world, structures of exclusion are most fully developed in the post-industrial societies, notably within Europe.
The course highlights problems associated with limitations of asylum rights in the European states and the climate of hostility towards refugees from countries outside Western Europe. It also considers alternative, positive, approaches to asylum rights.
The Master in Advanced European and International Studies - European integration and global studies provides an overarching and extensive view of the political, social, economic and cultural issues of the present times. Its encompassing teaching method at the crossroads of theory and practice helps the students to gain thorough academic expertise in European affairs as well as a first hand-insight into the work as a Policy Officer at a European institution or international organisation. With its leitmotiv "Learning and living Europe", the programme follows an original approach that distinguishes it from other Master's courses in European Studies and International Relations: the European integration and global studies programme is taught in English and takes place in three different study locations: Berlin, Nice, Rome or Istanbul. After two common terms, the participants have the possibility to chose between two options for the spring term: they can opt to finish their studies either in Rome or in Istanbul.
The academic year starts in Berlin (from October to December), it encompasses classes on the basics of all the four modules (Conflict and cooperation in the international system, European integration and external action; Federalism and multi-level governance; Globalisation and sustainable development), completed by the seminar « Project cycle management », the core part of the fifth module "Professional Skills Workshops".
In Nice, teaching focuses on the current international order, examining the reasons for conflict and the perspectives for cooperation. Lectures explore Europe's policies in diverse fields (trade, democracy promotion, conflict resolution, climate change, development aid) to explain how important a role the EU plays on the international stage.
At the same time, the programme looks into the current challenges the European integration project is facing (euroscepticism, the challenges of economic governance, Brexit, refugee crisis). During this term, students take their mid-term exams.
A one-week study trip takes the students to European and international institutions in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg. Visits to the European Council, the European Commission and NATO are highlights of the stay in Brussels, whereas Strasbourg hosts not only the headquarters of the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rignts, but also the plenary sessions of the European Parliament.
According to their choice, students will do their third trimester either in Rome or in Istanbul.
In Rome, special focus is given to the Mediterranean region and Africa with particular emphasis on the issues of migration, poverty and food security. Students will visit relevant UN institutions.
In Istanbul, students study the changing EU-Turkey relations and focus on area studies of the Black Sea region, the Caucasus including ENP, and Central Asia.
During the third term, students have the opportunity to advance in their research work, as they are free of obligations from mid-May to mid-June to work on their thesis. The programme concludes with the defence of the thesis and oral exams. With their graduation, students become part of CIFE’s worldwide Alumni network.
A theoretically grounded approach to revisit the continuities and changes of international relations. Following a theoretical introduction into the grand schools of thought of international relations theory, we will approach the interdisciplinary field of conflict and violence studies. From its very beginning, understanding and explaining questions of war and peace has been at the heart of 'International Relations' as an academic discipline. A special focus will be given to inter-group violence and inter-state conflicts in both the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe: from the Western Balkans to Cyprus, from Israel to Palestine, from Ukraine to Syria.
This module aims at familiarising the students, who could well become the next generation of European and international decision-makers, with an expert knowledge of the structures, institutions, and problems of the European Union.We focus firstly on the historical development of European integration and then go on to analyse the Union’s institutions and study the basics of EU law. The last part of the program is devoted to the different policies of the EU and especially emphasises the challenges of enlargement.
For the last fifteen years, federalism has known a revival as an international field of studies. In this framework, three major developments can be considered. The first is the study of the European Union, not analysed any more as a process of integration but in terms of federal institutional comparative approach. The second development is multi-level governance, that can be conceived as an extension of federalism as it deals with any form of multi-tier institutional system. This cooperative/competitive approach has appeared to understand the institutional consequences of the process of globalisation in post-industrialised societies, and of the subsequent changing of nature of sovereignty in the relevant states. Eventually, federalism has become a tool of conflict resolution, in order to resolve violent conflicts all over the world.
The module puts a specific focus on the role of the EU as an economic actor on the global stage, with its opportunities and challenges driven both by European specific evolutions and globalisation trends. Finally, the module proposes an introduction to global sustainable development issues (climate change, access to water, etc.), as they are among the most decisive challenges that will shape the future of the world economy.
This module equips the participants with the professional skills and competences that will enable them to work in the context of the European and international organisations. They will take actively part in several simulation games and follow workshops on project cycle management, intercultural management, as well as on mediation and negotiation.
Application deadline is 30 June of the current year.
The MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies provides a rigorous theoretical and practical understanding of the field of international refugee law and forced migration. It is unique in being the only programme of its type offered by distance learning.
