MA European Studies

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:

• European Politics & International Relations: concentrates on the international position and politics of the European Union (EU) as a political entity
• European Public Policy & Administration: focuses on the political and administrative mechanisms and balances between the institutions of the European Union, its member states and civil societies
• Europe in a Globalising World: focuses on Europe and its member states’ shifting roles on the world stage in parallel to collective efforts to address global challenges such as international migration and development

Visit the MA European Studies page on the Maastricht University website for more details!