The MA degree will enable you to acquire a solid legal, practical and theoretical understanding of refugee protection and forced migration, developing expertise through a choice of elective modules. You will hone your self-reliance in dealing with - and critiquing - law, policy and practice in the field, and will also learn how to gather, organise and deploy evidence to form balanced judgements and develop policy recommendations.
This Masters is relevant to those who already work in the area, for whom a Masters qualification would enable them to progress to higher level work within the sector, whether in multilaterals, governments or NGOs.
It will also appeal to people hoping to establish themselves in the sector - these could be people making a career change or those at an early stage of their careers.
It is also relevant to sector professionals, to provide a deeper understanding of the issues facing refugees and refugee aid organisations.
We are hoping to create a virtual meeting place for students, academics and practitioners from all parts of the globe.
The programme is designed to develop both academic and vocational skills and experience.
It will enable you not only to think constructively about related policy and law, but to develop actual policy recommendations.
The 'practice based' module provides the opportunity to explore of some of the key vocational aspects relevant to the sector including topics such as advocacy, campaigning, fundraising, policy, law and communications. You can then choose to focus on a specific area for your examined piece of work. In the case of fundraising, for example, you could submit a funding bid that will be assessed by a tutor with significant practical experience in the grants and trusts sector.
Other modules on the course focus on asylum law and policy in specific regions of the world, such as Latin America and Africa or the European Union, whilst others focus on specific thematic issues such as statelessness, internal displacement, healthcare, gender and sexual identity.
Overall the course seeking to provide students with a solid legal, practical and theoretical understanding of refugee protection and forced migration.
You study this online programme wherever you are in the world and access the course content through a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The VLE also gives you access to:
- Associate Tutors who provide expert academic guidance throughout your studies
- academically rigorous and up-to-date learning materials and resources
- online tasks and assessments ('e-tivities') plus seen examinations for each of the modules
- peer to peer learning in online discussion forums
- world-class online library facilities.
To ask a question about this programme, please contact out Student Advice Centre using this form.
Our MA in Middle Eastern Studies provides expert research-led teaching in the politics, anthropology and sociology of the modern Middle East and North Africa. We offer a broad choice of modules that allow you to pursue your own interests and deepen your understanding and knowledge of one of the most contested and important regions in the world today. We offer a broad choice of modules that allow you to pursue your own interests and deepen your understanding and knowledge of specific topics.
Our course will introduce you to cutting-edge debates in the social sciences as they relate to the politics and society of the modern Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Our world-leading faculty have extensive experience of conducting research in the region and the course regularly attracts a dynamic student body who have lived and worked in the MENA. This diversity will expose you to new perspectives, and prepare you for a career specialising in the region.
In addition to the expertise that our Department offers, you can draw on the knowledge of a number of departments across King’s, including International Development, Political Economy, European and International Studies, War Studies, History, Theology & Religious Studies and the Russia Institute.
If you are interested in developing your knowledge of the main political, socio-economic and cultural trends in the Middle East, from the legacies of colonialism and continuing international interventions, to the dynamics of political contention over state legitimacy, citizen rights and everyday survival, to the challenges thrown up by the Syrian refugee crisis, then our course is ideal for you.
Our course aims to provide students with an overview of the key debates and issues in regional politics and society, using concepts and theories from social science – from the legacies of colonialism to the ongoing refugee crisis. The emphasis is on familiarising students with a wide range of social and political phenomena in preparation for the optional modules and the MA dissertation.
Teaching
For every 20-credit module, we will provide you with two hours of teaching a week during term time, and we expect you to undertake 180 hours of independent study. For your dissertation, we will provide you with 24 hours of methodology training, spread over two terms. You will also undertake 580 hours of independent study.
Taught modules: Full-time students can typically expect six hours of lectures/seminars per week and part-time students can expect four hours of lectures/seminars per week in the first year and two hours of lecture/seminar per week in the second year, plus the dissertation methods course and the dissertation module.
Dissertation module: You can typically expect 12-sessions worth of the Research Methods course and four contact hours of consultation with a supervisor.
For self study, the approximate workload for a 20-credit module taught by Middle Eastern Studies is 20 hours of lectures and seminars and 180 hours of self-guided learning. For the dissertation (60 credits), you can expect 580 hours self-study and project work
As part of the two-year schedule, part-time students would usually aim to take the required taught module and two optional modules in Year 1, and two optional modules and the Dissertation module (including the Research Methods course) in Year 2.
Assessment
We assess The Politics of the Contemporary Middle East through essay and class participation. We assess our optional modules through essays and, at the discretion of the mosdule convener, through class participation.
The skills and knowledge which you develop through our course will enhance your employability in an increasingly important field. We will support you in finding work through our excellent career service, and the Department of Middle Eastern Studies hosts its own careers fair. Our students go on to pursue careers at the United Nations, European Union, diplomatic services, journalism, government and a wide variety of different NGOs, or further research in our PhD programme.
Migration is increasingly a high-priority issue for governments and organisations around the world. Explore the social, economic and political drivers and consequences of forced and voluntary migration.
Drawing on several disciplines, including political science, geography and history, you'll discover why and how migration happens and gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges and opportunities it creates. You can choose to examine topics such as the refugee crisis in Europe, labour migration, multiculturalism and immigration as an election issue.
You'll not only gain an in-depth understanding of migration issues, you'll develop your critical thinking, communications and research skills.
If you're a Master's student, you may have the opportunity to do an internship with an organisation involved in migration policy, research or practice. Or you can choose to complete a 60-point research project instead. Take the opportunity to contribute your own perspectives to the study of migration.
The Master of Migration is part of a tiered family of qualifications:
Choose the qualification that suits your career goals, time constraints and financial situation.
Staircasing allows movement in both directions—if you begin by enrolling in the Certificate or Diploma programme you can continue on to complete your Master's. Or if you enrol in the Master's but can't complete it, for whatever reason, you may be awarded the Certificate or Diploma.
The Master of Migration is divided into Part 1 and Part 2.
In Part 1 you'll complete four 30-point courses and you'll have some choice in what you study. In the core course—Approaches to Migration Studies POLS 488—you'll examine how migration is analysed, study the main concepts, theories and debates and prepare a research proposal. In your elective courses you might focus on a particular historical migration flow, explore the challenges of refugee resettlement in New Zealand, study the international or domestic politics of migration or choose to complete an individual research project.
In the second half of your studies, or Part 2, you'll complete a 60-point research essay that builds on your research proposal in Part 1 of the programme. Alternatively, you may have the opportunity to complete an internship and research at a workplace involved in migration.
If you're doing the Diploma, you'll complete Part 1 of the Master's.
Certificate students complete the core course in Part 1 and choose one further course from the MMigS programme.
For most of your courses you'll attend one three-hour seminar each week that will include classroom discussions and sometimes student presentations.
You'll also complete your own self-directed research under the guidance of your supervisor. You'll meet with them regularly to discuss your progress.
The MMigS can be completed in one calendar year of full-time study, or in two years part time. You'll need to finish the degree within three years of enrolling.
The PGDipMigS takes two trimesters of full-time study or can be studied over four trimesters part time.
You can complete the PGCertMigS in one trimester, or over two trimesters part time.
If you are studying full time, you can expect a workload of 40–45 hours a week for much of the year. Part-time students doing two courses per trimester will need to do around 20–23 hours of work a week. Make sure you take this into account if you are working.
In the capital city of Wellington, you'll be at the centre of immigration policy and decision-making. Take advantage of Victoria's links with national organisations that deal with migration such as the Office of Ethnic Communities, the Asia New Zealand Foundation and Immigration New Zealand.
Postgraduate study at Victoria will help you build valuable relationships and networks with peers, university staff and future colleagues.
You'll have opportunities to attend events, workshops, social functions and seminars such as the Student Learning Postgraduate Seminars skills sessions.
The Postgraduate Students' Association can give you information and provides a voice for you on campus.
People with an in-depth knowledge of migration issues are increasingly in demand in governments, NGOs, media and research organisations. You'll be able to apply your understanding of migration in a wide range of professions such as policy analysis, research, international development, community development and refugee resettlement.
The Russian Studies MA draws on the unique area studies expertise at the UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies (SSEES) to offer a choice of modules unparalleled in depth and breadth, ranging from Russia's medieval history to its contemporary politics, from 19th-century literature to 21st-century film.
Russian culture is explored from a variety of perspectives. Students specialise in literature and culture, social sciences or history, or combine modules into an interdisciplinary programme. They are encouraged to develop their research skills, and many choose to learn Russian, or improve their command of Russian, through a language course.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of one of a choice of three core modules (30 credits), a choice of a Russian language module (30 credits) and/or optional modules (to a total of 90 credits), and a research dissertation (60 credits).
Core modules
This is a multidisciplinary programme. Nevertheless, students are required to gain a thorough methodological and theoretical grounding in disciplinary study and hence must choose between one of the following three modules:
Optional modules
90 credits from a range of options, which may include:
Dissertation/report
All MA students undertake an independent research project, which culminates in a dissertation of 10,000–12,000 words.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, film viewings, tutorials and specialist language courses. Assessment is carried out through unseen examinations, long essays, coursework and the research dissertation.
Detailed module information
See full details of modules for this programme.
AHRC Scholarships may be available.
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.
With their specialist knowledge and language skills, SSEES Master's graduates can be found in business, finance, the media, international agencies, charities, diplomacy, international security organisations, the law, and academia.
Some graduates advise the Russian, Polish, American, and other governments, and the European Commission.
Recent career destinations for this degree
Employability
Russia is one of the most exciting and important countries in the world, and SSEES is the ideal place in which to study it. Students who have successfully completed the programme have progressed to further academic research on the region, or have obtained employment in such organisations as the European Parliament and the Ministry of Defence, as well as roles in business, think tanks, NGOs, or similar, both in Britain and abroad. Networking is facilitated by two major collaborations led by SSEES: CEELBAS and the International Master's (IMESS). Scholarships, internship opportunities and excellent links with other universities in the region provide further benefits.
Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.
SSEES is a world-leading specialist institution, and the largest national centre in the UK, for the study of central, Eastern and south-east Europe and Russia.
Located in Bloomsbury, SSEES offers an ideal location for scholars. The British Library, British Museum, University of London Library and other similar research centres are all close by.
The SSEES Library is unequalled in Britain for the depth and breadth of its collections, the majority of which are on open access in the SSEES building.
You will study various dimensions and aspects of globalisation, notably as this relates to socio-economic and spatial development for different parts of the world, the Global South in particular. Core issues on which this master specialisation will focus include: changing relationships of global and local societies through the rise of new social and spatial inequalities brought about by global processes, migration and mobility and the emergence of transnational identities versus local interpretations in so-called multicultural societies. Overall we give particular emphasis to the relationship with urban contexts of these issues, but do also link it up with rural domains, e.g. in studying sustainability of livelihood strategies and development policies in different regions.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/gmd
Our graduates are employed in a wide range of jobs in- and outside the Netherlands. To give some insight in the scope of the work they do we have categorised this as follows, adding that this list is not exhaustive:
1. Working for the Dutch government at local, regional, national and international levels regarding development issues such as poverty, livelihoods, social exclusion and empowerment:
- Policymaker / programme researcher for city municipalities focusing on integration and multi-cultural issues, especially in the low-income neighbourhoods;
- Policy development expert for Provincial Governments in The Netherlands;
- Policy expert or programme/field officer with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
- Programme officer with Nuffic (Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher education)
2. Working as an NGO practitioner in development cooperation:
- Field officer for Max Havelaar or Fair Trade, visiting developing countries to establish business contracts with local farmer organisations;
- Research officer for the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (http://www.cbi.nl/) promoting and facilitating entry of entrepreneurs from developing countries in the European market.
- Researcher/programme officer with development aid related organisations such as: Cordaid, VSO, SNV, Novib/Oxfam, Hivos and COS (Association of Centres for international cooperation at the provincial level), or a migrant (umbrella) organisation.
3. Pursuing an academic career (research and education) with one of many research institutes studying migration, globalisation, integration or development issues in the Netherlands and abroad:
- Conducting highly innovative PhD research on migration and development, health and urbanisation, the rural impact of globalisation, etc. (see http://www.nwo.nl/ for past research proposals)
- Working for a research institute/organisation involved with migration and globalisation: e.g. MPI, IOM, Refugee Studies Centre in Oxford
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/gmd
How can we understand the EU’s response to the financial crisis or to the confrontation between Ukraine and Russia? How do we account for the EU’s reaction to the refugee crisis provoked by conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa? What is Europe’s peacekeeping role and capacity? The master's programme in European Studies trains you to answer these complex questions. Because you cannot study Europe from just one angle, the programme examines global developments and multi-level governance in a broader context, combining political science, history, international relations, economics and cultural studies. This student-centred, interdisciplinary programme is among the largest, and certainly the most international, in Europe and has an excellent reputation. You will study the internal and external dimensions of European policy, governance and administration. The focus is on the underlying issues of power and influence, governance and culture within the European milieu and between Europe and the wider world.
Why this programme?
The Master of Arts in European Studies focuses on the international dimensions of policy, governance and administration. The programme looks beyond the institutions of the European Union and the mechanics of European integration to examine global developments and multi-level governance in a broader context. The programme employs an interdisciplinary approach, combining political science, history, international relations, economics and cultural studies. The focus is on the underlying issues of power and influence, governance and culture.
The programme offers three specialisations:
